Welcome to Banjos Rule!
I run a blog called "My Banjo Life" that I'd love to share with you! Click the fancy magic spinning words to visit!
On this site you'll find free resources, such as downloadable guides and lesson pointers, as well as banjo merchandise and instructional material for sale. Visit the resources page to see the full list of what's available, along with explanations of each item.
Banjo Paul's Twitter feed
Banjo jokes, banjo humor, banjo kulture...
Well, now you've done it. While surfing the web for enlightenment and insight, you managed to cross to the wrong side of the tracks and land on a banjo picker's site! (The sun just went dark and the animals grew quiet.) As long as no one is looking over your shoulder, go ahead and explore my site. Hopefully you'll get a good laugh out of what you see, and if you are a banjo player, you may even find advice and products to help you out. Be sure and say hi, and please, by all means let me know if you have any questions related to picking the banjo. I'd be glad to help.
Here's a sample of what's available at Banjos Rule!
- Banjo Humor & Banjo Kulture
- The Banjo Setup Guide-free!
- The Banjo Diploma
- The Banjos Rule! Guide To Understanding Tablature
- GHS Banjo Strings
- Backaxe Banjo Case Backpack Straps
- Ballcap With The Banjos Rule! Logo
- Free Playing Tips For Beginner To Intermediate pickers
- Tablature Transcription Service (coming soon!)
New products coming! Stay tuned!
This site is changing all the time. Please visit often
News & updates from Banjo Paul
This is my quick-update area where I can give you news about the site, tell you about what's going on with me, give you the address where you can come post bail...err...well, hopefully not that, but any type of news or announcements can be found here.
01/13/2010 New iPhone apps discovered!
If you scroll further down this page, you'll see a section where I do a review of several banjo-specific iPhone apps, or apps that can be used with the banjo. I haven't updated this section in a while, but just today I added details about two more apps I discovered, one being a really important app that I think you should own. Check them out!
01/08/2010 Banjo Paul now on Ezine Articles!
Banjo Paul has begun writing informational and instructional articles for the popular website Ezine Articles. This is a great resource where you as a consumer can find how-to and informational articles on almost any subject in the world, from death to taxes to banjo! Stop by and check out my profile and articles by clicking the link above in the social media links section
12/29/2009 Banjo Paul wins scholarship to Advanced Banjo Camp!
I entered a competition to win a scholarship to the Peter Wernick Advanced Banjo Camp in Boulder Colorado in January, 2010, and I'm thrilled to report that I won! I'll be attending this clinic for advanced banjo pickers from Jan. 18 through Jan. 23. I'll be blogging about the experience and snapping pics and video. Stay tuned!
12/10/2009 New product launch!!
Don't miss the two day sale on the new Banjos Rule Guide To Backup Banjo! Starting Dec. 16 you can download the product for $10 off the regular price, but only for two days! Click this link to learn more about the product: Guide To Backup Banjo
11/30/2009 New jokes on the jokes page.
I've had 4 or 5 pretty funny jokes left on my jokes page lately, so be sure and check those out. Also, as a special to my site visitors, for the month of December I'll be giving away a free banjo diploma for every Ultimate Metronome ordered. If you order the Ultimate Metronome, be sure and let me know via email so that I can send you your diploma. Don't order a diploma through the store or you will be charged. Email me to claim your diploma. You can find out more details about the Ultimate Metronome by clicking here.
In other news, I'm proud to announce that I get to sit down for a couple of
hours to pick with aspiring banjo player Joe Bonsall. If you don't know that name,
Joe is the tenor singer for the Oak Ridge Boys! Joe and I have begun chatting on
Twitter, and he has become
a fan of my website and blog. He offered to hire me for some banjo lessons in mid-December
when his tour comes to my area, and of course I said yes. I'm excited to meet him.
10/29/09 New lesson loaded! New lesson loaded! New lesson loaded!
If you are a banjo picker, please click over to my lessons page located in the menu at the top of this page to take a look at my latest free lesson, all about the D chord.
9/17/09 Check out the famous pickers in my gallery!
Hey everyone, I just launched my galleries page (that link in the menu wasn't working until now) so be sure and visit that page to check out the famous...and not so famous...banjo pickers doing the "Banjos Rule!" pose.
