How to Play a 5-String Banjo

A mainstay of bluegrass and country music, the five-string banjo was derived from gourd-bodied stringed instruments fashioned by slaves after the instruments they had known in Africa. Used first in spirituals and minstrel shows, it also has become popular in folk, jazz and pop crossover music. Often considered a difficult instrument, it becomes easy to master with practice.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Banjo
• Thumb pick
• Finger picks
• Banjo strap (for playing standing up)
• Tuner (optional)

Holding the Banjo

1. Sit in a comfortable armless chair.
2. Balance the banjo on your lap resting between your legs so that it naturally stays in that position. Prop your left foot up to help keep the banjo from sliding or falling. Use the banjo case as a foot prop, if you have a hard plastic case.
3. Rest your right forearm on the rim of the banjo, fingers poised above the strings.
4. Position your left hand below the banjo's neck with your thumb behind the neck. (If you play left-handed, reverse the positions of your hands.) If you have balanced the banjo correctly in your lap, your left hand should not have to hold the banjo in place.
5. Place a plastic wraparound pick on your picking thumb and metal picks on your index and middle fingers. Shape them so they fit comfortably on your fingers; once you have done so, do not lend them out, as you will have to reshape them again when you get them back.

Tuning Up

6. Tune the bass string (the string furthest from you) to a "D." Tune the string above it to "B," the middle string to "G," the string above that to "D" an octave above the bass string, and the drone (short) string to "G" an octave above the middle string. This is the standard way to tune the banjo to its natural key of "G."
7. Clamp a capo on one of the frets raise the key to "A," "B flat," "B" or "C." Most bluegrass is played in either "G" or "C"; however, so a capo is usually not necessary. Also, you will need a separate capo for the drone string because it's shorter.
8. Place your picking hand comfortably over the strings while resting your little finger on the banjo head below the strings to act as a pivot. You also may rest your ring finger on the head and use both fingers as a pivot, as Earl Scruggs did.
9. Angle your wrist so that your knuckles line up against the strings as though you were playing classical guitar. This keeps your thumb the proper distance away from your index finger.

Picking

10. Strum the drone (high "G"), fourth (high "D"), and middle ("G") strings with your thumb.
11. Play the second ("B") string with your index finger.
12. Pick the bass ("D") string with your middle finger.
13. Press the strings against the neck with the fingers of your other hands to form chords. (For most country pieces, you'll only need to learn three.)
14. Learn and practice repetitive patterns of picking the strings, known as "rolls." Perform the Scruggs roll, used in "Foggy Mountain Breakdown," by playing the drone, "B," high "D" and "G" string, alternating with the bass string, "B," high "D" and "G" strings.

Tips & Warnings

• Learn to play the banjo sitting before you play it standing. You will need a strap to hold the banjo in place when you play standing.
• Place your fingerpicks squarely on your fingers so that their very tips touch the string to avoid making a scratching sound. Don't use a bigger thumb pick than you need; smaller picks give better sound. You can do without picks entirely, as Pete Seeger did, but it will be harder on your fingertips until your calluses build up enough.
• Do not press your pivot finger(s) against the banjo head. You will move your picking hand up and down on the strings as you play; instead, your pivot fingers are placed to keep your other fingers aligned properly when you play.
• Learn music theory so you can understand the reasons behind the mechanics and can master new tunes more easily.