banjo picking question

[saturn]

I bought a used Samick banjo about a year ago. I know nothing about playing one, but thought I could pick it up easily enough since I can already finger pick guitar pretty good. I haven't played it too much because I could never get it tuned and sounding right. So I recently took it to a local shop to be set up properly and it made a world of difference.

 

OK, I'd been messing around trying to learn on my own based on the classical and travis picking that I'm already familiar with. Then I went and got a banjo DVD to try and learn properly. The problem I'm having is that apparently banjo picking only uses the thumb, first and middle fingers. Unconsciously, my ring finger keeps wanting to pick the bottom string.

 

I'm wondering if I should just adapt my way of picking to the banjo, or force myself to learn proper banjo picking. And if I do this, will it mess me up when I go back to finger picking guitar, where I use my thumb for the top 3 strings and assign 1st, middle and ring fingers to the G, B and E strings respectively?

[milod]

Use the open G tuning.

 

You're gonna use a lot more "rolls" with double thumbing than Travis picking - which actually Merle did with just one finger.

 

Brace the pinkie and in your case, probably the ring finger to keep it silent, on the banjo head.

 

Since the fifth "high" string is essentially a drone, it comes in at various times on your rolls.

 

I haven't played mine in 30 years but it's fun. You may want to investigate frailing as an old time sorta thing to get the idea of how the drone works. No picks. Downward back of the nail on a string for melody note, then a downward back of the fingers' strum, and the thumb hits the drone. (Try the old "Jesse James" for that one for kicks and giggles.)

 

"Scruggs" picking is kinda like Travis/Atkins fingerpicking, but the double thumbing between drone and melody strings probably is what a real banjo player would tell you is the major difference in the two. At least, that's my observation.

 

m

[saturn]

Use the open G tuning.

 

You're gonna use a lot more "rolls" with double thumbing than Travis picking - which actually Merle did with just one finger.

 

Brace the pinkie and in your case, probably the ring finger to keep it silent, on the banjo head.

 

Since the fifth "high" string is essentially a drone, it comes in at various times on your rolls.

 

I haven't played mine in 30 years but it's fun. You may want to investigate frailing as an old time sorta thing to get the idea of how the drone works. No picks. Downward back of the nail on a string for melody note, then a downward back of the fingers' strum, and the thumb hits the drone. (Try the old "Jesse James" for that one for kicks and giggles.)

 

"Scruggs" picking is kinda like Travis/Atkins fingerpicking, but the double thumbing between drone and melody strings probably is what a real banjo player would tell you is the major difference in the two. At least, that's my observation.

 

m

 

 

Thanks, I'll check out "Jesse James". I've been using Open G all along. I was pretty familiar with that tuning on guitar already too.

 

The DVD is telling me the technique of bracing my pinky and ring finger on the head. That's what's giving me the problem. My ring finger seems to have a mind of it's own and keeps coming up to try and pick the bottome string. I just have to get the muscle memory to keep it still I guess.

 

When I get it down a little better, I'll post a clip that no one will watch

[Guest FarnsBarns]

Thanks, I'll check out "Jesse James". I've been using Open G all along. I was pretty familiar with that tuning on guitar already too.

 

The DVD is telling me the technique of bracing my pinky and ring finger on the head. That's what's giving me the problem. My ring finger seems to have a mind of it's own and keeps coming up to try and pick the bottome string. I just have to get the muscle memory to keep it still I guess.

 

When I get it down a little better, I'll post a clip that no one will watch

 

I will, I started learning scruggs style 3 finger picking a year ago but I've had a busy year and really didn't put the time in. I could use some inspiration.

[FirstMeasure]

Rolls are a pain, then there's that damned "Dew String". Who puts a the highest string before the lowest, and then only string it half way up the fretboard?

 

I don't know why people say Guitar is the hardest instrument to learn, seems to me Banjo should hold that spot.

 

Get the rolls down first, there are about 4 or 5 common banjo rolls in bluegrass. Fretting hand has it a little easier, besides chord shapes all you ave to worry about is Slides and Hammer-on's.

 

After spending quite a lot of time on the banjo I wish I could say I finally got it, but that's not the case. It did, however, make it a lot easier to play Dobro-style slide and vastly improved my finger picking techniques on guitar, making the whole venture more than worth the trouble.

 

I don't recount my failure to discourage you, though. I've seen lots of folks pick up the banjo and run with it, I'm just saying that no matter how you look at it, the banjo is fun and you'll learn a lot from it. (It actually opened up a few secrets to Jimmy Pages acoustic approach for me).