9/13/09 A big howdy to the visitors coming over from The Bluegrass Blog!
If you clicked my ad on The Bluegrass Blog and landed on my home page, welcome! I'm glad you took a minute to "check me out"! Please feel free to explore each of the items in the menu above.
Keep in mind that this site is in it's infancy, and much more is to come. I
obviously make some money from the site, but my aim is to provide plenty of free
entertainment and downloadable resources as possible. (More to come...see the next date
entry below.) I would love your suggestions and
comments, both about this site and my
blog site. Thanks so much!
9/12/09 I hope you like the new look of the site
With the launch of the new site look comes the end of three days of hard work. It took longer than I thought it would; there were an amazing amount of items that were linked together on the various pages. The idea was to present a new look to the home page, but I ended up having to wade into some of the other pages to make everything link together and flow right.
I'll have features coming on line soon, such as video banjo lessons and various
free reports, so stay tuned for those. As always I'd sure love it if you would forward your
funny stories, goofy pictures, and site suggestions to me. I aim to make this site as
interactive and user-driven as I can. Stay tuned!
Check out these ads-but don't forget to come back to Banjos Rule!
Use the little arrows to make even more ads visible
Banjo Paul is a proud member of the Banjo Hangout Players Union
Folks, if you are a banjo picker or are considering taking up the banjo, and you haven't
heard of the Banjo Hangout, boy are you in for a
treat. The Banjo Hangout is located at www.banjohangout.org,
and it's a really great resource for the experienced picker and the novice picker alike. It's an
actual online community, with forums, blogs, member profiles, classifieds, lessons, tablature,
and still more beyond these things. You can see my profile
on the site, as well as hundreds of other profiles of banjo pickers both near you and across the
world, playing all styles of banjo. Give them a visit today, but be warned: it's addicting!
Don't mess with the banjo player! (Check out this hilarious video)
Many people make the mistake of thinking that just because you use a banjo player to tell if the stage
is level by looking to see if the drool is coming out of both sides of the banjo player's
mouth, that you can walk all over a banjo player! This little video is here to show you that
it's not true.
The next time you laugh at one of us because we think a pap smear is a fatherhood test or
because we take the address numbers off the house with us when we move so that we won't have
to change our address at the new place, you may want to remember this little video. Just
click the play button and prepare to be amazed by a dose of banjo justice!
Hey banjo pickers, do you know about the West Michigan Bluegrass Music Association?
Get plugged in for festivals and jamming!
If you live anywhere within a reasonable driving distance of west Michigan, I think
you'll enjoy getting to know the folks over at the West Michigan Bluegrass Music Association.
This is a great group of volunteers who run an organization that's been around since 1995.
The W.M.B.M.A. promotes the preservation and enjoyment of bluegrass and acoustic music by
hosting two bi-annual bluegrass festivals, one occurring during the third weekend of May, and one
occurring during the third weekend of September. The rest of the year they hold various bluegrasss
concerts/jam sessions, and they hold monthly membership meetings/jam sessions. There is an elected
board that does a great job of keeping the organization going, and all in all it's a lot of fun.
Click over the W.M.B.M.A. site at www.wmbma.org to
learn more about the organization and to see a schedule of upcoming events.
Banjos Rule is endorsed by the National Union Of Boot And Shoe Rivetters And Finishers
Do you need banjo lessons? Banjo Paul is giving banjo lessons in Grand Rapids
Of course we know that "need" is a strong word in this case. I mean, who NEEDS banjo lessons?
Some people feel that they can stand the public ridicule and feel that they want to subject
themselves to taking on the image of being a banjo player. If you are one of those people and
you are in the Grand Rapids, Michigan area (or surrounding communities), please click the
contact link in the menu above, or call this number:
Email: banjopaul@banjosrule.com
Celebrity Endorsements
Abraham Lincoln:
I tried to tell that darn Mary Todd that I'd much rather go to hear
Paul play the banjo but she INSISTED on Ford's Theater! Don't make my mistake; go hear banjo music!
General Custer:
Go west young man?! Forget it!! You gotta
head north and experience Paul's banjo playing. You'll be saying "banjos rule!!" in no time.
