should i purchase a banjo?

There was another thread a while ago about the differences between 5 and 4-string banjos etc.. as someone else wanted to buy their first one.

To say there's no music available for Tenor or Plectrum banjo isn't right, as there are many books around with TABS or music for folk and bluegrass fiddle etc.. They can all be played on tenor banjo (transposed to the key of the tuning for ease of fingering) as well as any mandolin TABS and chords etc... They're all tuned in ascending 5ths.
If you got a Tenor or Plectrum Banjo, then you could even get an instruction/chord book on Tenor Guitar, Octave Mandolin, Mandola or Mandolin to get the idea of the chord shapes you can use.

After saying all that, 5-string is almost definitely what you'll be wanting, and if you ask the question "Should I buy a Banjo?" the answer is always YES!!

 

Go For it. a couple things I gotta get are a twelve string, a pedal steel, and a banjo. So I completely understand where you're coming from.

 

Well, I own a plectrum.... owned it for like 6 months.. The music available for it is hard to find. The only book I could find was like $100. Plus, I couldn't really find dixieland jazz or ragtime songs that had a plectrum playing in it... So I kind fiddled around with the plectrum, then I bought a 5 String and I am a lot happier with it. BUT you are right there is music available for the plectrum, it's just harder to find and it requires a lot more musical skill and time than I have to give (not right now atleast)

 

Corduroy that's true and I agree with you about it requires more time/skill/practise etc...
On 5-string at the beginner level, they just about play themselves if you're any good at fingerpicking but plectrums and tenors are harder for sure.
I personally hate flatpicking, fingerpicking is way easier.

 

I have seen son "cheater" banjos with the neck of a giutar so if you dont know how to play banjo you can just play it like a giutar, so you have the sound but it isnt the same