Banjozone Method

Book One
Table of Contents

Introduction.3
Parts of the Banjo.5
Playing position..7
Left hand technique10
Right hand technique 11
Tuning the Banjo...13
How to read tablature....17
Rhythm Exercises.20
Basic rolls..23
Left hand fingering25
Basic chords 26
The Alternating thumb roll ..27
Fret markers.29
Banjo in the Hollow30
Goodnight Ladies..31
Skip to my Lou.32
You are My Sunshine34
Vamping with chords.36
Slides...38
Worried Man Blues...39
The G major scale...40
Red River Valley...41
Hammerons....42
Pulloffs...43
Cripple Creek...44
Practice tips..45
Wildwood Flower....47
Ill Fly Away..48
John Hardy....50
Devils Dream...52
Dueling Banjos.55
= indicates example or song is on CD or MP3

Welcome to this method for learning the 5-string banjo!

Our goal is to teach you to play music on the Banjo. This book
covers the basics of the Banjo and progresses to teach you how
to start jamming with others.
The Banjo is basically a drum with strings on it. It could be
thought of as a percussion instrument that melodies can be
played on. One of the essential elements to producing musical
sounds on the Banjo, is timing. The banjo has little sustain so it is
essential that it be played with good timing. Sustain is the length
of time the string rings after it is picked.
This approach is a method to guide you through the beginning
stages of learning the banjo. We will progress onto more advanced
skills in later books.
We start out as if you have never played any type of musical
instrument. If you have played an instrument before it will be
helpful but not necessary.
Rather than just teaching licks and songs, we try to get you to
look at the banjo from several different angles. We use
tablature, written music and ear training to do this.
This book is written as a stand alone instructional manual (with
accompanying CD) or to be a companion to the videos on our
website: www.banjozone.com Each section of the book is explained
indetail via video.
The musical note symbol indicates that a recording is available
to practice with. Each recording is played at three tempos, or
speeds. The Banjo is in the right channel so that it can be turned
off if you wish to play along with only the Bass and Guitar.
Our ultimate goal is to help prepare you to jam with others, how
to solo and backup others, and build a storehouse of songs, licks
and backup techniques. As we progress through this series of
books , you will possess general musical knowledge that will enable
you to compose your own solos and write your own music on the
banjo. You will also have a vocabulary that will enable you to communicate with other musicians.

There are three main styles of Banjo playing in three finger style
playing:
Scruggs style
Melodic style
Single String style
In Scruggs style, we play a melody and have fill in notes played
around the melody. We have two things going on at the same time.
We have a melody and an accompaniment played at the same time.
This may sound difficult, but with the instruction in this book,
we ease you into this style of playing. We will learn some melodies
and then apply some of the rolls (patterns) to them.
In Melodic style, every note is a melody note, but the notes are
spread out over different strings. In other words we are not
playing the same string twice in a row (usually)
In Single String style, every note is also a melody note, but
many of the notes occur on the same string. For example, two or
more notes may be played on one string before going to a higher
or lower string.
This book will focus mainly on Scruggs style with the exception
of Banjo in the Hollow which is a melodic tune.
So lets get started!
First lets learn about some of the parts of the Banjo.
It is helpful to know a few of the part names of the Banjo. You
may need to communicate with a repair person at some point, and
you will be able to describe the part that needs attention.
Two charts are presented. The first one with the parts listed,
and the second chart with blanks. Over the next few practice
sessions, test your self on these parts.

Parts of the Banjo

5th string peg

head stock

tuning
machines
nut
neck
frets
finger
board
heel

head
arm
rest

resonator
re

bridge
flange
tail piece

brackets
tension
hoop

Parts of the Banjo

__________

_________

______
_______
___
____
____
______
_____
____

____
___
____

_________
Re

_____
______
__________

________
_______
____

Playing Position
The banjo tends to be a little neck heavy. In other words, the
neck needs to be supported by your left hand. In order to free
up the movement of your left hand, its best to wear your strap
when sitting. When in proper playing position, the neck should
stay stationary when you remove your left hand. So in other
words, you should not have to support the neck with your left
hand while playing.
The following pictures will show the best place to attach the
strap to achieve the best balance for your banjo.
Notice in figure 7-1 that the strap is attached to the first
bracket on the bottom of the heel.

