Banjo Lessons: 1 Fundamentals

Course details

Learn how to play banjo with United States Artists Friends Fellow and multi-Grammy nominee Tony Trischka. Learn at your own pace from the comfort of your home, or anywhere else you can carry your instrument and your learning device. This 4-part definitive video library includes hundreds of banjo lessons and performances, plus banjo tabs, backing tracks, and other study materials. Part 1 covers the fundamentals: holding a banjo, tuning a banjo, reading music, and positioning your right and left hands. Tony covers some simple finger picking and thumb rolls, and introduces exercises to help strengthen your fingers and play some simple tunes. Plus, learn the classic bluegrass songs that any banjo player needs to know, such as "Sourwood Mountain" and "Wildwood Flower."

Learning objectives
Holding the banjo
Tuning a banjo
Positioning the right and left hands
Reading tablature
Finger picking
Thumb rolling
Practicing rolls and chords
Playing classic bluegrass tunes

Concepts

Introduction

Welcome

Getting Started

Holding the banjo
Tuning
Fun with tuning

Hand Position and First Songs

Intro to chords G, C, and D7
This Little Light of Mine
Right-hand position - Part 1
Right-hand position - Part 2
Left-hand position
Reading tablature
Ode to Joy - Part 1
Ode to Joy - Part 2

Picking Techniques

Finger picks
Alternating thumb roll exercises
Forward rolls - Boil Them Cabbage Down
Mixed rolls - Boil Them Cabbage Down, part 1
Mixed rolls - Boil Them Cabbage Down, part 2
The slide - Boil Them Cabbage Down

Rolls and Practice

How to practice
Osborne roll - Boil Them Cabbage Down, the F chord
Osborne roll - Boil Them Cabbage Down, variation on the 5th fret
Osborne roll - Fingering
Osborne roll - Sourwood Mountain
Rolling backup
D chord
Note emphasis

Basic Bluegrass Tunes

Michael, Row the Boat Ashore
Penny's Farm
Wildwood Flower - Key of C
Osborne roll - Old Joe Clark, part 1
Osborne roll - Old Joe Clark, part 2
Osborne roll - Cluck Old Hen, part 1
Osborne roll - Cluck Old Hen, part 2

Conclusion

ArtistWorks and Next Steps