How to Play Bluegrass Banjo

Bluegrass, the rollicking style of music popularized in TV shows like "Hee Haw" and movies like "Deliverance," is anchored by five string acoustic banjo players. Bluegrass banjo players produce the fast, high-pitched notes that form the basis of bluegrass music. Read on to learn more.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Listen to bluegrass music, especially the banjo players like Flatt and Scruggs, Roy Clark, Bill Evans and Bill Monroe. Study their styles, read articles about them and the history of bluegrass music.
2. Buy or borrow a banjo. Contact local music stores. Do an Internet search to determine the best place to purchase a banjo in your area.
3. Find a teacher. Ask other bluegrass banjo players and call music stores in your community. Craigslist and musician message boards on the Internet are good sources. Learn about new songs to play and trends from magazines like Bluegrass Now and Bluegrass Unlimited.
4. Tune your banjo. Open G tuning is used for most bluegrass music. Use an electronic tuner or tune your banjo to keys on a piano before you play.
5. Practice banjo using videos or a music book. Many websites dedicated to bluegrass music offer online instruction and tips to help you learn how to play the banjo.
6. Jam with other banjo players. You may be interested in traditional or progressive bluegrass or both, and jamming with other players is the best way to improve your knowledge and dexterity.

Tips & Warnings

• When tuning your banjo to the keys on a piano, be sure the piano you use has been properly tuned as well.