Figure 7-1

Playing Position (cont.)

Notice in figure 8-1 that the strap is attached to the first
bracket above the tail piece. By attaching the strap ends to these
brackets, It will provide the best balance and comfort while
playing the banjo. The Banjo should rest lightly on your lap when
in playing position. Keep both arms and hand relaxed and sit in a
chair that will provide adequate lumbar support.

Figure 8-1

Playing Position While Sitting

Figure 9-1

Notice the angle of the neck. It is approximately at a 45 degree

angle to the floor. Due to the length of the the neck, it is best to
hold the Banjo with the neck at this angle to facilitate ease of
left hand playing. Just let the banjo rest gently against your
body, remembering to keep arms, shoulders and hand relaxed.
Again, just a reminder, if the left hand is removed, then the neck
should stay stationary.

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Left Hand Technique

Cradle the neck loosely in the V part of your hand. Bend your
wrist slightly (as if you are pointing at yourself) By keeping a
slight bend in your left wrist, this will help place your fingers out
over the fingerboard. Play with the tips of your finger, as
opposed to the pads. When fretting the Banjo, place your
fingertip directly behind the fret. If the fret is touched, it will
mute the string and if your finger is to far away you may get a
buzzing noise. Just press the string down with enough force to
obtain a clean tone. If the string is pressed to hard, it can push
the string out of tune. Also check your fingers that they are
coming down at a right angle to the neck. Try not to bend the
string up or down as this will also stretch it out of tune. Think of
your left hand fingers as you would if you were fretting a string
with a pencil.
Figure 10-1

Your fingers should come down on the fingerboard in a

perpendicular manner. By keeping your wrist bent slightly, this
will also allow you to get a clean tone by not touching the
surrounding strings.

11

Right Hand Technique

Put your right arm about in the middle of the arm rest. Now
make a fist and relax it. Place your little finger down on the Banjo
head and that is your right hand position. Keep just a slight bend
in your right wrist. The fingers always pick up and the thumb
always picks down. You may find more stability in your right hand
by placing both the little finger and the ring finger on the head.
Some players, however, find that this technique hinders the
movement of the middle finger. Experiment with both techniques
and find which feels the most comfortable.
You will need two finger picks and a plastic thumb pick. There
are many different picks on the market. At Banjozone, we
recommend Kyser finger picks and Goldengate thumb picks.

Figure 11-1

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Bend the finger picks so follow the contour of your finger tip up
to about the middle of your fingertip.
You may want to experiment with several different angles until
you find what works best for you.
Figure 12-1

The finger picks take some getting used to. You may be tempted
to practice without them. We recommend practicing with the
picks on all the time. After awhile, you will not even notice them.
Your finger picks will eventually form themselves to your fingers
(like a pair of shoes if you will)
Mark your finger picks so that the index finger pick always goes
on the index finger and the middle pick always goes on the middle.
A knife can be used to make a mark on the inside of the index
pick. The finger picks should hit the string squarely. You will get a
fuller tone if the pick contacts the string with the most pick
surface.

13

Tuning the Banjo

This chart shows how the strings are numbered and the note
name of each string. The most common tuning is G tuning. There
are other tunings for the Banjo, but for this book we will be using
G tuning. Tuning by ear takes some practice, but over time your
ear will develop.

Figure 13-1

4-D

5-G

3-G

2-B

1-D

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Lets learn three new terms concerning tuning:

Pitch: Literally means vibrations per second or hz (hertz) hz is
how many thousand vibrations per seconds the string is producing.
A higher pitch has more vibrations per second than a lower pitch.
The first string D is higher than the second string B. Therefore,
the first string has a higher pitch than the second string.
Pitch: (cont) An A note at the first string 7th fret has a pitch of
440 hz. A 440 is the International standard to which we tune any
instrument. When tuning with an electronic tuner, it is best to
make sure is it set (calibrated) to A 440
Sharp: The note is higher than the desired note we are tuning to.
Flat: The note is lower than the desired note we are tuning to.
When tuning with an electronic tuner, pick the string closer to
the neck. This will give the string more sustain and make it easier
for the tuner to read the pitch.
Start by tuning the fourth string first as it is the heaviest and
less likely than the other strings to stretch or go out of tune.
Then tune the, third, second, first and fifth. You may have to
tune the strings several times to get your Banjo in tune. When
you change the pitch of a string, it affects the tension on the
bridge which in turn affects the pitch of the other strings.
It is best to tune up to the correct pitch rather than down to
the pitch.
There are several pinch points on the strings: tuning machines,
nut, bridge and the tail piece. By tuning up to the pitch, it takes
the stretch out of the string not allowing it to get stuck on one
of the pinch points.

