How hard is it to learn to play the banjo?

Question:I have very little to no guitar experience. Now I want to switch to the banjo. How hard is it to learn? Which would you say is more difficult...guitar or banjo?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: I have very little to no guitar experience. Now I want to switch to the banjo. How hard is it to learn? Which would you say is more difficult...guitar or banjo?

Its comparable to learning to play guitar. There are left hand fingerings for chords, scales, and licks; there are various right hand techniques depending on what style of music you choose to play: picking patterns or "rolls" (for 3-finger Scruggs style bluegrass playing) or frailing and drop-thumbing (for clawhammer style old-time playing), or picking out melodies with a flat pick (for Irish style tenor banjo) or chord melody strumming (for Dixieland tenor banjo).

Bluegrass 3-finger picking is challenging because of the speed needed -- to get bluegrass banjo to sound right it has to be played FAST and driving. Old-time clawhammer picking hand technique is counter-intiutive to most people -- striking the strings with a downward motion of the flat back of a fingernail and using the thumb on the offbeats rather than on the downbeats is the opposite of what you're used to if you've played any fingerpicking guitar -- but once you master that, its comparatively easy as the left hand fingerings tend to be pretty simple. OTOH, you'll find yourself playing in 3 or 4 different tunings on a regular basis.

Bluegrass (3-finger Scruggs style) picking, IMO, sounds best in a band or group setting, or with at least a guitar backup, not so great if you're planning to play by yourself most of the time. Old-time clawhammer style provides more of a steady rhythm and sounds equally good played solo, as backup for singing , accompanying a fiddle, or in a group setting.

But as I said, banjo and guitar are about the same in terms of difficulty level.

The banjo is thee best string instrument ever. It is easy to play and make up your own songs, even not being able to read music.

Heh... It depends on how much of a hick you are

Sorry, I just had to. Joking okay? Please no one report me!!!