Ross Perot:
Stop using my picture! Seriously.
Amelia Earhardt:
Ooh, I absolutely ADORE banjo music!
That Paul is so dreamy! I'd fly through the Bermuda Triangle to hear him pick!
Bill Gates:
Banjos do what?! Who let you in here?!
Do you use an iPhone? Check out these apps!
Playing the banjo usually carries a certain stigma with it. After all, you'll rarely hear the
banjo player say: "that file is on my C:\ drive." Many banjo players are proud to just be able to
find the on/off switch on their computer.
All kidding aside, along with being a banjo picker, I tend to fall into the "techy"
category. I built this website, I'm fairly fluent in computer use, and I have an iPhone. I've found
it quite exciting to learn that there are banjo or music related applications available for the
iPhone, and I just thought I'd share those apps with my site visitors.
If you are an iPhone owner, I encourage you to explore these apps. As I learn about other
banjo-specific apps I'll be sure to review and post the content.
iStrobosoft: a virtual strobe tuner by Peterson. Incredible!!!! ($9.99)
I couldn't believe my eyes when I discovered this in the app store at iTunes. I've known
about the professional grade strobe style tuners for years now, and just recently got
to see my buddy Doug Lindhout's handheld strobe tuner that retails for over $200. I
was convinced that I would be picking one up until I found this software for the iPhone.
If you aren't familiar with stoboscopic tuners, you should do some web research
and educate yourself because they are well worth knowing about, especially if you are
a serious banjo player. The level of precision and the depth of tuning this style of
tuner gives you is superior to the average chromatic tuner that you are used to using.
A stroboscopic tuner tunes the note down the cent of the harmonic tone. Believe me
when I say this creates a big difference.
You can see my blog post about stroboscopic tuners for a little more information
on this category of tuner by clicking here: Strobe tuner blog post.
Click over and read what I had to say, then do some of your own research into the strobe,
and you'll become amazed that you can pick up a strobe tuner for this incredible price.
A very banjo-specific app: iBanjo ($.99)
Here's the description of this application, straight from iTunes: "Absolutely hilarious!
Have a ho-down wherever you go with iBanjo. iBanjo is fully interactive, allowing you to play
a banjo by hitting chords. Choose between 3 different songs and banjo's to get your fill of old
fashioned bluegrass music."
The average customer rating for this app: 2.5 stars out of a possible 5. One reviewer said "good
clean fun". Another appreciated that they could make people laugh by faking the playing of a
banjo on their iPhone. Not all reviewers liked this app, but many did.
Apparently with this app you just touch the picture of the banjo and it makes banjo sounds. YOu
get to choose between different pictures of banjos, but it doesn't do much beyond that. Kind of
a novelty and a bit hokey, but as a banjo picker you definitely want a banjo on your iPhone!
Fretboard: Visualize Chords & Scales ($5.99)
O.k. everyone, I bought this app and it's great! I highly recommend it. This application
provides me with far more theory than I even know how to use after 25 years of banjo playing.
The reason I bought it is that it is a chord chart right in the palm of my hand. You can look up
up any of 57 different chords for the banjo, from the nut right on to the 12th fret. This will
certainly help me find all the positions of a minor chord or even teach me how to make a diminished
chord properly, just as two examples. You can find all of your scales up and down your neck, as
well as find all the instances of an individual note.
While certainly helpful for banjo players, this a multi-purpose application. It holds info
on 96 instruments from 14 different instrument groups. Amazing!! There were only two user reviews
available on this app, but both gave it 5 out of 5 stars. So do I!
Another Banjo-specific App: BanjoChords ($1.99)
This one has a pretty good description in the App Store on iTunes: "BanjoChords is a full
featured banjo chord dictionary for the open G tuning. It provides access to over 700 chord forms
in all 12 keys. 30 voicings are available for each key. Each chord can be heard as a chord or
individual notes."
That sounds pretty good and I was tempted to buy this one, especially with a price tag
that was lower than Fretboard (reviewed above.) However, the reviews were less than stellar on
this app.One reviewer (there are only two reviews so far) was disappointed in the lack of neck
positions for chords. Apparently the app only shows two positions of G. (I always teach that
there are five useable positions of any chord on the neck.) The other reviewer wanted to see
different tunings and more chord positions.