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For example: If your third string (G) is a little bit sharp, then
tune down below the desired pitch and the back up to the desired
pitch. If the string is just a little sharp, it is sometimes possible
to stretch the string with your right hand, and it will lower to the
proper pitch. To stretch the string, press down on the top of it
(two or three inches away from the bridge). Press down
approximately inch.
The chart page 15-1 shows how to tune the banjo to itself. First
lets get the fourth string in tune. We can tune it to another
instrument or to an A tuning fork. If you play a harmonic (a note
which is produced by lightly touching the string directly over the
fret) on the fourth string at the 7th fret, that is an A note. This
note is equal to the pitch of an A tuning fork.
If we play the fourth string at the 5th fret, that is equal to the
3rd string open, or G. The third string at the 4th fret is equal to
the 2nd string open or B. The second string at the 3rd fret is equal
to the 1st string open or D. The first string played at the 5th fret
is equal to the 5th string open or G.
Here is a chart to illustrate :
Figure 15-1
D

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How to Read Tablature

Tablature had been around for centuries. It was used for the Lute and the
Vihuela which were predecessors to the Guitar. It is simple method of writing
down which string and fret to play.
To start out with, lay your banjo in your lap. As you look at your banjo,
notice that the first string is on the top and the fifth string is on the
bottom.
Figure 16-1

5th string

1st string

That is exactly how it appears on paper too.

Figure 16-2

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Tablature tells us which string to play and whether to play that

string open or at a particular fret. First we need to decide which
string to play and then whether to play it open or at a fretted
position. If the note is a zero, then it is played open (no frets) . If
the note is a number, then we play it at that fret. Lets look at this
example. Find these notes on your banjo.
Figure 17-1

Tablature also tells us what the rhythmic value of the note is, and
will often tell us which right and left hand fingers to use to play
the notes.
Lets explore some rhythms and time signatures.
Written music, tablature or actual notation, has what are called
time signatures. A time signature always has two and only two
numbers. It looks like a fraction. Ex. 4/4, 6/8, or 3/4 etc.
The first number tells how many beats there are per measure and
the second number tells which kind of note gets one beat.
The time signature of 4/4 has 4 beats per measure and a quarter
note gets one beat. 6/8 has 6 beats per measure and an eighth
note gets one beat. 3/4 has three beats per measure and a quarter
note gets one beat. For this book we will be using a 4/4 time
signature.
Lets take a look at how some different types of notes are notated
in tablature.

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The examples in fig. 18-1 cover four kinds of notes: a whole note
which gets four beats, a half note which gets two beats, a quarter
note which gets one beat, and an eighth note which get a half of a
beat. Notice that a whole note does not have a stem, a half note
has a short stem, a quarter note has a long stem and an eighth note
has a long stem connected at the bottom. If there is only one
eighth note it will have a flag at the bottom.

Figure 18-1

Music also has rests in it. When you see a rest, it means dont play
for the length of the rest. For example, if we see a whole rest
then we would rest for four beats. In figure 19-1 we have a whole
rest, 1/2 rest, 1/4 rest and 1/8 rest.

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Figure 19-1

Lets play some rhythmic examples using these notes and rests.
The exercises on pages 20 and 21 are in 4/4 time. The counts for
each note are written below. Notice that a measure with eighth
notes is counted: 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &. All of the notes are open on the
third string. For now we can play all of the notes with our thumb.
In rhythm exercise 1 we have the note that we have learned and in
exercise 2 we have notes and rests.
Practice these slowly and evenly.

