Things to do · Arts and crafts
Learn to play the banjo
A friend has invited you to do this with them.
The banjo comes in more than one tradition, from old-time clawhammer and bluegrass picking on the five-string to Irish tunes on the four-string tenor. Beginners' classes in the UK and US start you on simple tunes, often learned by ear.
Moderate£100 to £500 / $130 to $650MonthsIndoorsAlone or with othersUK and US
Someone who has done it
These are real people who did this, as reported by the outlets named. We opened each one before linking it. None of them is connected with this site.
What it's really like
Pick a style first. John C. Campbell Folk School in North Carolina describes clawhammer as the downstroke way of playing used in old-time and Appalachian music, and three-finger picking as the route to bluegrass. Chicago's Old Town School of Folk Music runs a separate Introduction to the Banjo for people drawn to the five-string who are not sure which style to try. Irish traditional music is played on a four-string tenor banjo instead.
Bristol Folk House's clawhammer course begins with basic technique and rhythm, then moves on to tunes in a range of styles and, later, playing with others. Folk schools often teach by ear. At Augusta Heritage Center's Old-Time Week, the beginners' banjo mini-class asks you to bring a tuner, a recording device and your own banjo.
A folk week adds a social side. Augusta's runs three class periods of about an hour a day, with jams and square dances in the evenings.
Ways in and what they cost
| Where | Format | Cost (as last listed) |
|---|---|---|
| Bristol Folk House | Banjo: Clawhammer/Frailing, six Tuesday afternoons of 75 minutes from 3 November 2026; bring a five-string banjo | £75; £67.50 over 65; £60 benefit rate |
| Crescent Arts Centre, Belfast | Traditional Irish Banjo and Mandolin: Beginners, 12 Monday evenings of 45 minutes, 7 September to 30 November 2026; tenor banjo or mandolin; no experience needed | £99 |
| Old Town School of Folk Music, Chicago | Introduction to the Banjo, Clawhammer Banjo 1, Bluegrass Banjo 1 or Banjo 1: eight weekly classes of 80 minutes | $264, or $244 for members |
| Augusta Heritage Center, Elkins, West Virginia | Beginning Two-Finger Banjo, an evening mini-class during Old-Time Week, 21 to 23 July 2026; no experience needed; bring your own banjo | $75 |
Old Town School's Bluegrass Banjo 1 is the first of five classes in its bluegrass series, and its Clawhammer Banjo 1 uses chords to strum simple songs.
How to start
- Decide which style draws you, as it decides the banjo you need; clawhammer and bluegrass use a five-string banjo, Irish traditional music a four-string tenor.
- Book a beginners' class at an adult learning centre or folk school, or try an evening mini-class at a summer folk week.
- Get your own banjo and a clip-on tuner before the first class; most courses expect you to bring one.
Where to go
- Bristol Folk House: Banjo, Clawhammer/Frailing (Bristol) UK
- Crescent Arts Centre: Traditional Irish Banjo and Mandolin for beginners (Belfast) UK
- Old Town School of Folk Music: adult beginner banjo classes (Chicago) US
- Augusta Heritage Center: Old-Time Week (Elkins, West Virginia) US
We opened these links on 9 November 2026 and found them to be what we say. Dates, places and prices are on the official page, where they stay up to date.
Plan this
Pick a day, or a month, and we will set out how to get ready, step by step, with a date and a reason for each. Courses and classes have start dates and can fill up, so the plan begins with finding and booking one. Kit comes after the first session, once you know what you need.
Questions people ask
Should I learn clawhammer or bluegrass banjo first?
It depends on the music you like. Clawhammer is the downstroke style of old-time and Appalachian music, while three-finger picking leads to bluegrass, and Old Town School runs an introductory class for people who have not yet chosen.
What is the difference between a five-string and a tenor banjo?
Clawhammer and bluegrass are played on the five-string banjo. Irish traditional classes, such as Crescent Arts Centre's in Belfast, use the four-string tenor banjo.
Do I need my own banjo for lessons?
Usually. Bristol Folk House asks for a five-string banjo, and Augusta's beginners' mini-class asks you to bring your own banjo and a tuner.
How much are beginner banjo classes?
Bristol Folk House listed a six-week clawhammer course at £75. Old Town School's eight-week beginner classes are $264, or $244 for members.
Where this comes from: Bristol Folk House, Banjo, Clawhammer/Frailing; Crescent Arts Centre, Traditional Irish Banjo and Mandolin: Beginners; Old Town School of Folk Music, Adult beginner classes; Augusta Heritage Center, Old-Time Week 2026; John C. Campbell Folk School, Learning Appalachian Music at the Folk School: Fiddle, Banjo, and Mountain Dulcimer; The Spokesman-Review, Off the Grid: A writer learns the banjo (29 April 2022). Opened 9 November 2026.
Read next
From the Latest Music Bar to the hospital lab: Angi Mariani's first in biomedical science
How a Brighton music-bar owner and TV presenter took a part-time science degree alongside a hospital lab job, what national figures say about who keeps learning, and how to find a course or a way into laboratory work.
“Education has no expiration”: Virginia Ordaz and her mother finished their degrees in the same class
How a retired fire dispatcher from Stockton, California, finished the degree she started in 1989, and how her mother finished hers more than 40 years after her last class. How to find out what your own old credits are worth, in the US and the UK.
More like this
Moderate
Learn the guitar
Demanding
Learn the violin or fiddle
Gentle
Learn the ukulele
Moderate
Go to a ceilidh or contra dance
Moderate
Learn an instrument and play one piece for an audience
Moderate
Learn an endangered heritage craft