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This particular page was created 23/11/2003 and last updated 28/11/2004
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| | So you want to learn how to play the Irish banjo? I'll do my best to help you. Don't expect this to be a complete tutorial though. There are limits to what you can learn from a website alone. I mean, I can tell you what to do, but I can't show you, and that makes a huge difference.
What you really need is a good teacher. Unfortunately they can be hard to find, especially outside the borders of Ireland. The second best option is a tutorial video. There are at least two of them available, Gerry O'Connor's Absolute Beginners Irish Tenor Banjo and Seamus Egan's Irish Tenor Banjo & Mandolin. Both are highly recommended. Gerry O'Connor has also written a Complete Guide to Learning the Irish Tenor Banjo. It costs less than 20 dollars and is well worth the money. What I can give you here at the Irish Banjo website, is an overview over the technique, much wider than there's room for in a book or instructional video, but also by necessity less detailed and less specific to your needs.
Also, the solo technique ection of this site is almost exculsively focused on the tenor banjo. If you play the five-string banjo, you ought to have a look at Tom Hanway's Complete Book of Irish & Celtic 5-String Banjo. You can still learn a lot here, but there are certain technical details that are different between the two instruments. Oh well, disclaimer's ended. Let's go on with the real stuff.
What it's all aboutIrish banjo playing is all about playing the tune - nothing more nothing less. Oh, you may want to embelish a bit on it, but that isn't strictly necessary and should never be overdone. You may also play the chords from time to time, but not nearly as often as you may think, and you rarely combine chord and melody playing the way American five-string and plectrum banjo players do.Sounds rather simple, doesn't it? It is, but simple doesn't mean you don't have to work on it, it means you have to learn how to do it well! Ready to go? Let's start with the left hand fingering.
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