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Rhythm Exercise 1
Figure 20-1

21

Rhythm Exercise 2

Figure 21-1

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When two or more notes are tied together, only the first note is
picked. This is illustrated in Red River Valley. Notice in measures 4
and 5 that we have a quarter note tied to a half note which is then
tied to the first half note in measure 5. so the notes on the word
me will get 5 beats altogether.
Figure 22-1

Red River Valley

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Ok we have some tablature skills now. Soon we will be picking some

songs.
But first lets learn how to play some rolls. A roll is a right hand
finger pattern. Notice how the right hand fingering is indicated:
T= thumb, I= index and M= middle
Here is a forward roll:
Figure 23-1

When you play, try to minimize the motion with your fingers. If we
play with economy of motion it will give more control, better tone
and eventually help us develop speed. Try to move your fingers just
enough to produce a good tone.
Lets play several forward rolls in a row:
Figure 23-2

Here is a
Reverse , or backward, roll:
Figure 23-3

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Lets practice some reverse rolls:

Figure 24-1

Now that we can play a forward and a reverse roll, lets learn a roll
that combines them both: The forward/reverse roll.
Figure 24-2 the forward/reverse roll

Lets practice some forward/reverse rolls

Figure 24-3

Now we are ready to apply our roll to a chord progression. A chord

progression is simply the chords to a song.
Before we learn some chords, lets learn how the fingers on your
left hand are indicated. A circled number above a note, in
tablature, shows which left hand finger to play that note with. Also
a circled number on a chord chart indicates which left hand finger
to use on that string.
The chart in figure 25-1 shows how the left hand fingers are
numbered.

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The Left Hand

Figure 25-1
1

Notice that the index finger

is 1. This is called our guide
finger. Whatever fret the
guide finger is on is which
position we are in.
For example: If your guide
finger is on the 1st fret,
then that is 1st position. If
it is on the 3rd fret, that
would be 3rd position. Again
the circled numbers above
above the note (in tablature
or written music) indicate
which finger to use for that
note.

Just as we play with economy of motion with our right hand, we

can do the same with our left hand. Just move your fingers enough
to get a clean tone out of each note. Remember to keep just a
slight bend in your left wrist.

26

Basic Chords
Chord charts for the Banjo are written as if you are looking at
the neck from the front.
Figure 26-1

D7
1

Lets practice strumming the chords over this chord progression:

Each slash (/) equals one strum
Figure 26-2

G C G D7 G
// // // // //

Now lets play the forward/reverse rolls with the same chord
progression. Play one roll for each /
Practice this exercise slowly and smoothly. It should sound like one
continuous stream of notes. Practice without watching your right
hand.

27

Here is a new roll: the Alternating Thumb Roll:

Figure 27-1

Lets play this with our chord progression from page 23:
Figure 27-2

G C G D7 G
// // // // //
Ok now that we can play two rolls, we are ready to start playing
some songs. Before we do, lets practice switching back and forth
with our rolls. Play a forward/reverse roll and then an alternating
thumb roll then back to the forward/reverse roll etc.
Tabbed out it looks like this:
Figure 27-3

Rolls do not always have to be played on the strings indicated.

28

Think of them as a combination or sequence for your right hand

fingers to follow. For example, we can play a forward/reverse roll
starting on the 5th string:
Figure 28-1

Or we could play an alternating thumb roll using just the third

string:
Figure 28-2

Just a note here, as soon as you can play a song slowly and
somewhat smoothly, memorize it. If we can play a song from
memory, we will be able to concentrate on producing musical sounds
easier.
We have markers on the side of the neck to guide us around the
fret board. Most banjos have markers at the 5th, 7th, 10th and 12th
frets. In this figure, we have placed a piece of tape at the 7th, 10th
and 12th frets. By placing a piece of tape here, it will make it easier

29

to find your way around the fretboard. After a few weeks, take
the tape off and just use the markers (dots) as guides.

Figure 29-1

Lets learn how to play "Banjo in the Hollow". It uses our two
rolls: the alternating thumb roll and the forward reverse roll.
Notice that we have repeat marks. Repeat the measures between
them.
Figure 29-2

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Here is Banjo in the Hollow. Figure 30-1

Figure 29-1

As you can see, every note is a melody note. Now let's explore
some Scruggs style tunes. In which we have a melody note and then
two or three "fill in" notes.
The next song is: "Goodnight Ladies"
Figure 31-1 is the melody only and figure 31-2 is the melody with
rolls.