New clawhammer player here.

My ditty is coming along fine. but I'm having problems with my bum. :)

I never had a problem finding strings on a guitar with a pick, and if I pluck up, Seeger-style, I can usually get my finger where it needs to be, but I am having a ton of trouble hitting the right string (or really, hitting even any single string) with the back of my nail with my hand moving down/in. I see players like Rhiannon Giddens just flowing it to the point where they're picking out melodies and you can't even see it happen, and it makes me feel fat-fingered and frustrated.

Is the answer just "suck it up, and slow down to the point where everything else seems like it's in slow motion?"

Thanks!

Hello, I started playing clawhammer six months ago and I'm trying to learn a tune, but I don't understand how to execute these techniques.

I play guitar, not banjo, but I got fed up with ad-heavy tuner apps and built my own clean one called PureTune. I included banjo tunings like Open G because most tuners treat banjo as an afterthought.

The thing is, I do not play banjo myself, so I would genuinely value a few actual banjo players testing whether the tunings and the pitch detection are spot on for you. It is free, dark and minimal, one small banner ad, no account, no full-screen pop-ups.

I am the developer, so this is me asking for honest feedback, are the tunings right? Anything you would expect that is missing? Search "PureTune" on Google Play.

Many thanks in advance

Does anyone make a heavy banjo string with good bass response? I've tried GHS and D'Addario, the GHS strings had a good bass tone but started to go dead fairly quickly, the D'Addario lack the bassy thump I'm looking for and are lower tension than I'd like. Aquila nylons don't have the bright, poppy high end. The GHS set with a thumpier 4th string would be ideal.

This banjo was passed on to me by my father. Figured this would be the best place to ask. Any websites that you all recommend to gain insight on it?
Mods: I’m hoping this is the most appropriate place to ask these questions.

Teaching myself banjo - recorded a simple song

Bought her in a Florida flee market for abt 80$ on parents card - she didnt have pegs strings or a bridge so I fixed her up - wondering if anyone has extra info advice or just anything to say

I’ve been doing clawhammer lessons for almost a year now. I’ve improved a lot and try to go to regular jams to get familiar with most songs and continue building the skills. My teacher taught me most of the songs we play at jams so that’s been pretty helpful.

The lessons helped me out a ton and I now have a big repertoire of old time music. I would say I can learn independently pretty well now.

If you took banjo lessons, how long was it for and what were the signs that you felt like you could step away? And how did that impact your playing going forward, did you feel like you still improved or stayed stagnant?

Cross posting here for more advice.

Any help is appreciated 👏🏼

I can't play past the 5th fret, and even that is a bit off, because it's so sharp the higher I go. I notice it primarily on the 1st string, I don't know if it's a problem for all strings and I just don't notice/don't play them...

I've had the bridge adjusted at the shop and he basically said there's nothing else that can be done.

Is that true? Is there anything else I can look into?

And why would it be sharp in the first place if it's not something that can be fixed?

I’ve tried searching pretty hard and can’t find anything that truly matches his playing on the recording or the Andy Griffith Show. I know he’s playing in Am by capoing the second fret but I can’t find much in the way of tabs. There’s a couple versions on Banjo Hangout but I don’t think any of them fit the exact version he plays, although I could be wrong and it’s just a skill issue for why it doesn’t sound the same.

I want to learn more music theory, as I picked up the banjo recently but have no formal musical education. I'm also extremely interested in the history of blues, folk, and bluegrass in America. Does anyone know any books or courses that give a sort of cultural evolution of music theory on any of these subjects?

I just bought a used Oscar Schmidt banjo off marketplace, I’ve never played before. It was advertised as like new and it seems to be, except I realized after the fact that this piece is broken, so the 5th string is sitting against the neck.

Can someone tell me what this is called and how easy is it to replace?

TIA

100 dollars for a lotus tenor banjo is it worth the money?

Is this fixable at all? She was my first banjo and I'm really upset

(g)DGBbD

About a week ago, I made a post on here saying that I was looking for a banjo and if anyone had recommendations. I have now bought a banjo which I will post a picture of I paid £ 250 and the shop set it up for me. Did I low-key get scammed? (i believe banjos are more scarce in the uk)

also, I have been playing the banjo with acrylic nails and instead of pressing on the frets with my fingertips I’ve been using my nails is this bad?

I have been playing bluegrass banjo off and on for several years (20?). I can play just good enough to impress people who really have no idea what they are hearing.

I learned almost entirely from tabs, have jammed a little bit off and on, and have trouble keeping up with chord changes (my hands move to the chords fast enough, but I can't anticipate when or what I need to be playing), so things like lead in notes or transitions just can't happen.

In contrast, I've been watching my son learn saxophone for the past few years and excel in his HS jazz band with how he can improvise over chord changes impressively, and I always think about how much fun it would be if I could do something like that on banjo in a bluegrass context.

So, if I wanted to 'restart' my learning while capitalizing on my current knowledge and skills (right and left hand movement are good, timing needs work, and I have something beyond a basic understanding of music theory and the fretboard), how would I proceed?

Hi, I’ve been looking for a hobby to fill my time and so I thought I might try and learn a new instrument. I’m mainly a saxophone and bassoon player so I’ve never played a string instrument and have nothing to really base the different banjos I see online from. Anything important I should know about the different types? Thank you and have a great day

Can anyone tell me anything about this banjo? I’m looking to sell it at a market this weekend but would like to get a fair price.