7 Banjo Tips For Beginners

A banjo is an instrument that cheers up almost everyone when it is playing no matter how low your mood may be.

As a beginner, you should not invest more in perfection than the love for the instrument. You do not have to focus on being perfect right from the word go but learn from your mistakes.

Most of your focus should be on what you can learn bit by bit and not what people say about the instrument.

Technology has made the process of learning to play banjo very easy. Some of the tips for beginner banjo players are as follows.

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Donner
Our Top Pick
Donner Banjo Full Size 5 String Tenor Banjolele Guitar with Banjo Kit Tuner Gig Bag, Stringed Musical Instruments for Adult Beginner,DBJ-200
Amazon Prime
AKLOT
Best Budget Option
AKLOT 5 String Banjos Full Size Open Back Banjo Adjustable Maple Body Remo Head with 2 Tuning Wrench, 4 Picks, Strings, Tuner, Strap Ruler, Cleaning Cloth, Gig Bag for New Beginner Professional
Amazon Prime
Kmise
Best Value
Kmise 5 String Resonator Banjo,Professional Sapele Back Full Size Banjos Starter Kit with Bag Tuner Strap Strings Picks Ruler Wrench Bridge
Amazon Prime

Table of Contents

1. Listen To Music Played On Banjo

You can download music online, save to your phone and listen any time you are working when you are walking or even when doing other routine exercises.

Listen to lots of banjo recordings, and do not touch any notes until you can whistle or hum the tune that you want.

2. Start Simple

A beginner should start with simple notes and not the sophisticated one because they would only kill your interest in the instrument at an early stage.

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Do not rush to play fast until you master a technique fully. You need to familiarize yourself with the device first and plan to start from the more natural notes and chords. To get started quickly, you must overcome your fears.

Mistakes should not put you down to the point of getting confused.

3. Observe The Right Posture

Learn to hold the banjo first even before you think of playing it.

Just like typing using a computer requires you to position your fingers, playing banjo requires that you know how to position your wrist.

Initially, when you start learning, it may not look so important how you place your wrists, but with more practice time, you start getting tired. It is advisable, therefore, that learners should learn how to position their hands and wrists right from the start of learning the banjo.

Choose your right standing as well as sitting posture once you are in tune. Avoid raising your neck too high

4. Timing And Pressure

Like other string instruments, banjo players feel that the notes do not produce the intended sound.

Some people end up losing hope of ever playing the instrument correctly.

What people fail to know is that they do not get enough pressure and, at the same time, release the strings too soon.

You need to give more tension on the strings and let the notes complete well by allowing some time after playing.

5. Time Management/Target Setting

Dedicate some hours daily or weekly for learning the instrument.

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Make sure you do not skip practices or feel embarrassed when you find yourself dwelling on something that you do not understand for a long time. It is only through regular practice that you will be able to play banjo very well.

To be sure that your training helps you to improve your skills, set targets for yourself. Short term targets that you can focus on for the next one or two weeks.

Have medium-range targets for your practice that you want to achieve within a span of six to twelve months, and long-range goals determine where you want to be in the next couple of years.

Having goals and targets is the only way you can measure your progress in terms of practice.

6. Using Your Hands To Play Banjo

Make a point of mastering the most popular chords, which are G, C, and D7, and position your left hand to form these chords. Your thumb should hold the back of the banjo’s neck at the top.

Ensure that you sink your shoulder and elbow into your body and then press the strings at the back of the frets using your fingertips.

You are on the right course when you master to coordinate your left-hand new notes and, at the same time, use your right hand for picking.

A good foundation is based on your ability to allocate specific tasks to both hands and master them as well.

7. Interact With Other Banjo Players And Other Musicians

Meeting other professional banjo players will expose you to the vast world of possibility. As a learner, you need to learn from the experienced as early as possible.

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You can meet the banjo experts in seminars, workshops, and festivals. A banjo player can produce music with fiddlers, guitarists, and mandolin players as well.

You must ensure that your banjo produces a sound that corresponds with what other musicians play. Make sure you listen keenly and maintain a perfect rhythm.

Find the best banjo for beginners here.

These tricks for beginner banjo players will help you learn banjo without much struggle.

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