Bluegrass Banjo For Dummies
Overview
Pick and roll your way through bluegrass banjo basics
The banjo nearly defines the bluegrass sound, and you’ll be playing your own favorite tunes—or maybe writing some new ones—with the help of this book. Bluegrass Banjo For Dummies is the place to start if you’re ready to start learning banjo or upgrade your skills to play in the bluegrass style. Written by an expert musician and educator, this book makes it easy to start plucking your 5-string banjo using common bluegrass techniques. You’ll also have access to over 100 online audio files, and 35 video lessons, so you can see and hear the techniques in practice. This book serves as your first step to becoming a bluegrass
banjo player, even if you’re completely new to playing musical instruments. Choose the right banjo, pick up the basics, learn classic banjo licks, and more—the easy way.
- Learn how to read banjo tablature and perform on a five-string banjo
- Get insight on playing as part of a bluegrass combo band
- Practice with classic bluegrass tunes and banjo licks
- Create banjo solos that will wow your audiences
This friendly For Dummies guide is great for fledgling banjo players interested in the bluegrass style. Whether or not you already play another instrument, you’ll pick up the banjo basics you can show off at your next local bluegrass festival.
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About The Author
Bill Evans has helped thousands of people to play the five-string banjo through his instructional workshops, music camps, DVDs, books, and recordings. He has performed on stages all over the world, his recordings have topped folk and bluegrass charts, and he has mentored many of today's top young professional players. Bill shares the shortcuts and secrets he has developed in more than 35 years of teaching to help all banjo players sound their best.
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bluegrass banjo for dummies
CHEAT SHEET
The picking-hand sequences known as roll patterns are what gives bluegrass banjo its unique and incredible sound. It’s important for these patterns to become completely second nature, because you use them in all aspects of bluegrass banjo playing.Melodic and single-string banjo techniques offer alternative ways to play based around scales.
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Banjo
Musicians take turns suggesting tunes to play in bluegrass jam sessions. Tunes like “Cripple Creek,” “Foggy Mountain Breakdown,” and “Fireball Mail” are high on the list of banjo players’ jam-session favorites, but fiddlers and mandolin players enjoy playing a different set of tunes that can sometimes be challenging for even experienced banjo players to play well.
Bluegrass banjo players can’t live by G alone, no matter how much they may wish this were true! It’s now time to look at ten great‐sounding licks based around the C chord, which is the chord you’ll often encounter just after you play a G lick in a song (and sometimes — as in the songs “This Land Is Your Land” and “John Hardy” — the C chord is the first chord you’ll play).
D licks can be real bluegrass banjo attention getters. This is probably because bluegrass banjo players have come up with a lot of creative things to play when this chord inevitably pops up in a song. Most of these licks are based around different roll patterns. If you grasp the picking‐hand moves first, you can then more easily add fretting‐hand techniques to play each phrase smoothly.
Bluegrass banjo players live in the world of G! The open strings of your banjo are tuned to a G chord, most of the songs you play will be in the key of G, and you’ll encounter the G chord most frequently in chord progressions. For all these reasons, you simply can’t have enough G licks. The phrases you’ll encounter here lay the foundation for great bluegrass banjo playing.
Banjo
There never seems to be enough time to play bluegrass banjo! When you do finally get the chance to sit down with your instrument, you want to be sure that you’re making the very best use of your effort by practicing those things that will transport your playing to the next level as quickly as possible.
Sweat the details
Bluegrass banjo is a demanding musical art form characterized by precision and speed.
Banjo
Fill‐in licks comprise a special category of phrases that are treated by bluegrass banjo players with special reverence. You call upon a fill‐in lick when there’s a break in the musical activity of some kind, as when a singer takes a breath between the lines of a song lyric. You can also use one or more fill‐in licks to raise the musical temperature for the final measures of your next banjo solo.
From bluegrass banjo’s first‐generation masters to today’s genre‐busting stylists and master teachers, it’s worth spending time getting to know these important musicians and their music. You’ll become a better banjo player by opening your mind and ears to their amazing contributions.
