I really appreciate your lessons. I've been playing guitar for over forty years and I have played around with the banjo years ago. I just started picking it back up recently. I can't afford lessons so I can't say thanks enough to all you guys who do this for us. Mike/Ohio
Kidding aside hows it going for you? I just started last summer and its so so. I see improvement but theres days idk what im doing and couldnt pick a string out of a line up. Id like to have my own band before i go, you have any goals?
This has been a great help. FMB has been on the must learn list so just practicing rolls while I watch a movie or have few minutes then putting it all together has been a great way for me to learn. Cheers.
an you make it look easy. I'm 57 and buying a banjo for the first time. I have never played any musical instruments in my life. Some people I know think that I'm crazy. :-) They can stop thinking. G'day from Aussie
Have you all beat...Almost 63 and just bought my first banjo. Got a Gold Tone 250. been playing guitar for almost 4 decades and the banjo is a new challenge. Good luck to all you other "old guys."
+Bob Barlow Hey I'm in the same situation as yourself - self-taught playing guitar since 1977. Banjo fanatic from way back. How do you like the Gold Tone?
Don't give up Bob, I had a spinal chord injury in 91 and a stroke about 5 years ago,. I quit playing for well over12 or 15 years and I am having a hard time getting back to were I was before I quit. Keep at it, even if you just play enough not to lose the ability you have now, It is tough to get it all back.
Not talkin' about age (born when Truman was President) but this frailn' and rollin' sure beats playing ice hockey at this age. Nice lesson. I can work with that. I love the Ralph Stanley tee shirt background, Thanks! 🌴⛩🛶🎶
Thanks so much, I've been looking for a simple way to go up the neck. Been playing Scruggs rolls for some time, I like your method of teaching. Thanks again, God Bless Bob
Not a Granada. Thanks for thinking it is! I take that as a compliment. It's a parts banjo built around a 5/8" Kalamazoo rim. The head isn't nearly as tight as it could be. What you're hearing is the cut of the skinny rim and Blaylock ring. Plus I play pretty close to the bridge.
This was my first exercise, first video I found... LOVE it. It sounds so gorgeous and immediately put a huge smile on my face that I could make such a sound right out of the gate. Thank you sir! I want to be your padawan.
This was excellent! It was 10 years ago so this guy must be really good now, not like he isn't already LOL. I'm just learning how to play. I've always been a guitarist. I am 3 weeks into it now, there's a learning curve but it's so fun but it feels like it is coming naturally. I wish I started sooner!
Cher William, j'ai débuté le banjo en janvier 2018 et en suivant vos vidéos je peux aujourd'hui jouer de ce merveilleux instrument!!!Merci mille fois de tout ce que vous pouvez apporter!...Chris, un musicien français...
Wow this is an excellent exercise. I started banjo four months ago and get in at least two hours practice a day. I am moving right along, 3rd lesson tomorrow which is an hour away. So, thank you again for the help and inspiration to stay dedicated and get better.
Thank you so much for your video post I just bought my first banjo and I'm looking forward to learning....... foggy mountain breakdown is one of my favourite songs on the banjo Thanks again
I'm 16 and just got my first banjo a month ago, It's a epiphone mb-200. I've learned so much from your videos, you're the only one I've found that explains it so clearly. I think I'm doing pretty good only having it a month, thank you for sharing your knowledge you're a great tutor. Also I love the shirt man, I'm dying to know where you got it
Getting my banjo on Saturday. Haven't played anything but Harmonica, drums, and taken a semester of Piano (music theory mostly) with a voice class. Your video has put me on pins and needles waiting for my instrument. I am ready to invest all my time into it and obsess over this instrument. Guitar has never interested me, nor bras, nor reed, nor woodwind. Banjo though makes this Kentucky soul sing. :) Can't wait.
