The banjo strap

Site last updated 10/03/2004.
This particular page was created 12/09/2003 and last updated 08/28/2004

If you play the banjo you need a banjo strap. Unless you're only going to play sitting down that is, but nobody does that.

I found two really nice banjo straps over at Apollo's Axes, a plain strap at a very nice price, and a padded strap that costs a bit more but is still quite affordable. These two seem to cover most any banjoists' needs, but if you want a few alternatives, you can take a look at the buyer's guide here.

You can also use any old guitar strap and two pieces of string (shoestring's perfect here) to tie it to the banjo. The advantage to that is that you can find guitar straps at every music store (you might already have a spare one) and that you have a much bigger selection of different designs.

Choosing a banjo strap

I have to say doing the research for this page was quite amusing at times. Seems there's no limit to strap manufacturer's fantasy when it comes to thinking up new and fancy designs and materials to make their product "better" (that is more marketable).
That's fine by me, as long as they don't charge extra for it.

But it's only a band to hold up your banjo after all. It doesn't need to be made from the latest composite materials! It doesn't really need any fancy design either (although that's really up to you as a buyer of course). It just needs to do a very simple job! Almost all the banjo straps on the market can do the job equally well.

We need to have some standards though:

If you have a heavy instrument, you need a wide and/or padded banjo strap. With a light-weight instrument this doesn't matter much.
Get an adjustable length banjo strap. Virtually all straps today are esay to adjust, but there are a few goofy ones you wouldn't want to buy.
Leather straps might hold the banjo better in place than synthetic ones. (Usually this isn't important, but if you have problems with balancing the banjo, you could try a leather strap.)
Avoid elastic straps. Elastic guitar and banjo straps is possible the most stupid invention in the history of mankind. Some flexibility is nice, but these really stretchy ones are just a nuisance.
Get a strap that you thinks looks good.

Attaching the banjo strap

This is simple: just tie one end of the strap to a tension hoop near the neck of the banjo and the other to a tension hoop near the tailpiece. You might want to experiment a little with exactly where to attach it to get the best possible balance. If you use a guitar strap rather than a special banjo strap, make sure to use knots that doesn't come loose accidentally but are still easy to untie.