A banjo offers a rich sound that can compliment any genre of music. When selecting one for yourself, be sure to select one that meets your individual musical preferences, as well as invest in an appropriate tuner like this guitar-style model from Sweetwater to maintain proper tuning and maintain its quality sound.
Flatt & Scruggs and their contemporaries such as Kristin Scott Benson, Ron Block or Bela Fleck may have ignited your love of bluegrass music.
Resonator Banjos
Bluegrass banjos typically come equipped with resonators that help amplify and add that characteristic “twang” found in most bluegrass music, although that does not rule out open-back banjos from producing a great sound – there are numerous professional banjoists who utilize both types. Clawhammer players tend to prefer an open-back banjo without any type of flange or resonator as this creates more of a traditional sound.
This Deering Goodtime Two Resonator Banjo is an ideal option for beginners with some prior musical experience who wish to start playing bluegrass music. Featuring fantastic looks and quality at an economical price point, it features everything you need for playing right out of the box – although often ships without adequate setup needed; also utilizes guitar tuners which may cause irritation but won’t significantly change sound or playability of banjo in any way.
Open-Back Banjos
Banjo playing is one of the easiest musical instruments for beginners without prior musical experience to pick up quickly, boasting a smooth learning curve with several pivotal breakthrough points right off the bat.
Beginners may find an open-back banjo suitable as their first instrument. These less costly, lighter instruments produce a mellower tone suited for folk music, and also create much quieter practice sessions without disturbing family, neighbors or roommates in dorm settings.
Beginners should prioritize setting aside regular practice times; even five minutes a day can make an incredible difference. Also, restring your banjo every three months or whenever the strings become dull or scratchy to reduce chances of snapped strings.
Bluegrass Banjos
Bluegrass banjos often employ tone rings. A brass ring that sits between the head and pot, it helps amplify sound production while protecting against wood absorbency of sounds created by fingers and picking style.
If your focus is strummed notes (such as frailing or clawhammer) rather than Bluegrass music, a backless tone-ring-less banjo may do just fine for you. But, for learning fast picking techniques like Scruggs style and clawhammer picking techniques a resonator banjo may be more suitable.
If you’re in search of an all-purpose 5-string banjo capable of playing bluegrass, jazz and Irish/Celtic tunes with ease, look no further than the Deering Goodtime Two 19-ft Tenor banjo. Tuned to standard G, GDAE (like an octave mandolin) and Irish/Celtic tunings to provide maximum versatility.
Scruggs Style Banjos
Earl Scruggs set the bar when it comes to banjo rolling style; his masterful playing propelled banjo into the forefront of country music and gave rise to what would eventually be known as bluegrass music.
Earl was known for performing three-finger rolls using his five string banjo with metal fretboard. This enabled him to develop the distinctive syncopation and timing that became part of his signature sound.
Ross Nickerson offers in this book and two CD’s tablatures of six Earl Scruggs classics at two speeds, along with detailed instruction to learn the Scruggs style of playing bluegrass music. It provides a great place to begin this essential element of solid picking bluegrass!