Keep your fingertips between the frets. Right in the middle of the spaces between the frets is fine so long as you press hard enough. Then practice the dog out of it. :-)
New subscriber. Just happened across this great video . I play a mean down the neck but have ALWAYS struggled up the neck and it really shows when I'm out picking with groups . You're a good teacher . Thanks for sharing
30 years as a guitarist, degree in popular music, diplomas in classical..been playing rock, jazz, metal, fusion for years, been making my living from guitar for decades...now i'm thinking of getting into the banjo and wondering why it's taken 30 years.....all i need to do is buy one! I guess I'll start with a 5 string..
man thank you iv been struggling i have a few rolls down but done nothing with my left hand 2121521 iv been working it for a few days i stoped the vid until i had the roll oh it sounds great frm you sir i have made progress thank you a kick ass teacher
I understand. Most banjos have a pretty skinny neck... some, like the old Baldwin Odes, have a real skinny neck. I don't know of any that make one with a wider neck. You might email around Stelling and Ome and some of those guys to see if they customize neck widths. Maybe some of the neck builders like Frank Neat make a wider one.
I see it too...playing it consistently like that is another story! lol. Been playing bluegrass guitar for 30 years and fooled around with a banjo on an off but am getting serious now. I went and bought a banjo! Have to retrain a lot and this roll is killing me. I can do it a couple of times consistently but then get all screwed up!
its just about the time and u'll do it ;p but u have to keep practising! i have really big and long fingers as well (i play piano a lot) but i've learnt to play mandolin (which is harder to play well) within 2 months... banjo is less difficult for me and when i was starting to play my first string instrument (classic guitar) i had the same problem as u ;p
This is great .Every one should be making music.Fewer stupid wars that way.Improving thank's to your great lessons,but can't wait to get some real music out of this thing.Thank's
Just throwing this out there. Hopefully you'll consider. I'd really like to learn "There is a time". The version that was played on the Andy Griffith show. I think it was played with a capo on the second fret in that version. I can't find any accurate tabs for that. It'd be awesome if you could teach that classic.
I wonder why it is more beneficial to play the third note/ pick by thumb and not by index finger (IMTMTIMT and not IMIMTIMT). The other way seems more practical to me - but am a beginner so maybe it will become apparent later on... Thanks for great exercise
Scruggs never played that with only his first and index finger. There is a recording of him playing them together for a totally different sound but he never executed this particular roll without his thumb.
Thanks for your video, it helps me a lot to put my first steps in the world of the banjo. One thing is not clear to me. Why do you play the second string with your righthand thumb, while it seams so much more easy to play it with your index?
Michiel Linger It's not easier (for me, anyway) up to speed, say, 300 BPM. Quicker to work the thumb and middle finger that it is to walk the index and middle back and forth. You can do it however you want. I don't teach what I can't play.
I am just starting with the banjo and I have large fingers and keep making the notes flat. Do you have any suggestions tha could help me make cleaner notes ?
Hi William.. Im just learning the roll but how long will it take to get fast like your playing, I practice about an hour a day I can play it going very slow. ;-)
That roll can be done two ways. It can also be done with only the index finger on the second string. There is no difference in how it sounds. I have done it both ways. When I was starting out I learned it with only the index finger and later learned it the way you are showing. I now play it like my teacher taught me and I prefer it that way.
Excellent lesson. Been playing guitar and bass for decades. A friend loaned me a 4 string tenor banjo last week, which is tuned at 5ths. I've been monkeying around with it a little bit and getting some decent results. What's going on here with the 5 string situation seems much cooler. Going to have to get one. Any recommendations for a reasonably good instrument on a budget? Don't want a piece of garbage that will be a chore to play but I don't want to break the bank either. Again, excellent lesson and I plan to revisit it when I have the appropriate instrument. I usually do the self teaching route on instruments, but I'm going to "cheat," as I want to play bluegrass banjo like yesterday. :-) God bless.
+doctortabby My experience has been that you need a pretty good budget to get a pretty good banjo. Couple hundred bucks won't get you much unless you luck up on a nice used one on ebay. I cruise around there quite a bit and have bought a couple of nice Japanese banjos made in the '70s that gave me a lot of bang for buck. Makers like Aria, Alvarez, Kasuga, Iida, all made some nice banjos, but you have to know what you're looking for. Me, I would look for the traditional Mastertone style configuration (a.k.a. "Masterclone"), with a tone ring, wood rim, flange, tension hoop, 24 brackets, frosted mylar head and resonator. Decent neck and fingerboard (don't be fooled by fancy inlays -- they don't add to sound or playability), decent tuners (geared 5th string tuner is preferable)... there are some nice banjos coming out of China right now, like Recording King and some of the Gold Tones, Epiphones, Fenders... American makers are excellent, if you have the money. Do some research. If you don't know the terminology, Google it. You'll get tons of hits. Just my opinion based on 40 years of playing lots of different makes. I've played everything from instruments that would have been better in a trash can to 100 thousand dollar Gibson original 5-string flatheads. What I've found is that the main factor in how a banjo sounds is the player.
