Fairfax County General :
Fairfax Underground
Welcome to Fairfax Underground, a project site designed to improve communication among residents of Fairfax County, VA. Feel free to post anything Northern Virginia residents would find interesting.
where can i learn to play banjo in fairfax county? i saw that park authority classes teach it, but are those county government classes any worth while?
Prob'ly won't be able to find'n instructor 'round here, but if you check with the House of Musical Tradition ( hmtrad.com , or something like that), ya might be able to find one SOMEwhere in Northern Virginia.
The key with the government classes, is if you are just trying to get into it, or are a bit unsure. They are very affordable, but the key is what you are looking for. Banjo is a five stringed instrument if I remember correctly, so hopefully it is a bit more easy to operate than a 6 string guitar with numerous frets. The Park and Rec/Govt classes I've gone to have been good intro's, but they really don't go in depth. Think of them as a starter.
Check Kingstowne Music in Alexandria. Owner is a great guy. They have a lot of awesome instructors there. They do banjo lessons and they also have music jam sessions. It's like once or twice a month where a bunch of people just play bluegrass in the store.
Why don't you buy yourself a book and teach yourself? It's cheaper, it's there whenever you want it and you'll have the satisfaction of being self taught.
"The How and Tao of Olde Time Banjo" is a great place to start. Look it up on amazon.
And to Tea Leaves...what an ignorant statement. First of all, you do not "operate" a musical instrument. Second, thats like saying a motorcycle is easier to "operate" than a car because it has less wheels. Third, "Multiple Frets"? Do you think a banjo has no frets? Maybe just one, but good lord, not multiples!? Do you think a banjo is only capable of producing 4 or 5 notes? All stringed instruments, maybe save for a harp, have frets. It's how you play different notes smarty.
Don't comment on things you know nothing about. It only makes you sound like an idiot...if your poor punctuation didn't do that already.
Dumbass Wrote:
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> Why don't you buy yourself a book and teach
> yourself? It's cheaper, it's there whenever you
> want it and you'll have the satisfaction of being
> self taught.
>
> "The How and Tao of Olde Time Banjo" is a great
> place to start. Look it up on amazon.
>
> And to Tea Leaves...what an ignorant statement.
> First of all, you do not "operate" a musical
> instrument. Second, thats like saying a
> motorcycle is easier to "operate" than a car
> because it has less wheels. Third, "Multiple
> Frets"? Do you think a banjo has no frets? Maybe
> just one, but good lord, not multiples!? Do you
> think a banjo is only capable of producing 4 or 5
> notes? All stringed instruments, maybe save for a
> harp, have frets. It's how you play different
> notes smarty.
> Don't comment on things you know nothing about.
> It only makes you sound like an idiot...if your
> poor punctuation didn't do that already.
Sorry to offend the guy from Deliverance. Seriously, loosen up. Weeeeeee!!
Dumbass Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Why don't you buy yourself a book and teach
> yourself? It's cheaper, it's there whenever you
> want it and you'll have the satisfaction of being
> self taught.
>
> "The How and Tao of Olde Time Banjo" is a great
> place to start. Look it up on amazon.
>
> And to Tea Leaves...what an ignorant statement.
> First of all, you do not "operate" a musical
> instrument. Second, thats like saying a
> motorcycle is easier to "operate" than a car
> because it has less wheels. Third, "Multiple
> Frets"? Do you think a banjo has no frets? Maybe
> just one, but good lord, not multiples!? Do you
> think a banjo is only capable of producing 4 or 5
> notes? All stringed instruments, maybe save for a
> harp, have frets. It's how you play different
> notes smarty.
> Don't comment on things you know nothing about.
> It only makes you sound like an idiot...if your
> poor punctuation didn't do that already.
I've seen fretless banjo''s, basses, fiddles to name a few.
Piano's have no frets last time I checked.
My uncle is pretty much a banjo master, he's been playing since the early to mid 60's. He's one the most laid back individuals you'll ever meet and everyone gets along with him. He lives in Arlington near Ballston and he does lessons. If you want I can put you guys in touch.
I used to give lessons in Manassas, but nowadays I really don't have any location for in-person lessons so I do most of my teaching over the Internet. You can catch my free daily banjo workshop series at http://dailyfrail.com.
The original poster still has yet to specify whether he wishes to learn to play the 4 or the 5 string banjo.
The difference between the two is extensive.
BrandonG.M.U. Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> My uncle is pretty much a banjo master, he's been
> playing since the early to mid 60's. He's one the
> most laid back individuals you'll ever meet and
> everyone gets along with him. He lives in
> Arlington near Ballston and he does lessons. If
> you want I can put you guys in touch.