Chapter 1

First Steps: Banjo Basics

In This Chapter

Getting to know different kinds of banjos

Exploring the banjo and all its parts

Discovering how to be a good player

If you take a trip, you’d probably like to know where you’re going (after all, you don’t want to end up like those guys in that Deliverance movie, do you?). If you’re new to the banjo and don’t yet own an instrument or if you’re wondering about your eventual musical destination, this chapter is definitely the place to start your Banjo For Dummies trip. The key is in the ignition, so put this thing in drive!

In this chapter, you spread out your banjo road map and start planning what I hope will be a wonderful, lifelong musical journey with the five-string banjo. I discuss what makes the five-string banjo different from other kinds of stringed instruments, and you can also take a look at the various kinds of banjos available today. I name the parts of the banjo and summarize the musical skills you can master in this book on the way to becoming a good player.

Getting into Banjo

Something about the five-string banjo brings out strong feelings in people. Folks who like the banjo usually really like it. What is it about this instrument that inspires such passion, and how can you tell if you’ve been bitten by the banjo bug? This section explores the answer to these questions.

Loving that amazing sound

You know the sound of the banjo when you hear it: the bright, rhythmic waterfall of short, cascading notes that can conjure up just about any emotion (but usually happy first comes to mind for the typical guy on the street). The banjo is usually associated with folk, country, and bluegrass music, but these days, you can also hear the instrument in jazz, rock, and even classical settings.

Over the years, I’ve asked hundreds of amateur and professional players why they initially got interested in the instrument and the usual answer is “I fell in love with the sound.” I think an equal attraction is the lure of hearing a lot of notes compressed into what seems like the smallest of musical spaces. In the hands of a skilled player, the banjo is an instrument that’s capable of amazing virtuosity.

Becoming a true believer

Banjo players usually remember well the precise moment in time that they became hooked on the instrument. For me, growing up as a suburban teenager far from significant hills of any kind, that moment was when I was watching Roy Clark play banjo on Hee Haw and thinking to myself, “If I can somehow sit through this show every week, I think I can eventually learn ‘Cripple Creek.’” I didn’t especially like country music at that time, and I’d never heard of folk or bluegrass music — but I really loved the sound of the banjo.

Growing up in the 1970s, I could also hear the banjo as a background instrument on hit songs from the Eagles, the Doobie Brothers, Neil Young, and James Taylor. Hearing the banjo in these contexts made me believe that the banjo must be cool if those musicians used it on their recordings, despite what my friends thought about this disturbing turn in my musical tastes. And, of course, I was also influenced by the popularity of “Dueling Banjos” during these years (I didn’t realize until years later who was depicted playing the instrument in this movie). I already knew a little about playing the guitar, and I decided that I wanted to try and teach myself to play banjo.

After enrolling in a community college beginners’ banjo class, I discovered an entire musical subculture of folk and bluegrass music where the banjo was not only welcome, but was also pretty much the most revered instrument of them all. Getting to know others who felt the same way as I did about the banjo really helped to get me hooked.

Almost 40 years later, I’m happy to report that the banjo is more popular than ever. Musicians have continued to push the musical boundaries of the instrument, and these days, about the only folks who think the banjo is good for just one musical style are those television producers who still insist on having banjo music in the background of their pickup truck commercials.

My own youthful enthusiasm for the banjo evolved into a wonderful lifelong relationship that is still growing strong. I get a joyful feeling every time I play a tune on the banjo. I’m also amazed at how my love for the instrument has opened the door to many new and wonderful experiences (such as graduate school, international touring and teaching, and this book!) and is at the basis of many of my most cherished friendships. Even if you never become as obsessed about the banjo as I am, I believe that the banjo can improve your life and make you a happier person if you give it the chance.

Identifying Different Kinds of Banjos

Banjo For Dummies is your complete guide to musical adventure on the five-string banjo. I focus on the five-string banjo because this instrument is by far the most popular type of banjo being played today and is the kind of banjo that is used to play bluegrass, folk, and country music. The five-string banjo is also currently carving new niches in jazz, rock, and classical music.

