Learning Irish Trad Banjo - quick question?

ErinGoBrath

Hi all,

I'm looking to take up the banjo with aspriations to play tunes from the Dubliners, Luke Kelly etc.

Probably a ridicilous question but is a 5 string tenor banjo suitable for this purpose?

Help much appreciated!

cferrie

It depends whether you want to play tunes or accompany singing. Luke Kelly played a five-string banjo to accompany his singing but this isn't really suited to playing traditional Irish tunes. Barney McKenna on the other hand played a four string tenor banjo and was more of a tunes man. This is the one you want if your main thing is the tunes.

dannan28

It is possible and there are many musicians out there who (do a search on the net) play melody really well on a five string, but its much much harder because of the tuning. I started playing bluegrass but then changed to Trad. I simply removed the fifth string and changed the other strings, so I now tune my banjo to GDAE (mandolin, fiddle tuning etc). Makes learning much easier. No one has passed comment on my altered 5 string banjo, except to say that it has a lovely tone (Its a Goldtone Cripple Creek) Best of luck

dannan28

Sorry meant to add, that songs etc work really well on a five string. I also dabbled in clawhammer style on my five string and it makes a lovely accompaniment to a singer. You'd only need to alter your 5 string to a 4 string (tenor style) if you want to play trad (melody). Sorry should have read your post properly

eddison

I have a 17 fret, and find the frets being closer together is a real bonus. But everyone is different. For me the 17 fret is not much smaller than a 19, but it really makes a difference when carrying it around. I also have a 22 fret 4 string but I find it more difficult to play with play speed.

Cozzie Bhoy

Would like to learn how to play the banjo. Want to play trad, Luke Kelly Clancys etc. I've heard before you'd want to be able to play the guitar first to be able to play the banjo. I'm in Cork, Anyone know the best way to go about learning?

eddison

Maybe learning the guitar is better for some. But I find guitar players tend to play the banjo like a guitar!! The Banjo is a completely different instrument. Practices used in playing the guitar are excellent for that, but are bad habits, which must be broken for the banjo, as they will slow you down. But, if you have allot of experience with the guitar, it helps allot. i just wouldn't learn the guitar in order to play the banjo, thats all. This guy the footballer Andy Reid http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXmDXp5O62o is a guitar player, and wanted to learn the Banjo. The Banjo is difficult to master, and requires substantial commitment !! but one can see progress from week to week if the effort is put into it. I wrote a little bit about learning the Banjo in the 'sticky' section on music teachers, which might help?

ErinGoBrath

Thanks for the info eddison, very helpful.

Quick question while I have your attention, are bluegrass rolls of any benefit to Trad accompaniment?

At present I'm making my way through a beginner's banjo (no trad in it) and I'm learning the alternating thumb roll, foward-backward roll and forward roll.

In some of the Dubliners recording I'm sure I can hear similar rolls on the accompanying banjo (not Barney's lead). Take the most common Dubliners record of Wild Rover for example, sounds like some sort of alternating thumb roll going on?

It's likely that I'm completely wrong as I've only been messing around with a 5 string tenor banjo for a month now but I'm curious to know if what I'm learning now could be used for Trad.

Thanks in advance!

eddison

To me helping people deepens my own understanding- so helping is kind of selfish !!

It's likely that I'm completely wrong as I've only been messing around with a 5 string tenor banjo for a month now but I'm curious to know if what I'm learning now could be used for Trad.

No- your not wrong. If you were strumming only I wold say, you'll be a better trad player, but it will take a long time.
the Banjo is all about timing, amongst other things. When one presses the string, it must be hit at exactly the right time. Trad mean that a player is hitting 6-7 notes per second. The finger has to move to the string, press it and strike with the other hand using the plec, in 2 tenths of a second. anything which helps with timing, and making that automatic, and natural will help. Also you are learning where all the notes are on the fret board, without thinking. the only thing you could be missing, but is stubborn to learn is single note trips, or double or triple note trips. These are used allot in Irish music. Even though you are using thumb and several fingers, you will still be able to transfer the memory of this to the single plec, if that's what you want.
At the end of the day, playing scales over and over will help. It doesn't matter too much what you play, as long as you're enjoying it, and that is the secret to cracking this nut! Keep your mind silent when you play- no discourse- forget about what will work here or there, just enjoy every moment of it!

the nailer

hi all, im looking to learn to play the banjo. does anyone know of good lessons in the westmeath and/or dublin areas !!

glord

the nailer wrote: »

hi all, im looking to learn to play the banjo. does anyone know of good lessons in the westmeath and/or dublin areas !!

Im near kinnegad if you still want lessons