Earl Scruggs (1924–2012)
Earl Scruggs was just 21 years old when the world first heard his revolutionary three‐finger picking technique in 1945.
The picking-hand sequences known as roll patterns are what gives bluegrass banjo its unique and incredible sound. It’s important for these patterns to become completely second nature, because you use them in all aspects of bluegrass banjo playing.Melodic and single-string banjo techniques offer alternative ways to play based around scales.
Thousands of new players became attracted to the sound of the bluegrass banjo after hearing Earl Scruggs play, first with mandolin player Bill Monroe in the 1940s and then with longtime musical partner Lester Flatt from 1949 to 1968. As new musicians absorbed Earl’s style, they contributed innovations of their own, which have greatly expanded the range of music that can be played on the banjo using bluegrass picking techniques.
Chord soloing is an effective way to play slower songs in bluegrass style on the banjo. With this way of playing, you play the melody on the first string while also playing chords on the second and third strings that match the chord progression of the song.
Chord soloing is a lot easier when you know your up-the-neck chords on the banjo fretboard.
These intro and ending licks are used by bluegrass banjo players all over the world to start solos and end songs. The intro licks are grouped according to which string plays the melody note on the first beat of the measure played after the intro measure, with examples of bluegrass songs where these intros are used.
Banjo
The fretting hand has a lot of work to do in single‐string banjo playing! Like melodic banjo, single‐string style is based around assembling the notes of a scale into licks and melodies.
Using the forward roll in 6/8 time in single‐string banjo.
However, with single‐string playing, you often fret consecutive scale notes on the same string, something that’s not usually done in melodic banjo playing.
Banjo
Some of the most exciting moments in bluegrass banjo playing happen when you play solos up the neck. Read here to gain experience with essential up‐the‐neck licks and chord positions that you can use in just about all your upper‐range musical explorations.
Although banjo players are concerned with matching roll patterns and licks to melodies for down‐the‐neck solos, interchangeable licks are much more frequently employed when playing solos up the neck.
Banjo
If you really want you to become a great bluegrass banjo player, it’s time to relate the single most important recommendation to help get you there. The key to great playing is to find a comfortable picking‐hand position that allows you to play with relaxation and ease while producing a beautiful, full tone with good volume.
Banjo
One set of up‐the‐neck backup licks that bluegrass banjo players love to play are those based around the D‐shape movable chords. These D‐shape licks can be used any place along the neck where you find yourself fretting one of these chords.
Playing the basic D‐shape lick
Many of the up‐the‐neck backup licks you play are based around chord positions where you move one or more fingers to get the notes you need, while keeping the chord fretted with your other fingers.
Banjo
Some of the most satisfying music that you can make on the bluegrass banjo is when you back up a fiddle. As part of every Flatt & Scruggs live show, fiddle and banjo aficionados would anxiously wait for that moment in the concert when the Foggy Mountain Boys would leave the stage, allowing Earl and his fiddler to play one or two of the old fiddle tunes just by themselves.
Banjo
There are two kinds of Foggy Mountain rolls you can play on the bluegrass banjo. Earl Scruggs was 25 years old when he recorded his composition “Foggy Mountain Breakdown” with guitarist Lester Flatt and their band the Foggy Mountain Boys in December 1949. This recording is probably the most important song in the history of bluegrass banjo, and the key to playing it like Earl is to get to know your Foggy Mountain rolls.
Banjo
Forward rolls put the drive and power into the sound of bluegrass banjo. You simply can’t have cornfield cred without knowing your forward rolls backward and, yes, forward. Forward rolls come in several varieties, with different sequences of picking‐hand fingers. However, at some point in every eight‐note forward roll, you pick two thumb–index–middle sequences that provide the propulsion needed for forward roll liftoff.
Banjo
Fourth- and first-string slides are a good addition to your bluegrass banjo technique. The fourth string is the lowest in pitch, as well as the heaviest and thickest of all your banjo strings. For these reasons, it’s the perfect string for playing booming, swooping slides that lend some heavyweight authority to your playing.