However, in the first half of the 20th century, the most popular banjos were four-string tenor and plectrum banjos. These banjos are really different instruments and shouldn’t be confused with the five-string banjo. Understanding the differences between banjos is important, because before you begin your adventure, you need to make sure you’re traveling with the right kind of equipment.

In the following sections, I compare and contrast the different instruments in the banjo family, so you don’t mistake one type of banjo for another.

Five-string banjo: The subject of the book

The short 5th string is what makes the five-string banjo different from other types of banjos and from just about every other instrument in the known universe. Most of the time, you know immediately that you’re looking at a five-string banjo when you see a tuning peg (a geared mechanism that keeps the string in tune) that’s sticking out almost halfway up the neck (the long narrow piece of wood where you fret strings with the left hand; for more on these terms, see a later section on the parts of the banjo). This tuning peg holds the 5th string of the banjo (see Figure 1-1).

The 5th string is a crucial distinguishing characteristic of the five-string banjo, both in the instrument’s appearance and the sound of the music. The 5th string is not only shorter than the other four strings of the banjo, but this string is also the highest in sound (or pitch). The 5th string on a banjo lies within easy reach of the right-hand thumb, which you use to play this string in all kinds of banjo music. Having the highest-pitched string next to the string with the lowest pitch is unusual in comparison to how pitches are arranged on the strings of a guitar (as you can see in Figure 1-1), but this is one of the things that makes the banjo sound so great! This characteristic of the banjo is also one part of the instrument’s ancient African ancestry (for more on this, see Chapter 7).

Figure 1-1: Comparing strings and pitches on a guitar (left) versus a five-string banjo (right).

Tenor and plectrum banjos: Look for another book

In the early decades of the 20th century, folks loved the quality of sound of the banjo so much that they attached different kinds of necks to the banjo body to create new instruments with different numbers of strings. These hybrid instruments were tuned and played differently from the five-string banjo.

Tenor and plectrum banjos are examples of this phenomenon. These four-stringed instruments are commonly used in traditional jazz and Dixieland music, don’t have the short 5th string, and are usually played with a flatpick instead of with the fingers.

Although these banjos have the same tone and general appearance as the five-string banjo, tenor and plectrum banjos use other tunings and playing techniques and are viewed as different instruments by banjo fans. These days, you may encounter a tenor or plectrum banjo when you hear a Dixieland band or the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, go to a mummers’ parade, or catch an old Lawrence Welk rerun on television.

Don’t confuse these types of banjos with the five-string variety! The five-string banjo is by far the most popular kind of banjo played today and its music is almost certainly what attracted you to the instrument. However, confusing the appearance of a five-string banjo with the four-string tenor or plectrum type of banjo is easy. You see, the bodies of these instruments are the same, but the necks reveal the difference (see Figure 1-2). You can’t play five-string banjo music on a four-string tenor or plectrum banjo — these instruments aren’t interchangeable! You need a five-string banjo to play five-string banjo music.

Figure 1-2: Comparing a five-string (a) and a plectrum banjo (b).

More banjos (with a twist)

In the early decades of the 20th century, America was mad for anything that sounded remotely like a banjo (amazing, isn’t it?). Instrument makers took guitar and mandolin necks and attached them to banjo bodies, creating new kinds of instruments that had the sound of a five-string or tenor banjo but were played by using guitar and mandolin techniques.

Banjos with mandolin necks have eight strings and are called mandolin banjos or mando-banjos. These instruments are generally smaller than most five-string banjos. Banjos with guitar necks have six strings and are called guitar banjos. These instruments can be a bit larger than most five-string banjos.

Today, these more obscure branches of the banjo family tree are seen largely as novelty instruments and, like the tenor and plectrum banjo (see the section “Tenor and plectrum banjos: Look for another book” in this chapter), are considered to be a different kind of instrument than a five-string banjo. You may hear these types of banjos used occasionally in early jazz or blues or by a jug band.

Knowing the Parts of a Banjo

Unlike a guitar, violin, or mandolin, a banjo is an amalgam of wood, metal, skin, and/or plastic held together by rods, nuts, screws, and brackets. You could call it the Frankenstein of musical instruments, but I like to think of it more like the Bionic Woman. All banjos share the common characteristic of having a replaceable membrane made of plastic or animal skin (called the head) that is stretched tightly across the body of the banjo (called the pot) to form the top of the resonating body of the instrument (see Figure 1-3).

