I can’t believe it. You just taught me this song over 2 days of replaying your video, and I don’t even know your name! I’ve wanted to do this for years. Post your website or info somewhere so I can properly credit you when I tell my friends. :)
Hi neilends! I’m so encouraged to hear that you found my video useful! My name is Chris. There’s no website, I just made these a few years ago because I was frustrated by all the teaser lessons that don’t show you a whole song. I wish you all the best!
Roots Banjo Eternally grateful Chris. I have a teacher also, and he also teaches exclusively by ear. So your method worked perfectly for me. It’s a great way to learn. Cheers. -Neil.
Thank you for doing this, Chris. I agree, as a 65-year old beginner, that D chord is a bear! But in regard to people asking for the tab- I prefer learning from your video- the stop and go, slow, back and forth, listen and watch method- rather than the tabs, which I tend to use as a crutch. Learned this tune elsewhere as well, but I think I like this version better. Thanks for spreading happiness!
Thank you for taking your time to make free videos. I just bought my first banjo as a 25 year guitar player and it is coming along nicely. Great lesson.
Hello! I'm a beginner Banjo player and recently bought the newer version of the Recording King RK-R20 with all the best new features. This song got me interested and I want this to be the first song to learn. I just subscribed to your channel as I feel you can teach me the best way than any other youtubers out there.
By far the best banjo instruction on line. I can play foggy mountain breakdown now thanks to you and will soon be able to play this song as well. Thanks!
My "tool kit" is pretty well empty, but I will have to say this. I learn more by listening and matching the sound than knowing what finger is on what string at what fret, because I don't even know what strings are what notes.(I need to learn that) I just went through about four instructional videos to play this song, and this video is far and away the best I've come across. Now I KNOW I will play this tune eventually. Thank you so much for being a good teacher! I will be subscribing!
hello, This video is awesome! I always wanted to play this tune, Thanks for posting and Great instruction. also I am a new subscriber and hit the "Thumbs up)
Great video! For me it's tricky learning a new song without tab but you did a fantastic job at explaining how to play it. I didn't think I would be able to learn the song but in just a couple hours I can now play it.... certainly not as fast but it's a start! Keep up the vids
Sir, just so you know. I just made a RUclips account "something I swore to myself that I would never do" so that I may thank you for what your doing for us willing to learn. I first tried to pick up the banjo in my mid teens. Never could find any help online at the time and eventually switched to guitar. Now I am picking it back up, about a decade later and thanks to you I had this tune down in a few hours. I am eager to catch some more of your lessons. A request if I may as well. One of my dream songs to nail is shuck 'n the corn, a flat and Scruggs classic. Thought I would just throw that out there.
+Michael Whittaker Gosh, I think my ears are turning red. This is high praise! Thanks for the feedback. Shuckin' the Corn is a great one to know. It contains a ton of useful licks that can be easily applied to other songs. It also is not as much of a beginner piece. I'll add it to the list of requested lessons, and will see if I can simplify some of it into a beginner break without messing up the fun parts. Happy Pickin' !
Thank you so very much for your extraordinary video!! I must say, playing my new Banjo is quite an experience of the mind.It's hard to describe, but the fancy Banjo finger picking seems to beputting my mind in order in a very unique way. It's like my mind is being organized and precisely put in order.That's the only way I can describe it.
I've been a guitarist for over 30 years and play quite a variety of Guitar-like instruments, like my new Puerto Rican 10 string Cuatros that can easily double for a type of Mandolin, if needed. I've been inspired to tune my Cuatros a step and a half lower than they are supposed to be tuned and tune them like 12 string guitars with the low E string missing. www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FCPBWU/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
My new Jameson 5 string banjo is a very recent addition to my musical arsenal. It may not be the best, but it sounds great to me. I agree with all the great reviews it has gotten: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0033P1O6S/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Thanks to you I decided to look into Banjo spikes and ordered these: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001EYTM5U/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I have enough Banjo spikes on the way to outfit the entire Confederate Army...well....sort of
After watching a cool video on installing Banjo spikes I now feel confident enough to feel I can actually do this!! I also ordered micro drill bits, as I feel I will need them. I intend to use them with my Dremel type tool. I hope it works fine. www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000VNPRNQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Since I am a guitarist, I have decided to play the Banjo in quite a unique way. I don't anchor my pinky to the Banjo while playing. I put an extra Banjo pick on my third finger so that I can create fuller chords when I play. I also like developing that other finger trying to devote certain fingers to certain strings exclusively. However, there are exceptions to this general rule. It's easier for me to most of the time consider my third finger as exclusively playing the first string, my middle finger exclusively playing the 2nd string, my first finger playing third string and my thumb exclusively playing the other two strings. As I said there are exceptions to this rule, but I want to play Banjo in a way that works my guitar finger picking as well.