Banjo
The fretted hammer‐on is only just a bit more complicated than the open‐string variety on the bluegrass banjo. With a fretted hammer‐on, you pick a fretted note first, rather than an open string, and you then call upon the services of a second fretting‐hand finger to create the hammer‐on. When you complete a fretted hammer‐on, you’ll be fretting the same string on two different frets with two different fingers.
Banjo
The fretted pull‐off is an essential technique that defines the bluegrass banjo style. With this fretting‐hand move, you’ll be pulling off from one fretted note to another. It sounds a bit tricky, but the secret to success is to fret the same string with two different fretting fingers before you begin.
Here’s a step‐by‐step guide for the most important of these pull‐offs, a third‐string pull‐off that moves from the third to the second fret.
Banjo
Playing up‐the‐neck scales over more than one octave in melodic style can require some fretting prestidigitation on the bluegrass banjo. You’ll use all four fretting fingers and even your thumb to perform some amazing sleight of hand in the upper reaches of your banjo neck as you work through the following examples.
Banjo
It’s time to put the hammer down to master the most frequently played hammer‐ons in all of bluegrass banjo, where you’ll move from an open string to the second fret on the third and fourth strings. Here’s how to play the third‐string version:
Play the third string open with your picking-hand thumb.
With the fretting-hand middle finger, push down to fret the third string just behind the second fret.
Banjo
Because many open‐string pull‐offs are played on the first string on the bluegrass banjo, this is the logical place to launch your pull‐off explorations. Here’s a step‐by‐step guide to making your journey a smooth one:
Fret the first string at the second fret with the fretting-hand middle finger.
Play the first string with the middle finger of your picking hand.
To truly get that bluegrass banjo sound, you may want to try playing pinches. You’ve found a comfortable picking‐hand position and you’ve got your thumbpicks and fingerpicks on your fingers. You’re ready to finally play!
Here, you try out the pinch pattern, a basic technique that you can use to follow chord progressions and play songs with others.
Banjo
The third string, second‐ to third‐fret slide is one of the main attractions of the bluegrass banjo classic “Cripple Creek” and is a great place to begin your sliding adventures. Here’s a step‐by‐step guide:
Fret the third string at the second fret with the middle finger of your fretting hand.
Pick the third string with the picking-hand thumb.
When you push a string against your banjo fingerboard to raise its pitch, you’re playing a choke. The choke that you’ll play most often in bluegrass banjo is on the second string at the tenth fret. Here’s a step‐by‐step guide:
Fret the second string at the tenth fret with the index or middle finger of your fretting hand — or both!
Banjo
The alternating thumb roll is the first thing you might play on the bluegrass banjo if you were taking a leisurely stroll down a country road on a spring morning with banjo in hand. Sometimes called the thumb‐in‐and‐out roll, the easygoing sway of the alternating thumb roll is at the heart of classic songs like “Cripple Creek” and “I’ll Fly Away.
Banjo
The forward‐reverse roll is probably the most user‐friendly of all bluegrass banjo roll patterns. It’s a versatile roll that is used in many playing situations and it just feels good to play. Your picking‐hand fingers will like it!
Here’s a step‐by‐step guide to learning your first bluegrass roll pattern. Fit the picks on your fingers, place your right hand in position, and try out the following sequence of notes:
Pick the third string with your thumb.
Banjo
The lick roll is an essential banjo technique for bluegrass players. The lick roll has nothing to do with rock‐’n’‐roll banjo posturing, but it’s the roll pattern that is used to play just about everyone’s favorite lick. A lick is a musical phrase that you can use in many different songs; the lick that goes with this particular roll is used perhaps more than any other in bluegrass banjo.
Banjo
If you want a great bluegrass banjo, you need to survey the neck before making your purchase. The neck is the long piece of wood that attaches to the banjo body that guides the strings along the instrument’s fretting surface (called the fingerboard). The neck holds the strings secure using tuners, four of which are located at the peghead, with the fifth string tuning peg located almost halfway up the neck.
Banjo
If you listen carefully to any great bluegrass band, you’ll hear that each instrument, including the banjo, has a unique job to do. Whether you’re playing just a few notes (like the bass player) or a lot of notes (like, well, the banjo player!), it’s everyone’s responsibility to contribute to the precise rhythm of the total band.