Five-string banjos come in three basic different styles: open-back, resonator, and electric banjos. Musicians select the kind of banjo they play based on their musical style and their personal tastes. Chapter 9 explains the differences between these kinds of banjos, along with tips for making an informed purchase.

In the following sections, you get to know the banjo from head to toe. You also discover how the instrument captures the energy of a plucked string and turns it into that unmistakably great sound that banjo players love. You can refer to Figure 1-4 to see exactly where these parts are located on the banjo.

Looking at the neck

The neck is one of the two main sections of the banjo (the pot being the other; see the section “Checking out the pot”). The neck is the long piece of wood that supports the strings and tuners. Necks are usually made of maple, mahogany, or walnut.

To get a better feel for the banjo, take a look at the parts of the banjo neck:

Frets: The thin, metal bars on the banjo neck that are positioned at precise intervals to give you the various pitches needed when fretting a string. (Fretting is what you do when you move a left-hand finger into position behind a fret to change the pitch of a string.) In the world of fretting, you use the term up the neck to refer to moving the left hand towards the pot and down the neck when you talk about moving the left hand towards the nut and peghead.

Fingerboard: A thin, flat wooden strip glued to the neck that holds the frets and acts as the surface upon which the left hand produces notes and chords.

Peghead: Also called the headstock, the peghead is the elaborately shaped end of the neck that holds the tuning pegs for the four lower strings of the banjo.

Tuning pegs: Sometimes called tuners or tuning machines, these pegs are the devices that raise or lower the pitch of the banjo’s strings with a turn of the buttons located on the backside of the peghead. The pegs for strings 1 through 4 are attached to the peghead, while the tuning peg for the 5th string is found at the top of the neck near the fifth fret.

Figure 1-3: Comparing open-back (a and b) and resonator (c and d) five-string banjos.

Figure 1-4: The parts of a banjo.

Nut: A block of ivory, bone, or plastic that’s glued to the end of the fingerboard where the peghead begins. Strings 1 through 4 pass through the grooves in the nut on their way to the shafts of the tuning pegs. The 5th string has its own nut, located near the fifth fret.

Heel: The name given to end of the neck that’s attached to the pot of the banjo.

Truss rod: You can’t see the truss rod, but it’s an important part of the banjo neck. The truss rod is an adjustable metal rod that runs down most of the length of the banjo neck in a channel underneath the fingerboard. This rod helps to keep the neck stable and controls the amount of curve in the neck to keep the strings from buzzing when fretting. Most banjos have adjustable truss rods, which can be accessed at the peghead by removing the truss rod cover (a procedure best left to the pros).

Checking out the pot

The other major section of the banjo (other than the neck; see the preceding section) is the pot, the round lower body of the banjo including all of its constituent parts:

Head: The plastic or skin membrane that acts as the vibrating top of the banjo. The head is largely responsible for the unique sound of your new favorite instrument.

Rim: Sometimes called the shell, the rim is the circular wooden ring that is the centerpiece of the pot and is made from laminations or blocks of maple or mahogany. A well-made rim is essential to a good-sounding banjo.

Tone ring: This part of the pot is a metal circular collar that is machined to fit on top of the wooden rim, and the head is stretched tight across its top outer circumference. Tone rings come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Together with the rim, the tone ring provides the fundamental shape and color to the banjo’s tone. However, tone rings aren’t found on all banjos and having one isn’t absolutely necessary to having a good-sounding instrument. (See Chapter 9 for more on tone rings.)

Brackets: Sometimes called hooks, brackets are ringed around the banjo pot and are responsible for tightening the head via the bracket screws that are attached to each bracket on the underside of the banjo.

Tension hoop: Sometimes called the stretcher band, this circular metal ring fits over the outside edge of the banjo head and helps to uniformly stretch the head down across the top of the tone ring as the brackets are tightened.