I've been playing banjo for a week now. Thanks for teaching me my first song!!! I've been playing guitar for 30 years so I get the left hand stuff down pretty easily...the right hand finger rolls....uuggghhh...definitely a challenge :) Great lesson! Sub'd
Great video. But I think it would be easier to follow along if you referred to the strings as 1st, 2nd,3rd,4th and 5th. Keep them coming, yours are the best learning videos that I have come across
I'm having a hard time with the D shape, in reaching my ring finger up to the 4th string, while keeping the other fingers where they're suppose to be. Do you have any suggestions? Maybe I can use the pinky. I probably just need to practice!
Hit the G string with your thumb, then pinch the high G and D strings, then hit the G string again with your thumb and slide from frets 2 to 4. That slide is the beginning of a forward roll on the low G, B, and high D strings. Repeat this lick until you are ready to repeat the melody! The only difference between the first rotation and the later rotations of the lick is that on later rotations, you hit that high G with your pointer finger at the beginning of the lick.
Hi gutwrench1961, Unfortunately quality banjos are kind of expensive. I personally don't recommend you skimp on an instrument, especially if you're just starting out. Many manufacturers produce banjos in the $100-$300 range with sub-par components that don't sound good, and break easily (Ibanez B-50, I'm looking at you). I would know, as I was an instrument repair tech for some time. If you're on a budget, I recommend the Deering Goodtime Banjo (new or used). It doesn't have all the features of a professional instrument (it doesn't have a tone ring or planetary-style tuners), but the folks over at Deering don't cut any corners on the components they do include, like a 3 ply maple rim and solid steel tension hooks. New, they're around $500, and used you can find them from about $350 up. Good luck, and happy picking!
A brilliant tutorial many thks! I maybe comiting sacralidge here by asking, but is it possible to obtain a tab of your version, I note yr different way of teaching, which i found really good for a beginner like me but a tab would help me sort a few `dodgy` places? Andrew Hunt - Brazil
Hi Andrew, I don't mind you asking at all, but making tab seems like a little bit too much of a time investment for me right now. If I were making all of these over again, and had a ton of time, I would make tabs. I've kinda been surprised by the demand for them because I don't learn using tab. If you prefer to learn using tab, I recommend the tab library on the banjo hangout. There is a ton of content, and its all free. Best of luck!
Hey Les, Thanks for your interest in my lesson! No. I didn't produce tablature for any of my lessons. It seems to me like a long time since I made them, but they were designed to be accessible to the absolute beginner. Personally, when I was learning to play I couldn't use tabs. They kinda took all the romance out of the music for me, and were hard to use (for me personally.) Now, everyone always asks for tabs for my lessons. For some, (perhaps yourself) tabs are the best way to learn a new piece of music, but for me they were inaccessible, so I didn't produce any. If I had the time to do this over again, perhaps I would do it differently, based on the sheer number of tablature requests I've received.
I also have played the guitar for over 25 years. I am retired from my full time job. Now learning banjo and mandolin. I guess I'm having problems with the rhythm with the right hand. What is the best BPM for this song? Great tutorial, but the tabs that I have doesn't sound like this. it's probably me. I cant find the melody line in my tabs to get the hang of this. I think I will just follow alone with what you are teaching. I'm used to using 4 finger's in picking guitar. Thanks for great video. Need the BPM.
