Holding Your Banjo

Sit up straight, but not ridiculously so. Set the pot of the banjo (the round part) in your lap, with the top rear of the hoop resting against your lower chest. Grasp the neck of the banjo near the head with your left hand. Ideally, your thumb should be resting against the back of the neck, but most folks find this harder at first than just placing the back of the neck in the webbing between your thumb and index fingers. Position the head of the banjo so that vertically it is on a level with your shoulder. The neck of the banjo should be at roughly a 45 degree angle from the ground. Rest your right forearm on the top front of the metal tension hoop. Half of your forearm should be projecting across the head of the banjo, such that your wrist is a few inches from the head of the banjo. Rest your thumb on the fifth string near where the fretboard starts and the back of your curled fingers rest on top of the rest of the strings.