Learning how to play...

[Possum]

Learning to play the banjo from square one. Don't know how to read music or anything, so I'm basically learning from scratch. Any resources out there that will help a beginner like me on the clawhammer style of play?

[OldKingCrow]

Re: Learning how to play...

I too am self-teaching early banjo and making nice progress. I am a long time guitar player and I am finding it easy.

My advice and there are many here more capable than me....is to get some CD's of early banjo or "minstrel" music from the period and learn the popular tunes.

Without the tunes in your head it is tough.

I like Marty Liebschner CD's (he is not popular here but)

http://www.folkinstruments.biz/

Get all three of his and listen to them in the truck, etc...the tunes are catchy and you will start to commit them to memory easily.

As far as reading music the various Banjo Instructors (Briggs, Converse) are available in tablature format which is pretty easy to learn.

I decided to stay away from the later fretted banjo and gone ftretless in "low bass" tuning to start (which is easier to learn on) and not the clawhammer..to focus on fretless early banjar and the mintrel downstroke.

There is a minstrel banjo forum that has videos....our own Carl Anderton (OldCremora) is the man and I find myself stealing his licks from there !


"Noah sent a bird out to look for dry land, and when he come back again he had a banjo in his hand"

CR

[Danny]

Re: Learning how to play...

Learning to play the banjo from square one. Don't know how to read music or anything, so I'm basically learning from scratch. Any resources out there that will help a beginner like me on the clawhammer style of play?

Rocky -

The old banjo tutors, though filled with songs you never heard of, do have enough tunes you will recognize and they are the best source we have for how some players played and the tuning of their instruments.

A free copy of the Briggs 1855 banjo tutor is available (in three downloads: pgs 1-17, 18-34, 35-53) from a Minstrel Banjo supplemental site at

http://groups.google.com/group/Albert-Baur?hl=en

There is some beginner info. in the front of that one, but what we call clawhammer today is only similar to the old banjo stroke-styles, to see the difference watch some of the vids Chris mentioned from

http://minstrelbanjo.ning.com/

Dan Wykes