How to Choose the Right Banjo
September 6, 2010 by baritone ukulele
Filed under Articles
A banjo is a stringed instrument with a rounded body and a long and thin neck. It is often used in bluegrass and country western music genres and has a distinctive style and sound. If you are interested in buying a banjo for yourself, it is important that you have some basic information about this musical instrument before you actually make the purchase. Here are a few pointers that can help you learn more about the banjo and also help you choose the right one for yourself.
Banjo players wear multiple finger picks to pluck the instruments, however, some of them may use their fingers instead. Banjos usually come in four or five strings, although six-string banjos are also available. These six-string banjos can be tuned and played very much like a guitar.
The most popular style of the five-string instrument is the bluegrass style which is played on a banjo with a resonator. It is a style that requires much practice to get the right fluency and tempo, however, it is very good for jamming. The Clawhammer, the frailing, and the old time style banjos are quite similar and are very popular with enthusiasts of old-time and folk music. Often played with an open back banjo, it has a mellow tone and is quite good to sing along. It is also relatively easy to learn. The folk style banjo is played without finger picks and is a mixture of both melody and chord playing. This is often played with a banjo with a long neck and it can be played on both an open back or a resonator banjo. Classical banjo is also played without finger picks and sometimes on a banjo with nylon strings.
A popular style of the four-string banjo is the tenor. It is played with a pick and is usually strummed, giving a jazz sound. It’s tuning is higher and is a good instrument for jazz bands. The Irish tenor, which is similar to the tenor banjo, uses a seventeen fret neck and not the usual nineteen fret neck. This is often used by mandolin players as an alternative instrument. The neck on a plectrum banjo has the small scale of a five-string neck but without the fifth string. It is the least popular of all the styles and uses a G tuning just like the bluegrass banjo.
There are other banjos available such as the banjo mandolin, the bass banjo, the ukulele banjo, and the dobro banjo. The body of these styles is a banjo, however, the neck and tuning is the same as the names of these banjos.
While buying a banjo, make sure that it is easy to play. Check to see if it is easy to push the strings down in front of the nut and also farther up the neck. It should be easy to play with the right hand and you should be able to hear a clear note by just lightly picking a string near the bridge.
If you plan on playing the banjo, you will also need to buy a few other things such as a case to keep the banjo. An electric tuner will be needed to check if the pitch of a string is high or low in tune. If you plan to play styles that use a finger pick, you will need at least two metal finger picks and a plastic or metal thumb pick. An extra set of strings and picks will come in handy in case the one you are using breaks.
So, pick a banjo that sounds fine and can be played easily. The style of music that you intend to play will decide whether you want to go for a four-string, a five-string, or even one of the other alternative banjos. Consider your budget and keep your preferences in mind and you won’t make a mistake while choosing the right banjo.
Mike Lincoln is a former recording engineer. If you want to record your new banjo you will need home studio recording equipment and recording studio furniture.
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