Chords for Banjo Picking for Beginners
Tempo:
135.1 bpm
Chords used:
G
B
E
C
Bm
Tuning:Standard Tuning (EADGBE)Capo:+0fret
Start Jamming...
This [E] is Bluegrass Banjo Styles 101, and I'll be your instructor, John Boulding.
I'm a long-time professional banjo player, been playing full-time for over 25 years.
And the purpose of these videos is just to give you a brief overview of what bluegrass banjo is and [G] some of the styles involved.
Generally, when you say three-finger banjo, people will associate that with bluegrass banjo.
And it is true that all true bluegrass banjo players use three fingers.
There is more than one way to use three-finger picks in bluegrass banjo than just one.
So for each of the videos that I'm going to present to you, we will look at each of the three divisions of three-finger style within the whole context of bluegrass banjo.
And hopefully I can give you some insights [F] into what makes each style tick, and you'll know a little more about it, so you'll gain a [B] new appreciation level for it.
The first style that you should start with if you're wanting to be a bluegrass banjo player is what's known as Scruggs style.
Scruggs is [G] referring to Earl Scruggs, who is a fellow North Carolina banjo player, who is the most famous banjo player probably who ever lived.
He passed away in 2012, unfortunately, but he's given us a fantastic legacy of music.
[C] So saying three-finger banjo is also [B] synonymous with saying Scruggs style.
Now, Earl's way of playing was to use notes of chords, and Earl would stream together [C] these chord tones into patterns that he called rolls.
Let me play an example of a roll pattern that you might hear in Scruggs style [G] banjo.
That was called a forward roll.
Now, there are literally hundreds, if not thousands, of [F#] different ways you could combine notes, even on a five-string banjo, [A#] in these patterns.
And you could call [Bm] those some kind of variations of rolls, but it would be nearly impossible for you to keep up with all the different names [E] and to categorize [B] each one individually.
The main focus of rolls is to carry melody or to play [A] what we call licks, [G] which are streams of notes that sound good together that you [B] can use to fill spaces in songs.
You can [Gm] roll over the chords that you know to provide [Bm] backup and accompaniment to other instruments.
So there's a lot [B] of different ways you could use [B] rolls musically in bluegrass [G] banjo.
We won't have time in this video to even [E] touch on just the bare beginnings of that.
But we can look at the roll patterns.
[N]
Forward rolls refer to notes that travel in this direction across the banjo head.
So from a string that's higher up in the plane of the head to a lower placed [G] string.
Say from the fifth string, 5-4-3-2-1, [E] from 5 to 1.
If the notes travel in [B] that direction, they're called forward rolls.
So the roll I played just a few seconds [G] ago was 5-3-1-5-3-1-5-3-1.
And I don't want to get too technical in this video explaining eighth notes and sixteenths and dotted notes, all these musical terms.
Let's just focus on what a roll looks, feels, and sounds like.
So thumb, index, middle, 5-3-1 would be one example of a forward roll.
If I wanted to try [B] a different combination of three notes, it would be three strings covered with three fingers in a roll pattern.
[G] I could also play 3-2-1.
[B]
Now another foundational roll that you'll hear named in bluegrass is called a backwards roll.
That would be the exact notes I just played, but the notes would be traveling this way up toward the smaller string.
So if I wanted to play 1-3 [E]-5 instead of 5-3-1, that would just be the opposite of a forward roll.
[G] We call that a backwards roll.
I could play, instead of 3-2-1, which is forward, I could play 1-2 [F#]-3 and call that a backwards [G] roll.
[B]
[G] But again, it's three fingers covering three different strings, [B]
three note strings.
Now another pattern is to combine forward and backwards rolls into one pattern, and we call that a reverse roll.
It starts forward and reverses itself, or it could start [G] backwards and go forwards.
Here's a very common beginner roll.
3-2-1-5-1-2-3.
That would be a forward-backwards roll, often called a reverse roll.
And you can do that on different combinations of strings.
[Bm] Starting forward, coming backwards, or starting backwards and returning forwards.
[B] Another common beginner roll that has a name is called the alternating thumb roll.
This is one of the more complex rolls that beginners start with.
[G] 3 -2 -5-1.
And then alternate [C] for the thumb to [Bm] play the fourth.
