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

0. Introduction

01 - Welcome

1. Getting Started

02 - Holding the banjo
03 - Tuning
04 - Fun with tuning

2. Hand Position and First Songs

05 - Intro to chords G, C, and D7
06 - This Little Light of Mine
07 - Right-hand position - Part 1
08 - Right-hand position - Part 2
09 - Left-hand position
10 - Reading tablature
11 - Ode to Joy - Part 1
12 - Ode to Joy - Part 2

3. Picking Techniques

13 - Finger picks
14 - Alternating thumb roll exercises
15 - Forward rolls - Boil Them Cabbage Down
16 - Mixed rolls - Boil Them Cabbage Down, part 1
17 - Mixed rolls - Boil Them Cabbage Down, part 2
18 - The slide - Boil Them Cabbage Down

4. Rolls and Practice

19 - How to practice
20 - Osborne roll - Boil Them Cabbage Down, the F chord
21 - Osborne roll - Boil Them Cabbage Down, variation on the 5th fret
22 - Osborne roll - Fingering
23 - Osborne roll - Sourwood Mountain
24 - Rolling backup
25 - D chord
26 - Note emphasis

5. Basic Bluegrass Tunes

27 - Michael, Row the Boat Ashore
28 - Penny's Farm
29 - Wildwood Flower - Key of C
30 - Osborne roll - Old Joe Clark, part 1
31 - Osborne roll - Old Joe Clark, part 2
32 - Osborne roll - Cluck Old Hen, part 1
33 - Osborne roll - Cluck Old Hen, part 2

Conclusion

34 - ArtistWorks and Next Steps