Bridge: The bridge transmits the vibrations of the strings to the head. Bridges range in sizes from 5/8" to 3/4". They are movable, but are held fast to the banjo head with the tension of the strings.

Tailpiece: This part holds the strings on the pot end of the banjo. Many tailpieces are adjustable in various ways that can subtly affect overall banjo tone. (For more on tailpieces, see Chapter 10.)

Armrest: The armrest is attached to the pot of the banjo and extends over the top of the banjo head to make right-hand playing more comfortable while simultaneously protecting the head.

Coordinating rods: Seen only from the back of the banjo, these rods are attached at opposite ends of the rim, parallel to the banjo strings. The primary function of the coordinating rods is to keep the neck securely attached to the pot. However, they can also be used to make slight adjustments to the height of the strings off of the fingerboard (called string action). Some banjos have only one coordinating rod.

Resonator: The bowl-shaped piece of wood that’s attached to many banjos, especially those used in bluegrass music, is the resonator. The resonator projects the sound out and away from the instrument. They’re usually constructed from the same kind of wood as the banjo neck. Open-back banjos don’t have resonators (see Chapter 9 for more on the types of banjos).

Resonator screws: Three or four screws that keep the resonator attached to the rest of the banjo pot.

Flange: A circular metal piece connecting the pot to the resonator that helps to keep the resonator in place.

Picking up string vibrations

When you strike a banjo string with a right-hand finger or thumb, the string starts to move back and forth. These vibrations move through the bridge (a piece of wood positioned on the banjo head) to the banjo head, which amplifies that sound. Banjo players frequently refer to right-hand playing as picking the banjo. You can read more about authentic right-hand banjo picking techniques in Chapter 4.

The pitch of any string (its sound as measured by how high or low it is) is determined by how much tension or tightness is in each string and how long or short it is. The tighter or shorter the string, the higher its pitch. You can change the pitch of a string in two ways:

Turn the tuning pegs. A twist of a tuning peg in one direction or the other raises or lowers the pitch of a string. The direction is different for each string. (For more on tuning, check out Chapter 2.)

Fret the strings. When you fret a string, you place a left-hand finger behind one of the 22 frets found on the fingerboard of the neck. As you fret, you’re shortening the length of the string and raising its pitch. An open string is one that is unfretted in the left hand. A fretted string sounds higher in pitch compared to an open string or to that same string fretted on a lower fret (a lower fret is one that is farther away from the banjo body). For more on fretting with the left hand, see Chapter 2.

Becoming a Banjo Player

If the banjo is the first stringed instrument you’ve ever attempted to play, it may seem as if you have a million things to remember at this first stage. Everything feels so new and unfamiliar. Don’t get discouraged! Banjo players tend to be perfectionists, so be careful not to let your desire to play things correctly overwhelm your love for playing (and remember that everyone learns from their mistakes — even banjo players). Having fun with the banjo is more important than playing everything perfectly.

When you’re wanting to become more proficient on the banjo, you can’t find a substitute for time actually spent playing the banjo — the more you play, the faster you progress. Focus on one new skill at a time and don’t spend too much time on the Internet finding out what everyone else thinks about this or that aspect of banjo playing. Just play (and check out Chapter 13 for more great practice suggestions). After you’ve gained a few basic skills, find other musicians at your ability level to play with as soon as possible. Playing with others also significantly speeds up your progress.

In the following sections, I present just a few of the skills you should strive to master as a banjo player (and as you make your way through Banjo For Dummies).

Making wise purchase choices

These days, new players can find good starter banjos that are affordable and easy to play. The crucial first step in your purchase is finding an acoustic specialty store that really knows banjos and actually likes banjo players. And as you shop, keep in mind that your choice of instrument should be based mostly upon the kind of music you want to play (and, of course, how much money you have to spend).

I cover everything you need to know about what to look for in banjos and playing accessories and how to find them in Chapters 9 and 10.

Tuning and holding your banjo

Keeping your instrument in tune is something that you practice each time you play — and an absolutely essential skill when playing music with others. Tuning your banjo can be frustrating at first, but with careful listening to compare one pitch with another and some trial and error, you can have this skill mastered in no time.