Great work, Bill! If I want to capo at the 2nd fret and play in key of A (above G open) can I capo the high G two frets higher? Don't want to tune that high G up too many times! I'd be replacing it weekly. Thanks!
Jim Duling Correct. When it's the same fret, it's middle and ring on second and first strings, respectively. When it's different frets, it's index and ring. My ring finger is always on the first string and my index and middle swap out. The one exception for me is at the very highest part of the neck (21 and 22) where it's so tight I resort to middle-ring for that.
Talvez eu seja um dos poucos brasileiro que ama banjo americano, tenho um a 14 anos e só agora estou aprendendo. Qual o treino que faço para aumentar a velocidade de rolagem ?
Too fast, not to enough details about the strings you are picking, view too far away. Slow doesn't, show exactly which strings you are picking and zoom in, thanks.
another old guy bought my 1st banjo yesterday, 57yrs old. also played guitar for a long time. These are good videos in my opinion, thanks.
Helps me learn the fret board and gives me a nice warm up exercise too! Thank you for this lesson! 10 years later and still helpful!
I really appreciate your lessons. I've been playing guitar for over forty years and I have played around with the banjo years ago. I just started picking it back up recently. I can't afford lessons so I can't say thanks enough to all you guys who do this for us. Mike/Ohio
74 and just bought my first banjo and learned Cripple Creek from Bill.
Sweet
Its good you got a jump on the guys who start in their 80s, they cant wait to play well. I mean they really cant wait.
Kidding aside hows it going for you? I just started last summer and its so so. I see improvement but theres days idk what im doing and couldnt pick a string out of a line up. Id like to have my own band before i go, you have any goals?
How can someone not like a video lesson that's educational , thanks for exercise lessons , helps my thumb join in more fluent
This has been a great help. FMB has been on the must learn list so just practicing rolls while I watch a movie or have few minutes then putting it all together has been a great way for me to learn. Cheers.
an you make it look easy. I'm 57 and buying a banjo for the first time. I have never played any musical instruments in my life. Some people I know think that I'm crazy. :-) They can stop thinking. G'day from Aussie
Steve Ellis Never crazy to have fun. I can think of only a couple of things more fun than picking banjo :-)
+Steve Ellis You're never too old to learn something new. :)
Steve Ellis I just started a few months ago I'm 59 just enjoy, nothin crazy at all👍
Steve, good on you Brother. I too am 57 and plan to start playing the banjo (Deering Goodtimes II) in 2019.
Have you all beat...Almost 63 and just bought my first banjo. Got a Gold Tone 250. been playing guitar for almost 4 decades and the banjo is a new challenge. Good luck to all you other "old guys."
+Bob Barlow Hey I'm in the same situation as yourself - self-taught playing guitar since 1977. Banjo fanatic from way back. How do you like the Gold Tone?
+Bob Barlow I'm one of them. I started on guitar at age 7 in '65.
Patric Costello
Don't give up Bob, I had a spinal chord injury in 91 and a stroke about 5 years ago,. I quit playing for well over12 or 15 years and I am having a hard time getting back to were I was before I quit. Keep at it, even if you just play enough not to lose the ability you have now, It is tough to get it all back.
Not talkin' about age (born when Truman was President) but this frailn' and rollin' sure beats playing ice hockey at this age. Nice lesson. I can work with that. I love the Ralph Stanley tee shirt background, Thanks! 🌴⛩🛶🎶
Thanks so much, I've been looking for a simple way to go up the neck.
Been playing Scruggs rolls for some time, I like your method of teaching.
Thanks again, God Bless
Bob
Not a Granada. Thanks for thinking it is! I take that as a compliment. It's a parts banjo built around a 5/8" Kalamazoo rim. The head isn't nearly as tight as it could be. What you're hearing is the cut of the skinny rim and Blaylock ring. Plus I play pretty close to the bridge.
