Are you thinking about playing banjo? Us too! All the time! If you’re new to banjo, there are a few questions that will come up early in your journey. We’ll cover a few common ones here, but feel free to reach out if you have other questions; we’re here to help on your path of discovery.
Do I want a five-string banjo? What about 4 strings? For most of the music we think of as “banjo music” these days, we’re talking about music that’s played on a five-string banjo: four long strings, and a shorter fifth string that ends part-way up the neck. While four-string banjos have been used to great effect in ragtime, traditional jazz, Celtic, and other musical styles, if you’re thinking of music that’s in an American folk tradition, you’re probably thinking of the five-string banjo, the most common by far. We’ll focus on five-string banjos here.
Should I learn Scruggs-style? Clawhammer? It’s up to you! Usually, the type of music you want to play will dictate which banjo style is appropriate. There are a lot of picking styles, but two main styles are predominant.
Scruggs style (also called three-finger, or Bluegrass style) was popularized by Earl Scruggs, banjo player in Bill Monroe’s Bluegrass Boys and later Flatt & Scruggs. It utilizes your thumb, index, and middle fingers plucking alternately in patterns, or “rolls,” to create a propulsive, triplet feeling rhythm. You’ll hear it in Bluegrass music of course, and some folks have stretched this plucking style to fit into more modern music and beyond, like Tony Trischka, Danny Barnes, and Bela Fleck.
Clawhammer style (sometimes called frailing, or old-time style) has been around a long time in various versions. It involves a downward stroke across the strings, utilizing the back of your finger or nail, with the thumb playing syncopated notes on the up beat (almost as a pull-off, if you’re familiar with that term). You’ll hear this more in old-time music, and players like Abigail Washburn, Rhiannon Giddens, Laura Viers, Grandpa Jones, Brad Leftwich, and David “Stringbean” Akeman.
Dave Keenan and Molly Tenenbaum, two of our fabulous teachers, filmed a video for you demonstrating the differences between Scruggs style and clawhammer banjo playing:
What kind of banjo should I get? That’s also up to you! There are no rules, but there are some conventions to be aware of:
Bluegrass bands often consist of 4-6 players, all on different instruments, who take turns playing solos. In a Bluegrass jam setting, there may be many players all taking solos in turn. In either of these scenarios you’ll want a banjo that can stand out and be heard, and for that reason, banjo technology has developed things like resonators (a back cover that acts as a sound reflector) and tone rings (a metal band in between the banjo head and wooden pot that amplifies the sound and adds focus). Usually, Bluegrass players will want a banjo that is bright sounding and loud, and resonators and tone rings help with that.
Old-time music, in contrast, might involve a jam where everyone plays together rather than trading solos, so your banjo doesn’t have to stand out as much. Sometimes the context is a smaller group, such as just banjo and fiddle, and in both those cases a mellower, broader sound could be a better fit. A larger head size, lack of tone ring or resonator, or darker-sounding head material can all contribute to a mellower, less bright sound. Lots of clawhammer players will choose some combination of these features.
Some players will find their fit somewhere in between the two extremes; maybe you find that a banjo with a tone ring, no resonator, and a frosted head is the sound that you like best. There are even clawhammer players, like Grandpa Jones, that buck convention because they like the volume and power they get from a Bluegrass-style banjo, for example. Some players are adept at both styles, like Ralph Stanley and Steve Martin, and choose a banjo based on personal preference.
Keep in mind, it may take some time to figure out which sound is best for your playing, or which playing style you prefer; so, we recommend getting started by renting a banjo with us, and taking a few classes or lessons, before buying your first banjo. That way you’ll be armed with the best tools to make an educated decision about the sound and features you’re looking for. We have some amazing teachers who are ready to help you explore banjo, either in private lessons or group classes.
Drop by the shop if you’ve got questions, and to try out some banjos!
