The Banjo Primer Book for Beginners by Geoff Hohwald

The Banjo Primer is the beginner banjo method that has taught more than 200,000 people to play, and this is the only place to get it directly from the author. I wrote the Banjo Primer to do one thing: take a person who has never held a banjo and get them playing real songs, step by step, with nothing assumed and nothing skipped. Forty-plus years of students later, it is still the book I hand every beginner who walks into the shop, because it still works.

The method is simple and it is the same one I use in every lesson I teach: start with the right hand, learn the basic rolls until they are automatic, add the left hand a little at a time, and play recognizable songs from the very beginning. We leave out the flashy techniques at first so the melody shines and your hands build correct habits. You will be playing your first song far sooner than you expect, and everything you learn is a foundation for the next thing.

Every copy ordered from this page ships from our shop in Yellow Springs, Ohio.

Watch: Geoff Introduces the Banjo Primer

Why Buy Direct From Banjo Warehouse

When you order the Banjo Primer from Banjo Warehouse, it comes from the same shop where I teach and sell banjos every day, and your purchase supports the free weekly lessons we publish. If you have a question about anything in the book, you can call or text the shop at (404) 218-8580 and get an answer from the people who wrote it and teach from it. Try finding that anywhere else.

What You Will Learn

The Banjo Primer covers everything a beginner needs in the first year of playing: how to hold the banjo and wear the picks, tuning, reading tablature, the basic right-hand rolls that drive bluegrass banjo, your first chords, and a collection of classic songs arranged so a beginner can play them and listeners can recognize them. Each song builds on the last, and the included play-along tracks let you practice with accompaniment at multiple speeds so your timing develops from day one.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Banjo Primer right for a complete beginner?

Yes. It assumes nothing. If you have never touched a banjo, the Primer starts exactly where you are: how to hold it, how to tune it, how to wear the picks. It is also the book I recommend to players who started on their own and want to fix gaps in their foundation, because bad early habits are easier to correct than to play around.

Do I need a teacher to use this book?

No. The Primer was written for self-teaching, and most of the 200,000+ people who learned from it did so on their own with the book and a half hour a day. The included video and audio material shows you each technique so you are never guessing at what something should look or sound like. A teacher never hurts, but the book was built to be the teacher.

What banjo do I need to use with the Banjo Primer?

Any 5-string banjo that is properly set up. The setup matters more than the price tag: a banjo that buzzes and will not hold tune is the number one reason beginners quit, and it is almost never the player’s fault. If you do not have a banjo yet, see my guide to the best beginner banjos, and know that every instrument we sell ships professionally set up and ready to learn on.