"takes a while to get that fast"....
Amen. ^_^
This was my first exercise, first video I found... LOVE it. It sounds so gorgeous and immediately put a huge smile on my face that I could make such a sound right out of the gate. Thank you sir! I want to be your padawan.
Hmm. Banjoist you shall be, then.
Love it !!!!
This was excellent! It was 10 years ago so this guy must be really good now, not like he isn't already LOL. I'm just learning how to play. I've always been a guitarist. I am 3 weeks into it now, there's a learning curve but it's so fun but it feels like it is coming naturally. I wish I started sooner!
Cher William, j'ai débuté le banjo en janvier 2018 et en suivant vos vidéos je peux aujourd'hui jouer de ce merveilleux instrument!!!Merci mille fois de tout ce que vous pouvez apporter!...Chris, un musicien français...
Wow this is an excellent exercise. I started banjo four months ago and get in at least two hours practice a day. I am moving right along, 3rd lesson tomorrow which is an hour away. So, thank you again for the help and inspiration to stay dedicated and get better.
I am a fan in the UK and you are the Boss thanks with your help I will get there in the end,,,,,,,,
thank you so much for posting this, its what I call foggy mountain gold my friend!! Cheers
Thank you so much for your video post I just bought my first banjo and I'm looking forward to learning....... foggy mountain breakdown is one of my favourite songs on the banjo
Thanks again
I think it's in agreement that if you don't teach, you should. Best 12 minutes I've spent. Maybe a video?
This guy keeps it simple enough for even me to follow. Great lesson for me as I'm a complete novice to the banjo.
And how are you doing this day? I just bought one as my first instrument.
I first bought Scruggs banjo book and had plenty of fun. Im buying a Deering Eagle II
now and still having fun.
I'm 16 and just got my first banjo a month ago, It's a epiphone mb-200. I've learned so much from your videos, you're the only one I've found that explains it so clearly. I think I'm doing pretty good only having it a month, thank you for sharing your knowledge you're a great tutor. Also I love the shirt man, I'm dying to know where you got it
are u still play?
You are the best, clearly explained and taught!!!!!Two thumbs up.
You are a really good teacher. Thank you :)
You are awesome. I think your a good teacher too. I am trying to learn on my new banjo. I will try this. Thanks !
Getting my banjo on Saturday. Haven't played anything but Harmonica, drums, and taken a semester of Piano (music theory mostly) with a voice class. Your video has put me on pins and needles waiting for my instrument. I am ready to invest all my time into it and obsess over this instrument. Guitar has never interested me, nor bras, nor reed, nor woodwind. Banjo though makes this Kentucky soul sing. :) Can't wait.
Great exercise, I can't wait to rip that roll as fluently as you can
Thank you so much for sharing your talent/knowledge I am learning a lot from you
BRAVO!!!
Extremely useful lessons.Thank you.☺
Keep your fingertips between the frets. Right in the middle of the spaces between the frets is fine so long as you press hard enough. Then practice the dog out of it. :-)
Great, great video! I'm just starting on my rolls after years of clawhammer. This is really helpful.
Thank you. Excellant video.
Deering Banjo Co. in San Diego (Spring Valley) CA does a lot of custom work. You might check with them, too.
New subscriber. Just happened across this great video . I play a mean down the neck but have ALWAYS struggled up the neck and it really shows when I'm out picking with groups . You're a good teacher . Thanks for sharing
30 years as a guitarist, degree in popular music, diplomas in classical..been playing rock, jazz, metal, fusion for years, been making my living from guitar for decades...now i'm thinking of getting into the banjo and wondering why it's taken 30 years.....all i need to do is buy one!
I guess I'll start with a 5 string..
That was awesome. Thank you my friend. Just learning to play the banjo. And you make it look easy. 👍👍👍
Sounds great nice video sir
Nice tone on that banjo !!!!!!!!
I really like your optimal right hand position.
man thank you iv been struggling i have a few rolls down but done nothing with my left hand 2121521 iv been working it for a few days i stoped the vid until i had the roll
oh it sounds great frm you sir i have made progress thank you a kick ass teacher
Thanks! You're a great teacher!
