They are actually pretty easy to play, or learn to play. These have 4 strings, and you can play all your notes off the two melody strings. When a lot of new comers learn to play, their taught to just strum the 4 strings with a pick and you bend your forefinger and slide that along the side of the fret board holding down the two strings with a peg, just like a peg on a striker. The books that teach you how to play make it very easy to learn with. They number each fret, once you learn the fret numbers in a song, then you just play number to number. Like....0-0-1-0-3-2_0-0-1-0-4-3_0-0-7-5-3-2-1-6-6_5-3-4-3....That's Happy Birthday. Once you learn to play them and get good at it, then you can learn to pick um, where your picking each of the four strings, just like a banjo. A lot of people that are just learning, can play a song in a day of practice
.
