The Washburn B9banjo is one the best starter banjos on the market. The tone and feel of this banjo is great, especially if you consider the price. This banjo is available for about $200 US, but don’t let the low price scare you, this is a great value.
Features include a cast aluminum tone ring, 30 tension brackets, a mahogany resonator and quality machine heads. Washburn is a well respected banjo manufacturer and you certainly won’t be disappointed if you start with a Washburn B9.
If you’d like to purchase a Washburn B9 check out zZounds - they have great sevice and great pricing.
The best way to learn to play the banjo is to pick a few simple songs and start working on them. What better song to start with than Oh Susannah - with lyrics like “I come from Alabama with a banjo on my knee”. This song uses just three chords - G, C and D. Let’s get started by taking a look at the lyrics and chord changes.
To keep things simple,thechords are written above the lyrics, so just change chords as you sing the word below it. For example when you sing knee in the first line, you will change chords from G to D. It is very helpful to sing along, it makes learning songs much easier and more fun.
Strum a chord each time you see a slash below the lyrics. So, in the first line you play G six times then you strum two D chords. Make sure that you play at a steady tempo - if you are having trouble staying in time, a metronome will help. Practice this song until you can play it from memory, without any mistakes.
Once you can play a song on the banjo, you are well on you way to becoming a real bluegrass player. The next post will include a few more songs and soon after we will start picking the banjo.
Listen to “Oh Susannah” strummed on the banjo:
What you should know.
Play the song “Oh Susannah” on the banjo without mistakes.
Sing the song “Oh Susannah” while playing it on the banjo.
