Learning Banjo: Finger Picks or Not?

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Finally caved to my "boss" at the music school and have started learning to play the 5 string banjo.  In all my years of playing fingerstyle guitar I never used finger picks but all of the books I've looked at for the banjo say to use them.  So far I've been playing without them and it's been going good.  I don't have a banjo but I live really close to the school/music store where I teach guitar and the boss is letting me come in and use a banjo off the wall and a book off the shelf, and a teaching room whenever I can fit it in and there is a room open.  Any thoughts?

“Theory is something that is written down after the music has been made so we can explain it to others”– Levi Clay


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Comments

  • VimFuegoVimFuego Frets: 15475
    my understanding is (pending more informed opinion) for old timey stuff on an open backed banjo, no fingerpicks, for bluegrass scruggs stuff on a reso ring banjo then yes to fingerpicks. 

    I'm not locked in here with you, you are locked in here with me.

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  • SassafrasSassafras Frets: 30273
    I've never used fingerpicks. I've very rarely used a thumbpick. I don't find them necessary, banjos are loud enough without having to massacre the strings.
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  • mgawmgaw Frets: 5239
    as both above
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  • VimFuegoVimFuego Frets: 15475
    I once wound reknowned folky Mike Harding up on FB by suggesting they are best played with matches 

    I'm not locked in here with you, you are locked in here with me.

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