Banjo
Banjos are a four to six stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a circular frame, averaging about 97 cm in length.
They are played by fingering the fret board and plucking or strumming the strings with finger picks, plectrums or bare fingers.
Banjos are mainly featured in Folk, Bluegrass, Irish traditional and Country music.
When you borrow a banjo from RPL, you will receive it in a case to protect it. You will also receive a strap, a pick and a tuner.
An instrument in good condition makes better music. Please see our Care and Respect video below, to learn how to take care of the banjo while you have it.
Never played before? No problem! You can also access free step-by-step video lessons for a variety of instruments through our digital services:
LinkedIn Learning
Gale Courses
Kanopy
Instrument photos courtesy of Vancouver Public Library
Videos
Tutorials
• Banjo Lessons (LinkedIn Learning course free with your library card)
• Play the Banjo (lessons from Bradley Laird)
• Banjo Compass (lessons)
• Banjo Ben Clark (lessons on Youtube)
Helpful Links
• Banjo Hangout (free forum for banjo players)
• Purple Banjo (free demonstrations of chords, rolls, and scales)
Helpful Apps
• Guitar Tuna (Google Play) (tuner)
• Guitar Tuna (iTunes) (tuner)
• Basichords (Google Play) (finger positions and chords)
• Basichords (iTunes) (finger positions and chords)
• Banjo Tuner (Google Play) (tuner)
• SmartChord Banjo (Google Play) (chords, tuner, metronome, scales, reverse chord finder and more)