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1Tune upNext up
Every lesson sounds wrong on a banjo out of tune. The tuner listens through your microphone and shows which way to turn each peg.
5 minutes
Start here
Learn the banjo
One path from a new banjo to playing songs in time. Every step is a working page: the chords sound, and the diagrams are drawn for your own banjo.
4 steps, in order. Next up: Tune up ›
Start playing
From a banjo straight out of its case to playing a song in time.
GCD7EmD
2Your first chords
The chords most songs need, two at a time, in the order that makes each one easy, with a progression to play along with at every step.
A few weeks
T1I&M2T&I3M&T4M&
3Rolls and strums
The rolls of three-finger picking and the strums, each to see and hear over a loop of chords, slow at first.
A week
GC60s
4Change chords faster
One-minute changes: pick two chords, switch between them for a minute and count. The trainer times it and keeps your best for every pair.
A minute a day
Look things up any time
Library: every banjo chordChords in every keyChord progressionsBanjo scalesChord finderCapo chartMetronome
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Questions
What should I learn first on the banjo?
Tune up, then two easy chords and the change between them. Everything else builds on clean chord changes in time, which is why the path starts there and the theory comes later.
How long does it take to learn the banjo?
With ten or fifteen minutes a day, most people play their first song within a few weeks. A little every day does far more than a long session once a week.
Do I need to learn music theory?
Not to start. Songs need chords and rhythm first; the scale and key pages are there when you want to know why the chords fit.
Is it free?
Yes. Every lesson and tool on this path is free, with no account. The full version adds downloads, saving and live sheets.