After you’re in tune, you want to adopt a comfortable playing position for both sitting or standing. You have a lot of individual options in this regard. Just remember to not raise the neck too high and try using a strap. If you follow these two suggestions, you can be well on your way to finding your personal comfort zone.

In Chapter 2, you can get comfortable holding the banjo, fitting the strap, and getting in tune with an electronic tuner or another instrument.

Fretting chords with the left hand

A chord is three or more notes sounded together. Chords support a melody and are the building blocks for accompanying other musicians. The best way to begin your playing adventures is to become familiar with well-used chords such as G, C, and D7. A comfortable left-hand position makes forming these chords much more fun. Let your thumb touch the top of the back of the banjo neck and be sure you’re using the tips of your fingers to press the strings just behind the frets — now you’re in business.

In Chapters 2 and 3, you can dig deeper into finding a comfortable left-hand position and get used to fretting chords up and down the banjo neck.

Playing authentic right- and left-hand patterns

Coordinating right-hand picking techniques with the left-hand work of making chords and creating new notes is a full-time job for banjo players! Mastering exercises that isolate what each hand does by itself lays the foundation for making great banjo music with both hands together.

In Chapters 4, 5, and 8, you take a look at these techniques, because you can use them in clawhammer and bluegrass banjo, create melodies, and accompany others with these patterns.

Practicing some real tunes

The real fun begins when you utilize your technique to play melodies on the instrument in a real banjo style. Melody notes can usually be organized as a group of notes, called a scale. Finding melody notes in a song becomes easier after you’ve mastered a few scales on the banjo neck, so I recommend that you start with the scales I outline in Chapter 6.

After you get the feel for the scales, you can then use the right- and left-hand techniques you’ve already mastered to capture as many melody notes as you can and create arrangements that sound good on the instrument.

In Chapters 6, 7, and 8, you can play beginner and intermediate versions of tunes in clawhammer, bluegrass, minstrel, and classic styles. Don’t forget to listen to the CD to get the sound of these tunes in your ears before working through them by using the accompanying tablature.

Making music with others in jam sessions

Banjo players love to make music with other musicians — guitarists, fiddlers, mandolin and dobro players, and bassists. When you’re playing your banjo with others, remember to play in a way that enhances the sound of the total group. Active listening and playing in good rhythm play a big role in your efforts to make other musicians sound their best.

In Chapters 3 and 12, I discuss the unique techniques and skills you need to accompany other pickers and singers on familiar bluegrass and old-time tunes in informal jam sessions. I also cover some of the unspoken ground rules of jam etiquette to make your transition into group playing go smoothly.

Meeting other banjo lovers

You may be amazed at how many opportunities you have to share your enthusiasm for the banjo with other like-minded players. From finding a teacher to attending a workshop, camp, or festival, you can have more fun with the instrument and become a better player faster by connecting with others who share your enthusiasm for the banjo. As a new player, don’t wait until you’ve already acquired some playing skills before seeking help from others. You’ll become a better player much more quickly by seeking out help at the very beginning of your banjo adventure. In Chapter 12, I talk about the world of banjo that lies beyond your doorstep.

Camps and workshops are often designed for all levels of students. If you already play, you can recharge your banjo-picking batteries at a regional camp or workshop where you can hang out with the banjo stars, make many new friends, and come away with new playing ideas that will keep your hands busy for months to come.

Keeping your banjo sounding great

Banjos are much more adjustable than other stringed instruments such as the guitar or bass. However, you don’t have to become an accomplished, all-knowing instrument-repair person to keep your instrument in top shape.

Keeping fresh strings on your instrument is the most important thing you can do to keep your banjo running right. After a few weeks or months of playing, your strings will inevitably become harder to tune — or they may even break. Keep an extra set of strings handy in your case along with a small pair of wire cutters and you’ll be ready for all contingencies!

You may also want to check out all the movable parts on your banjo every couple of months. For example, keeping the head tight keeps your banjo sounding bright and loud, and checking to see that the bridge is in just the right place on the banjo head keeps your fretted notes in tune. I cover everything you need to know about these topics, as well as determining when you need to seek out professional advice, in Chapter 11.