I understand. Most banjos have a pretty skinny neck... some, like the old Baldwin Odes, have a real skinny neck. I don't know of any that make one with a wider neck. You might email around Stelling and Ome and some of those guys to see if they customize neck widths. Maybe some of the neck builders like Frank Neat make a wider one.
Thank you William for this wonderful exercise, have subscribed & will be visiting you often....
hi ... would like to say damm good tutor learnt more with you and your video then any where else thank you keep it up ......chas uk
would love a video on dueling banjos :P
Thank you for the simplicity
I see it now.
I see it too...playing it consistently like that is another story! lol. Been playing bluegrass guitar for 30 years and fooled around with a banjo on an off but am getting serious now. I went and bought a banjo! Have to retrain a lot and this roll is killing me. I can do it a couple of times consistently but then get all screwed up!
Thx so much for such a well scripted tutorial. Me thinks I'm in the market for a 5 stringer!
its just about the time and u'll do it ;p but u have to keep practising! i have really big and long fingers as well (i play piano a lot) but i've learnt to play mandolin (which is harder to play well) within 2 months... banjo is less difficult for me and when i was starting to play my first string instrument (classic guitar) i had the same problem as u ;p
Great instructor!
Excellent tutorial! Thanks!
Thanks! Your'e a really good teacher.
This is great .Every one should be making music.Fewer stupid wars that way.Improving thank's to your great lessons,but can't wait to get some real music out of this thing.Thank's
Nice pedagogy sir!
That was on the fifth fret I was making reference to.
Brilliant and thanks
this vid sounds fantastic, thanks much
Great exercise for moving up the neck . Fishman Loudbox in the background . Whats the go to amp for banjo pickers folks?
I don't know. I've always played through a mic. I'm sure competing amps would offer competing claims.
very well explained, i'm gonna be having a crack at that.....
AWESOME
Thanks will give it a try I just want extremely bad to play a banjo.
Just throwing this out there. Hopefully you'll consider. I'd really like to learn "There is a time". The version that was played on the Andy Griffith show. I think it was played with a capo on the second fret in that version. I can't find any accurate tabs for that. It'd be awesome if you could teach that classic.
I wonder why it is more beneficial to play the third note/ pick by thumb and not by index finger (IMTMTIMT and not IMIMTIMT). The other way seems more practical to me - but am a beginner so maybe it will become apparent later on... Thanks for great exercise
Muito bom!
Great appreciate
Hi I have to play with my left hand picking and my right hand on the fret can you help me please 🙏
Bill, Love your teaching, has helped me a lot. By any chance do you do Nashville Blues? Or the Master's version of the Battle Hymn of the Rep.
nice
Très Très bien.
Thanks a ton
Must be nice just got my banjo and Iam 70, but Iam going to try
Never to late...I am 73 ....50 of them as vagabond around the world , then I find the joy of banjo....😇😇😄🤣😅
Scruggs never played that with only his first and index finger. There is a recording of him playing them together for a totally different sound but he never executed this particular roll without his thumb.
Thanks for your video, it helps me a lot to put my first steps in the world of the banjo. One thing is not clear to me. Why do you play the second string with your righthand thumb, while it seams so much more easy to play it with your index?
Michiel Linger It's not easier (for me, anyway) up to speed, say, 300 BPM. Quicker to work the thumb and middle finger that it is to walk the index and middle back and forth. You can do it however you want. I don't teach what I can't play.
Wow!
Mahalo. Your banjo sounds awesome. What is it?
Ignore that question - I see it on your website. Aloha & Mahalo again.
I am just starting with the banjo and I have large fingers and keep making the notes flat. Do you have any suggestions tha could help me make cleaner notes ?
Hi William.. Im just learning the roll but how long will it take to get fast like your playing, I practice about an hour a day
I can play it going very slow. ;-)
That roll can be done two ways. It can also be done with only the index finger on the second string. There is no difference in how it sounds. I have done it both ways. When I was starting out I learned it with only the index finger and later learned it the way you are showing. I now play it like my teacher taught me and I prefer it that way.