Folks, for $1.99 you really can't go wrong. It looks like there's enough features in this
app to make it worthwhile and the application should definitely be considered.
An instrument tuner for your iPhone: OmniTuner ($5.99)
This is a chromatic tuner utilizing the iPhone's microphone to pick up the sound of the
string that you are trying to tune. It's useable on a wide range of instruments. The description
is not specific as to exactly what instruments, but we know it definitely contains guitar and
banjo.
In most cases, the apps in the iTunes App Store go through various updates and improvements.
This application is no different. The current version at the time I am writing this is version 1.55.
In looking at the reviews, there was a mixed bag of reactions to this application with all
previous versions, but as of version 1.55, there have been nothing but 5 star reviews. Pretty impressive.
Most of us pickers who are active on the jamming or performance circuit prefer to have a
vibration style tuner so that we can tune in a noisy room, but in a pinch this would be well
worth having on your iPhone so that you always have a tuner with you. I prefer the
strobe tuner, but if you don't want to pay the strob pricetag, then this tuner would
work for you.
Pick on yourself before they pick on you: Music Jokes ($.99)
We all tell them and we all love them. Well, most everyone but banjo players love them because
usually they are being told about banjo players. We're referring to musician jokes of course.
This application boasts over 500 jokes on a wide variety of instruments, including banjos.
With this app you can one-up the people who attempt to slam you with banjo player jokes. You can
either tell more jokes than them or even pick on their instrument with some joke retorts of your
own.
There are no reviews of this app yet but at $.99, you can't go wrong. I'll be picking this
app up soon so watch my stage shows for the latest greatest banjo player jokes!
A banjo-specific tuner for your iPhone: BanjoTuner (Free)
I downloaded this app because: 1) I'm an iPhone junkie and 2) it was free and
3) it was about the banjo. Do I need it? Nah. Might I never use it? That might be
the case. Am I still glad I got it? You bet.
This is a very simple app. You press any one of the lettered buttons, which correspond
to the string letter names of the 5-string banjo (when it is tuned to open G, like we
do for bluegrass) and then you get to hear a recording of what that string is
supposed to sound like. You can then tune the banjo string by ear, making it match
the tone coming from the iPhone.
Is this an earth-shattering or important app? Nope. But when I saw it, I thought
that I could do worse than to have the tones of the banjo strings always present on
my iPhone in case I'm in a pinch without a tuner. (That has happened in the past.) This
of course was before I discovered the strobe tuner that I wrote about at the top of
this section. Since I found the strobe, I liley won't ever use this banjo tuner, but
what the heck...it was free and it's got a great banjo icon for my iPhone display.
Check out these ads-but don't forget to come back to Banjos Rule!
Use the little arrows to make even more ads visible
Thanks for visiting! Do you have any suggestions for my site?
Well, you've managed to squander away some perfectly good time exploring my site. You could have been bettering yourself by absorbing important cultural, entertaining, and educational knowledge, but you blew it here!
I really do appreciate your visit and your attention. I started this website back in February
of 2009, then a few months later started the blog. My
intention is to provide resources, both free and paid, that can help a banjo player to be a better
picker. Along the way I hope you are entertained...just a little!
While I aim to make my living through my website, my musical endeavors, and my blogging
efforts (I'll be starting other blogs on other topics soon) it's still a fact that I love to
help in any way I can. Please don't hesitate to get a hold of me for any reason at all. If I
can help I will. Through my acquaintance with my site visitors and through my helping
attitude, the product sales and resource sales will come. But first we need to be friends, so
stop by and say hey. Please leave a joke on the jokes page, please send me a comment through
my contact form, and please visit my blog often. I look forward to welcoming you into the
Banjos Rule! community.
Thanks so much, and as I always say: pick 'em if ya got 'em!
"I love to talk banjo with my students, site visitors, and fellow pickers.
If I can pass on some advice or help you to solve a problem, please
don't hesitate to email or call with your questions. I'm looking
forward to chatting with you. If you are near west Michigan, let's
get together and jam!"
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