+Rob EMO Hi Rob! This version of the song is specifically designed for beginners by myself, so I doubt that you will be able to find tab for it. I would encourage you to follow along with the video. If I were you, I would watch the first 2 or 3 minutes of the lesson, and then pause the video and practice the beginning for around 5 minutes. Continue through the vid, learning in small chunks. Sometimes, it is necessary to take a break for a day or two and come back. Learning any new instrument is slow going at first! For practice, the best BPM is slooooooowwwww. Slower than any practice track or recording. Start as slow as you need to go to get it just right. Once you can play it perfectly at a very slow speed, you can gradually work up your speed until you can play along with recordings.
Hi James, thanks for your comment. This version is designed to be as simple as possible so that it is easier to learn for beginners. More experienced musicians and listeners will certainly find differences between this "starter" arrangement and the original.
![Blox Fruits Dragon Rework Update [Full Stream]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/EqDAp8udhm0/mqdefault.jpg)
I can’t believe it. You just taught me this song over 2 days of replaying your video, and I don’t even know your name! I’ve wanted to do this for years. Post your website or info somewhere so I can properly credit you when I tell my friends. :)
Hi neilends! I’m so encouraged to hear that you found my video useful! My name is Chris. There’s no website, I just made these a few years ago because I was frustrated by all the teaser lessons that don’t show you a whole song. I wish you all the best!
Roots Banjo Eternally grateful Chris. I have a teacher also, and he also teaches exclusively by ear. So your method worked perfectly for me. It’s a great way to learn. Cheers. -Neil.
Thank you for doing this, Chris. I agree, as a 65-year old beginner, that D chord is a bear! But in regard to people asking for the tab- I prefer learning from your video- the stop and go, slow, back and forth, listen and watch method- rather than the tabs, which I tend to use as a crutch. Learned this tune elsewhere as well, but I think I like this version better. Thanks for spreading happiness!
Excellent video for an old guitar player learning banjo. Thank You for taking the time to produce this informative video.
Me also, played guitar for 35+ years and realized I wasn't growing
so I took up banjo mandolin ukulele and noodle w guitar for reference
Appreciate you
Nice arrangement
Awesome lesson!!
I'm trying to learn this for our church play!!
Thank you!!
Thank you, Chris. You are my favorite banjo teacher! Thank you for the time and effort you put into making these videos.
Thanks for your kind comments, richardekirk! Happy Picking!
Say strings 1-5 not by note. For beginners at least okay. It'd have a good result and be more understandable.
Thank you for taking your time to make free videos. I just bought my first banjo as a 25 year guitar player and it is coming along nicely. Great lesson.
+Michael Kelley Thanks for the encouragement!! Happy picking!
Awesome sound, definitely next on my list to learn
Man, this is the greatest scruggs style banjo channel on the Internet!
+El Koala Thanks so much!
Hello! I'm a beginner Banjo player and recently bought the newer version of the Recording King RK-R20 with all the best new features. This song got me interested and I want this to be the first song to learn. I just subscribed to your channel as I feel you can teach me the best way than any other youtubers out there.
Best of luck on your journey with the banjo!
Great lesson! Been wanting to learn this song and your teaching style makes it easy to follow 👍
Great ! Cheers from Canada.
By far the best banjo instruction on line. I can play foggy mountain breakdown now thanks to you and will soon be able to play this song as well. Thanks!
I'm so glad the videos have been helpful to you!
My "tool kit" is pretty well empty, but I will have to say this. I learn more by listening and matching the sound than knowing what finger is on what string at what fret, because I don't even know what strings are what notes.(I need to learn that) I just went through about four instructional videos to play this song, and this video is far and away the best I've come across. Now I KNOW I will play this tune eventually. Thank you so much for being a good teacher! I will be subscribing!
This is high praise! I'm so glad that you found the video helpful.
Happy Picking!!
hello, This video is awesome! I always wanted to play this tune, Thanks for posting and Great instruction. also I am a new subscriber and hit the "Thumbs up)
Clearly many beginners would like the tab to make stuff more clear, but good job and thanks for spending time to help those starting out.
Clearly... :)
thank you, you explained it really good
Great video! For me it's tricky learning a new song without tab but you did a fantastic job at explaining how to play it. I didn't think I would be able to learn the song but in just a couple hours I can now play it.... certainly not as fast but it's a start! Keep up the vids
Awesome! Sounds like you've earned your vittles for the evening.
