Maybe you’ve already bought yourself a banjo and been messing around with some youtube tutorials.
But now you wonder, are banjo lessons maybe worth it?
Banjo lessons can be a great way to improve your playing skills, especially when you already know the basics and you want to refine your skill.
Are Banjo Lessons Worth It?
If you’re just starting out with playing the banjo, lessons aren’t worth it yet. Because you can’t know if the banjo is the right instrument for you if you haven’t played it for a little while.
Go buy a beginner’s banjo and start learning from some free youtube tutorials instead, this way you can find out if you like playing the instrument without having to spend a fortune on a top-of-the-line banjo and expensive banjo lessons.
Banjo lessons could be worth it for people that know the basics and want to refine their skills. A nice thing about taking lessons is that you can ask your teacher when you get stuck on something.
But there are a few more things to decide whether banjo lessons are worth it for you or not. Let’s look at some pros and cons of taking banjo lessons.
Pro’s of Taking Banjo Lessons
You Get Personalized Guidance In Learning The Banjo
You can ask your teacher whenever you want, anytime. You get personalized guidance in the learning process.
This is especially great if you get stuck on something with playing the banjo because your teacher can explain everything step by step.
With your teacher, you can get professional guidance in banjo playing and you know for sure that you’re playing the banjo and doing all the techniques the right way.
You Get A More Structured Approach To The Banjo
Usually, a banjo teacher has a structured approach to teaching you how to play. Working from the beginner stuff all the way to the more advanced material.
Also, you tend to have more discipline with a teacher as opposed to self-teaching where it’s easy to get distracted from practicing by watching videos or browsing YouTube
You Get Better Faster Than If You Hadn’t Taken Lessons
Because of this structured approach and the extra discipline you get from a teacher, You can be sure that you’ll learn a lot quicker than if you would learn the banjo by yourself.
You Get A Teacher To Ask When You’re Stuck
If you have a dedicated teacher looking over your shoulder, there is less of a chance that you will get stuck on something for months waiting to improve. You can always go back to your teacher for help.
So, if you ever get stuck on something with your banjo playing and don’t know what to do next, just ask your teacher and he will help you out.
You Might Make Some New Friends
When you take banjo lessons, you might make some new friends. Since other people in your class are also interested in the banjo and playing music as a hobby.
This can be especially nice if it’s difficult for you to meet people with similar interests as yourself (like me). So this is another reason why taking banjo lessons might be worth it.
Con’s of Taking Banjo Lessons
It Takes Up A Part Of Your Free Time For Improvement
You might have some spare time in the evening, but if you’re doing banjo lessons during that time it means less free time.
Of course, this depends on how much you are willing to practice every week, but I know it’s easy for me to get distracted by other stuff when practicing.
Also, if your teacher is far away, you will need to travel back and forth for every lesson.
If you live in a city it’s probably not that much of an issue, since the chances are your banjo teacher is pretty close by.
But if you live in a small town or somewhere out off the beaten path, getting to your teacher can take a lot of time and make it more expensive because of gas costs, etc.
Banjo Lessons Don’t Come Cheap
Banjo lessons cost money and depending on the teacher you get and where you live, it could be very expensive.
Banjo lessons from a college student in a small town can range from $20 to $25 but if you get banjo lessons from a master in a big city it could cost up to $60 an hour.
Are Online Banjo Lessons Worth It?
If you’re a busy person and don’t have much time to practice, online banjo lessons might be a good option for you. These tend to be a little bit cheaper and they don’t take time to travel to.
There are two types of online banjo lessons. One is following a banjo lesson in person via zoom or skype call. The other is following a pre-recorded banjo course.
An advantage of following a pre-recorded banjo course is that they are a lot cheaper than in-person lessons and you still get a structured approach to learning the banjo.
The downside compared to in-person zoom lessons is that you can’t ask your teacher for help when you get stuck on something.
In my opinion, the best option is to take a pre-recorded banjo course and then get an in-person online lesson every time you get stuck on something or you need something explained a little more in-depth.
How Long Does it Take To Learn The Banjo?
This is a difficult question to answer as it depends on many factors such as; how much time you have to dedicate to banjo daily, how often you practice, and your goals.
If you’re starting from scratch and want to play like a pro then it might take you a bit longer. But if you already play guitar, for instance, you might pick it up a lot faster.
If you practice about an hour per day then it’s possible to get pretty good in around 1 – 1.5 years, but if you can dedicate more time and focus on practicing it might be possible to play like a pro within 6 months.
Of course, this also depends on how fast you pick it up and if you’re naturally good at banjo or not.
Good Luck With Learning The Banjo!
Taking banjo lessons can have many benefits, such as helping you make new friends with similar interests or improving your skills.
However, there are some disadvantages to taking banjo lessons, such as the fact that it takes up time and money.
In general, I believe that the pros of taking banjo lessons outweigh the cons, but it’s important to weigh all the factors before making a decision.
Thanks for reading!