ANNOUNCEMENT: 1-on-1 virtual banjo lessons are now available! Great for those who want a more guided learning experience, or those who just want help with a single song, lick, or technique. If you want personal instruction, you can sign up here: calendly.com/johnmoorebanjo/banjolesson
A couple other things: I use a small artist brush to 'Paint' the contact point of the steel finger picks with spray 'headliner adhesive'. Let that dry for an hour or so and you'll never have a pick slip on you. Also, I use a long nose pliers (first) to custom shape picks to my index and middle fingers. Shape them to smoothly contact your fingers so they are very comfortable. I put a red dot on my index finger pick so I can quickly put them on the correct fingers.
Thank you for the insight! My Father was very good at the 5 string banjo and guitar. I leaned more guitar from him than banjo and to this day wish I'd asked him more. From an 1890 Henderson to a 1972 Gibson he and I rocked! Now he's in Heaven and although I have my own arsenal of guitars, I feel the need to really get acquainted with the banjo again. This is the perfect point to begin and re-explore what Dad had going on! Thank you much!
As an experienced guitar player and complete noob on the banjo, I just have to say I so appreciate your videos I just discovered. I'm just getting started and I had problems with my picks falling off and trying to figure out how to hold my hand and just all of it. And your no nonsense, intelligent approach - not dumbing it down method is just perfect for me. I thank you so much. You saved me so much time just now! 👍
I like your attitude. I'm just picking up the banjo, and you are gonna be teaching it to me. I've tried to watch other RU-vid rs and they were annoying.
I watched this video when I first started playing, and I bought some of the picky picks, and now I don't want to use anything else!! I don't know... it feels like the picky picks make it a lot easier for me. Like you said, you don't have to worry about the angle of your hand as much. I tried on the standard pick again the other day, and is felt HORRIBLE in comparison! 😂
Are you familiar with Louis Marshall Jones? He portrayed Grandpa Jones on Hee~Haw. I KNOW that one time I found a clip of him singing while banjo pickin'. Then... a string broke. This was live at the time, so he did some ad-libbing while he fixed it, then got right back into his song. Could someone PLEASE find that for me? I want to see it again!
Thanks so much there Mr. John Moore. Are there thicknesses (gauges) for those picky picks? What exact ones, if there are different sizes / gauges, do you use? You are an incredible picker there!!! :) Thank you much.