What banjo?

[Jaster]

Could anyone tell me what kind of banjo Jem plays (if its a particular one)? I'm on my gap year next year and am trying to get myself a list of things to do/learn, and learning to play banjo is one of them).

I'm not musically gifted in any way (my friends have had enough of my mumbling 'Young Ned of the Hill' in class), so do not know if it really makes much difference from one banjo to the next, so any help would be mucho appreciated.


Cheers,

[banjopaddy]

It's been a while, but you may yet get this message. Jem plays some sort of five string banjo. I don't think make really matters. It's got a resonator, so it's your typical bluegrass banjo. Look at the Gold Tone company's banjos. They're the best for a beginner. However, Jem also played octave mandolin, which is tuned like a tenor banjo, the banjo normally used in Irish music. I play Pogues stuff on tenor banjo (also from Gold Tone). Five string or tenor, have fun playing Pogues on banjo, and keep pickin!

[bowelling]

the banjo is a really easy instrument to play and pogues songs are relatively easy to work out. i could send you some simple tabs of their songs to learn if that would not be infringing any copyright isssues

[Jon]

I've just bought a Tanglewood 5 string guitar (tuned to G) and I've made some progress in the 2 days I've owned it. I'm not a natural finger picker (I taught myself to play on eletric guitar) but the only 'tricky' thing it to learn another set of chord shapes - the rest seems pretty intuitive.
I had a go at playing slide banjo on Sunday which sounded pretty interesting...

[badger]

Badgers guide to the tenor banjo.

Tenor banjos are cheap and easy to play.

Step 1. Go to local guitar shop. Locate dust covered tenor banjo hanging in obscure corner. Obviously none of the staff in the shop have a clue as to which way up it goes, how to tune it/play it etc. Pontificate wisely about tuning/playing etc. to impress guitar shop staff and reflect the fact that you have spent nearly a whole hour reading about aforementioned instrument on the internet. Obtain tenor banjo along with strap, spare strings, old guitar bag to carry it home in. Pay no more than £90.

Step 2. Find allsorted chord charts on internet- theres loads of 'em out there. In the old days you had to buy books for this sort of thing. not anymore.

Step 3. Right, off you go. Watch out for policemen... allow me to demonstrate...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMthKkC4abE

[Cdn Steve]

Badgers guide to the tenor banjo.

just minutes ago - I was browsing through my hard drive, deleting old files, and I came across an essay that my teenage son wrote a few years ago when he was still living at home - extolling the virtues of this most noble instrument. I expect that it was written at the time I brought the banjo home for the first time....

Perhaps the general public should think twice next time they scream out anti-banjo propaganda. Is the banjo actually a poor instrument? Listen to the sweet melody next time you see a friendly man strumming his four strings. Be your own person - don't listen to the cynical critics of pop culture, they are just jealous. Banjoists could get all of the ladies.

The banjo is one of the world's greatest instruments but it is still shunned and oppressed by corporate cats and the industry's latest, all because of it's differences. Whether it's six strings or four strings, instruments need to be judged by quality, so next time you go to make a joke think to yourself: "Being a jerk to people who play the banjo is wrong" and the nice banjo player, he'll say: "Thank-you child, you're thinking with your head now" - and, if you're lucky he'll say, "For your wisdom and kindness I will give you banjo lessons free anytime you want."

[badger]

Absolutely!

Some random things that I like about the tenor banjo...

You don't get people at open mic nights asking to borrow your instrument...apart from the odd arrogant rock kiddie who thinks that because it's got frets and strings he'll be able to just pick it up and play it. Then you get the amusement of watching the expression of frustration that comes over his face...

It is a good lead instrument, unlike the acoustic guitar...

It is easy to adjust the action , unlike the etc...

It looks cool as f**k...

And last but not least it sounds GREAT. Obviously.

[John Powers]

Does anyone know what exact brand and model of a 5-string banjo Jem played in the Pogues? There's probably a few, but I would like to know one at the very least.

[John Powers]

After looking at some pictures I'm pretty sure Jem plays a gibson earl scruggs standard banjo. Does anyone know what years model it exactly is? On even close?