Banjo players?

[WaltzingBack]

if there are any banjo players on here, i'd love some advice. i really wanna pick up the banjo. it just seems like such a fun instrument and i love the sound of it. i've been playing guitar for 3 years so my question is: how easy will it be for me to pick up the banjo? are they similar at all? i've been meaning to go to GC and try it out but i haven't had the time so i figured i'd ask on here.

thoughts?

[bluesbrother41]

ive played the guitar for about 2 and a half years and i tried picking up someone from church's banjo and i was surprised how easy it came. granted, i approached it from more of a guitar player's standpoint (trying to improv single note melodies) as opposed to a more traditional banjo style (fingerpicking rolls). if i had more time, i could have learned this style more but i only had it for a few days. i would love to get to learn it better, though. i definitely reccomend giving it a shot. as far as being similar, the banjo is in an open tuning, so picking out major key melodies should be easier and "chords" would just involve barring. i say go for it, and let us know how you do!

[Kyvek]

Go for it. I bought a banjo under similar circumstances, and it's been a lot of fun. I never put as much effort into it as I should, but I still picked up some cool things. Playing a banjo like a banjo is very tricky, however, and much different than playing guitar. The right hand patterns are all over the place, and I never got extremely comfortable with the finger picks. Apart from the the high G string on the top (the one with the tuning peg in the middle of the neck), it's tuned just like the four high strings on a guitar. Only difference is that instead of a high E, it's dropped to a D. You can get a Deering Goodtime for pretty cheap, and they're built very solid.