Sir, just so you know. I just made a RUclips account "something I swore to myself that I would never do" so that I may thank you for what your doing for us willing to learn. I first tried to pick up the banjo in my mid teens. Never could find any help online at the time and eventually switched to guitar. Now I am picking it back up, about a decade later and thanks to you I had this tune down in a few hours. I am eager to catch some more of your lessons. A request if I may as well. One of my dream songs to nail is shuck 'n the corn, a flat and Scruggs classic. Thought I would just throw that out there.
+Michael Whittaker Gosh, I think my ears are turning red. This is high praise! Thanks for the feedback. Shuckin' the Corn is a great one to know. It contains a ton of useful licks that can be easily applied to other songs. It also is not as much of a beginner piece. I'll add it to the list of requested lessons, and will see if I can simplify some of it into a beginner break without messing up the fun parts. Happy Pickin' !
Thank you so very much for your extraordinary video!! I must say, playing my new Banjo is quite an experience of the mind.It's hard to describe, but the fancy Banjo finger picking seems to beputting my mind in order in a very unique way.
It's like my mind is being organized and precisely put in order.That's the only way I can describe it.
I've been a guitarist for over 30 years and play quite a variety of Guitar-like instruments, like my new Puerto Rican 10 string Cuatros that can easily double for a type of Mandolin, if needed. I've been inspired to tune my Cuatros a step and a half lower than they are supposed to be tuned and tune them like 12 string guitars with the low E string missing. www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FCPBWU/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
My new Jameson 5 string banjo is a very recent addition to my musical arsenal. It may not be the best, but it sounds great to me. I agree with all the great reviews it has gotten: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0033P1O6S/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Thanks to you I decided to look into Banjo spikes and ordered these: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001EYTM5U/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I have enough Banjo spikes on the way to outfit the entire Confederate Army...well....sort of
After watching a cool video on installing Banjo spikes I now feel confident enough to feel I can actually do this!! I also ordered micro drill bits, as I feel I will need them. I intend to use them with my Dremel type tool. I hope it works fine. www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000VNPRNQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Since I am a guitarist, I have decided to play the Banjo in quite a unique way. I don't anchor my pinky to the Banjo while playing. I put an extra Banjo pick on my third finger so that I can create fuller chords when I play. I also like developing that other finger trying to devote certain fingers to certain strings exclusively. However, there are exceptions to this general rule. It's easier for me to most of the time consider my third finger as exclusively playing the first string, my middle finger exclusively playing the 2nd string, my first finger playing third string and my thumb exclusively playing the other two strings. As I said there are exceptions to this rule, but I want to play Banjo in a way that works my guitar finger picking as well.
Stunning!
I've been playing banjo for a week now. Thanks for teaching me my first song!!! I've been playing guitar for 30 years so I get the left hand stuff down pretty easily...the right hand finger rolls....uuggghhh...definitely a challenge :) Great lesson! Sub'd
+Chad Russell I'm so glad it was helpful! Best of luck!
Yea I know those rolls are challenging me also. Bluegrass's I can do on guitar, but this banjo is killing me.
Haha im in the same boat
And another Russell! Greetings
Great video. But I think it would be easier to follow along if you referred to the strings as 1st, 2nd,3rd,4th and 5th. Keep them coming, yours are the best learning videos that I have come across
Thanks for the tip Doug, and I'm glad they've been helpful!
You my friend just earned a new subscriber, im gonna practice this in my truck, keep em comming :D
+RubberDuck It's great to hear that the lesson was helpful! Hope you enjoy your subscription.
Great video !. I thought I was the only banjo picker with a death wish coffee sticker on their laptop !
+Mitch Lowe Ha! So did I.
I'm having a hard time with the D shape, in reaching my ring finger up to the 4th string, while keeping the other fingers where they're suppose to be. Do you have any suggestions? Maybe I can use the pinky. I probably just need to practice!
COOOOOOL
Hey, is the lick from 0:15 the same one from the kickoff? If it isn't, do you have another video that explains it?