Banjo
As you progress farther in your study of the bluegrass banjo, take note of the different ways that roll patterns are used to create melodies. The artistry of bluegrass banjo playing involves choosing the best rolls and licks to express the melody and emotion you’re feeling at that moment.
The first step toward this level of mastery is to be comfortable with the basic versions of as many roll patterns as possible, mixing and matching them in ways that sound good for the song you’re playing.
Banjo
When you’re comfortable with playing one‐measure forward rolls in down‐the‐neck backup, you’ll come closer to capturing the real bluegrass banjo sound when you extend the one‐measure roll across the bar line to create new two‐measure patterns that are similar to what professional players play to accompany others in bluegrass bands.
Banjo
Although the picking‐hand moves are relatively straightforward in vamping on the bluegrass banjo, there’s quite a bit of fancy fingerboard work involving movable chords and muting techniques that will keep your fretting hand more than busy with this new playing technique.
Picking the basic vamping pattern
Play the fourth string with your thumb, followed by a pinch on the third, second, and first strings played with the thumb, index finger, and middle finger, striking the strings at the same time.
Banjo
You’ll double the number of chords you can use in vamping by adding D‐shape chords to your bluegrass banjo fretboard toolkit. Here’s your guide to using both the F and D shapes to make you sound like a vamping pro!
Moving between F and D shapes
Most banjo players will enhance the sound of the basic vamping pattern by moving back and forth from the F shape to the D shape for the same chord.
Banjo
You’ll be hooked on the banjo for life when you’re able to play with other musicians in jam sessions. Here’s a checklist of what to bring to your next jam:
Your banjo
A capo
A strap
A tuner
Maybe a songbook (but not a banjo tab book — that’s bad form!)
A recording device (such as your cellphone) to record new tunes
Here’s an inventory of the skills you should start working on now to enjoy beginning group playing:
How to get and keep your banjo in tune
How the guitar player makes G, C, and D chords
How to use the capo to play in various keys
How to make your chords, beginning with G, C, D, and D7, and how to use these chords with the capo to play in other keys
How to make movable major chords shapes (barre, F, and D shapes) and how to vamp
How to use simple roll patterns to create a basic accompaniment
How to teach others a song that you can play (like “Cripple Creek”!
Banjo
Whether you’re picking lead or playing backup bluegrass banjo, the first step to playing up the neck with confidence is to get comfortable fretting the chords you need anywhere on your banjo fingerboard. Here, you find the six movable chord positions you use to play major and minor chords.
Fretting movable major chords
A movable chord position is a chord shape that can be shifted up and down the neck to play chords at different frets on the banjo fingerboard.
Banjo
The chord progressions for many bluegrass songs are made up of the chords built upon the first, fourth, and fifth notes of the major scale of the key of the song. Internalizing the I–IV–V chord positions using the F chord shape prepares you for playing great bluegrass banjo backup with fretting and vamping techniques.
Bluegrass banjo is characterized by a hard-driving, forceful picking-hand approach. Developing good timing is essential to great playing, and you'll want to practice these rolls slowly at first, keeping a steady rhythm. As you encounter new songs, take note of the many ways that roll patterns are used to capture melodies.
The picking‐hand fingers strike the same strings consecutively in single‐string banjo, and this is one of the biggest challenges of mastering this playing technique. Most players use the thumb and index fingers to do this, much the same way as guitar and mandolin players use a flatpick in an up‐and‐down motion to get a similar result.
Banjo
Fingerpicks are an essential part of playing banjo in bluegrass style. You’ll play louder, faster, and with more accuracy and power with fingerpicks turbocharging your thumb, index finger, and middle finger. You’ll also hear a clearer, brighter tone from your instrument with the fingerpicks adding a percussive shimmer to the banjo’s natural‐born twang.
Banjo
Whether it’s across the country to a festival or just across town to the local music store’s weekly jam session, bluegrass banjo players love to travel. Unexpected things can happen while you’re away from home with your banjo: Strings can break, your tuner’s battery can go dead, a tuning peg can fail, or something even worse.
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