Excellent lesson. Been playing guitar and bass for decades. A friend loaned me a 4 string tenor banjo last week, which is tuned at 5ths. I've been monkeying around with it a little bit and getting some decent results. What's going on here with the 5 string situation seems much cooler. Going to have to get one. Any recommendations for a reasonably good instrument on a budget? Don't want a piece of garbage that will be a chore to play but I don't want to break the bank either. Again, excellent lesson and I plan to revisit it when I have the appropriate instrument. I usually do the self teaching route on instruments, but I'm going to "cheat," as I want to play bluegrass banjo like yesterday. :-) God bless.
+doctortabby My experience has been that you need a pretty good budget to get a pretty good banjo. Couple hundred bucks won't get you much unless you luck up on a nice used one on ebay. I cruise around there quite a bit and have bought a couple of nice Japanese banjos made in the '70s that gave me a lot of bang for buck. Makers like Aria, Alvarez, Kasuga, Iida, all made some nice banjos, but you have to know what you're looking for.
Me, I would look for the traditional Mastertone style configuration (a.k.a. "Masterclone"), with a tone ring, wood rim, flange, tension hoop, 24 brackets, frosted mylar head and resonator. Decent neck and fingerboard (don't be fooled by fancy inlays -- they don't add to sound or playability), decent tuners (geared 5th string tuner is preferable)... there are some nice banjos coming out of China right now, like Recording King and some of the Gold Tones, Epiphones, Fenders... American makers are excellent, if you have the money. Do some research. If you don't know the terminology, Google it. You'll get tons of hits.
Just my opinion based on 40 years of playing lots of different makes. I've played everything from instruments that would have been better in a trash can to 100 thousand dollar Gibson original 5-string flatheads.
What I've found is that the main factor in how a banjo sounds is the player.
williamanesbitt
Very helpful info. Thanks for taking the time to share it with me.
Sckarekrow
Thank you.
For those who need a wider neck, Morgan Monroe makes a wider neck banjo. I had to have one due to my large hands. They can be found on the Internet.
+Jim P
Morgan Monroe stopped making the wide neck, Goldtone makes the 250 wide neck.
Ok when I press down on say the 3rd string I also touch the 2nd stewing with the same finger
What is the make and model of your banjo
hi i have your same banjo and ive been trying to find the year. could you let me know? thanks!
Great work, Bill! If I want to capo at the 2nd fret and play in key of A (above G open) can I capo the high G two frets higher? Don't want to tune that high G up too many times! I'd be replacing it weekly. Thanks!
Add spikes to the 7, 9 & 10 frets! Take to a qualified luthier.
In your Foggy mountain roll exercises, clarify something for me, your middle and ring finger are still on the first and second strings, right?
Jim Duling Correct. When it's the same fret, it's middle and ring on second and first strings, respectively. When it's different frets, it's index and ring. My ring finger is always on the first string and my index and middle swap out. The one exception for me is at the very highest part of the neck (21 and 22) where it's so tight I resort to middle-ring for that.
Talvez eu seja um dos poucos brasileiro que ama banjo americano, tenho um a 14 anos e só agora estou aprendendo. Qual o treino que faço para aumentar a velocidade de rolagem ?
repetição para aumentar a velocidade do músculo
williamanesbitt
I need exercises to incrise scrolling speed in direit hand
Thank you
Bounce is fine, but will go away by itself at high speed. More moderate stuff can bounce more, a la Crowe.
I bought a very nice banjo. I have 10 fingers and picks. I've watched several tutorial videos.
Now I have a banjo for sale. 😞
I am buying a Washburn b9 as a beginner..am i doing the right sensible thing. A reply within 18 hrs would be great, Cheers from the U.K.
Dutch Van Helsing Well, it's now 3 years later. Lol
Hi what’s your banjo tuned to open G ?
Yep.
Are you in Toronto?
3179johnboy Close... Arkansas :-)
Ha ha, nice I have family there.
3179johnboy
Sorri in eapanis please tutorial of banjo ?
Edie Jimene
The problem I have is touching the 3rd and 2nd string with the same finger
Fuck yeah
How about a tab
Yt commercials are getting out of hand. I've got a love hate relationship with it. Phuck you youtube.
Good vid, thanks.
Forrest Gump is that you!??!?
I can't hear or understand what you're saying while you're plucking the strings.
I can’t hear what he is saying due to the banjo
Too fast, not to enough details about the strings you are picking, view too far away. Slow doesn't, show exactly which strings you are picking and zoom in, thanks.