Hit the G string with your thumb, then pinch the high G and D strings, then hit the G string again with your thumb and slide from frets 2 to 4. That slide is the beginning of a forward roll on the low G, B, and high D strings. Repeat this lick until you are ready to repeat the melody! The only difference between the first rotation and the later rotations of the lick is that on later rotations, you hit that high G with your pointer finger at the beginning of the lick.
Roots Banjo Thanks!
Great lesson explaining 2 ways.What banjo brand is a affordable choice?
Hi gutwrench1961, Unfortunately quality banjos are kind of expensive. I personally don't recommend you skimp on an instrument, especially if you're just starting out. Many manufacturers produce banjos in the $100-$300 range with sub-par components that don't sound good, and break easily (Ibanez B-50, I'm looking at you). I would know, as I was an instrument repair tech for some time. If you're on a budget, I recommend the Deering Goodtime Banjo (new or used). It doesn't have all the features of a professional instrument (it doesn't have a tone ring or planetary-style tuners), but the folks over at Deering don't cut any corners on the components they do include, like a 3 ply maple rim and solid steel tension hooks. New, they're around $500, and used you can find them from about $350 up. Good luck, and happy picking!
Excellent lesson .. 10/10 Thanks so much ... is ROOTS BANJO your site ??
How on earth can you play it sooo fast?
it would be great if you added tablature
A brilliant tutorial many thks! I maybe comiting sacralidge here by asking, but is it possible to obtain a tab of your version, I note yr different way of teaching, which i found really good for a beginner like me but a tab would help me sort a few `dodgy` places?
Andrew Hunt - Brazil
Hi Andrew,
I don't mind you asking at all, but making tab seems like a little bit too much of a time investment for me right now. If I were making all of these over again, and had a ton of time, I would make tabs. I've kinda been surprised by the demand for them because I don't learn using tab. If you prefer to learn using tab, I recommend the tab library on the banjo hangout. There is a ton of content, and its all free. Best of luck!
www.banjohangout.org/tab/
Great Video Do you happen to have the Tab for this.
+Heyward Mattox Hey there! No, I just don't have the time to make tabs for these as of yet. Happy picking!
Have you got the tab for this great tune?
Hey Les,
Thanks for your interest in my lesson! No. I didn't produce tablature for any of my lessons. It seems to me like a long time since I made them, but they were designed to be accessible to the absolute beginner. Personally, when I was learning to play I couldn't use tabs. They kinda took all the romance out of the music for me, and were hard to use (for me personally.) Now, everyone always asks for tabs for my lessons. For some, (perhaps yourself) tabs are the best way to learn a new piece of music, but for me they were inaccessible, so I didn't produce any. If I had the time to do this over again, perhaps I would do it differently, based on the sheer number of tablature requests I've received.
Dueling Banjos
I also have played the guitar for over 25 years. I am retired from my full time job. Now learning banjo and mandolin. I guess I'm having problems with the rhythm with the right hand. What is the best BPM for this song? Great tutorial, but the tabs that I have doesn't sound like this. it's probably me. I cant find the melody line in my tabs to get the hang of this. I think I will just follow alone with what you are teaching. I'm used to using 4 finger's in picking guitar. Thanks for great video. Need the BPM.
+Rob EMO Hi Rob! This version of the song is specifically designed for beginners by myself, so I doubt that you will be able to find tab for it. I would encourage you to follow along with the video. If I were you, I would watch the first 2 or 3 minutes of the lesson, and then pause the video and practice the beginning for around 5 minutes. Continue through the vid, learning in small chunks. Sometimes, it is necessary to take a break for a day or two and come back. Learning any new instrument is slow going at first!
For practice, the best BPM is slooooooowwwww. Slower than any practice track or recording. Start as slow as you need to go to get it just right. Once you can play it perfectly at a very slow speed, you can gradually work up your speed until you can play along with recordings.
Hey great video but I need the tabs. Thank you
Same here
I'd pay good money for some left hand closeups. Guess I'm slow! 😄
Beginner...? Omg i suck at banjo
Your hitting your 4th to much... way to much!!! It doesn't go that way...
No offense
Hi James, thanks for your comment. This version is designed to be as simple as possible so that it is easier to learn for beginners. More experienced musicians and listeners will certainly find differences between this "starter" arrangement and the original.
eer white gold ? black gold lol