Then 2, [G] then 5, then 1.
And then alternate back to the third.
[Bm] So the alternating part is thumb on the third, thumb on the fourth.
[E] The other notes [G] stay the same.
3-2-5-1-4-2-5-1-3-2-5-1-2-2.
And there's [E] another basic roll that usually beginners don't start with,
but eventually [B] creeps into your course of study.
It's called a double thumb roll.
It allows you to play four [G] notes in a row.
Thumb, index, thumb, middle.
It's called a double thumb.
And again, [N] these are just the basic rolls that you would learn to start your course of study
as a Scruggs-style banjo player.
For the right-hand roll patterns, again for review,
are just streams of notes that are [E] generally considered one note per string per finger.
[G] Three note patterns played with, obviously, three fingers.
That's one of the very first things you learn as a bluegrass Scruggs-style player
is to get good with these [C] basic roll patterns.
[B] And then as you improve and learn more about the style,
you can make up your own roll variations.
You [Gm] can look at the variations of [G] rolls from famous players,
other professional players that you've seen and heard about
that play these more exotic roll patterns, and you can learn what they're doing.
But it all [B] starts with your basic foundational rolls,
which are reverse rolls, forward rolls, backwards rolls, alternating thumb, and double thumb rolls.
[N] So in the next video, we'll look at another form of three-finger style
within the context of bluegrass banjo,
and it's [G] referred to as melodic or Keith-style banjo.
[C] So I'll see you in that video, and I thank you for watching.
Have a good [G] day, and enjoy your banjo.
[N]
I'm a long-time professional banjo player, been playing full-time for over 25 years.
And the purpose of these videos is just to give you a brief overview of what bluegrass banjo is and [G] some of the styles involved.
Generally, when you say three-finger banjo, people will associate that with bluegrass banjo.
And it is true that all true bluegrass banjo players use three fingers.
There is more than one way to use three-finger picks in bluegrass banjo than just one.
So for each of the videos that I'm going to present to you, we will look at each of the three divisions of three-finger style within the whole context of bluegrass banjo.
And hopefully I can give you some insights [F] into what makes each style tick, and you'll know a little more about it, so you'll gain a [B] new appreciation level for it.
The first style that you should start with if you're wanting to be a bluegrass banjo player is what's known as Scruggs style.
Scruggs is [G] referring to Earl Scruggs, who is a fellow North Carolina banjo player, who is the most famous banjo player probably who ever lived.
He passed away in 2012, unfortunately, but he's given us a fantastic legacy of music.
[C] So saying three-finger banjo is also [B] synonymous with saying Scruggs style.
Now, Earl's way of playing was to use notes of chords, and Earl would stream together [C] these chord tones into patterns that he called rolls.
Let me play an example of a roll pattern that you might hear in Scruggs style [G] banjo.
That was called a forward roll.
Now, there are literally hundreds, if not thousands, of [F#] different ways you could combine notes, even on a five-string banjo, [A#] in these patterns.
And you could call [Bm] those some kind of variations of rolls, but it would be nearly impossible for you to keep up with all the different names [E] and to categorize [B] each one individually.
The main focus of rolls is to carry melody or to play [A] what we call licks, [G] which are streams of notes that sound good together that you [B] can use to fill spaces in songs.
You can [Gm] roll over the chords that you know to provide [Bm] backup and accompaniment to other instruments.
So there's a lot [B] of different ways you could use [B] rolls musically in bluegrass [G] banjo.
We won't have time in this video to even [E] touch on just the bare beginnings of that.
But we can look at the roll patterns.
[N]
Forward rolls refer to notes that travel in this direction across the banjo head.
So from a string that's higher up in the plane of the head to a lower placed [G] string.
Say from the fifth string, 5-4-3-2-1, [E] from 5 to 1.
If the notes travel in [B] that direction, they're called forward rolls.
So the roll I played just a few seconds [G] ago was 5-3-1-5-3-1-5-3-1.
And I don't want to get too technical in this video explaining eighth notes and sixteenths and dotted notes, all these musical terms.
Let's just focus on what a roll looks, feels, and sounds like.
So thumb, index, middle, 5-3-1 would be one example of a forward roll.
If I wanted to try [B] a different combination of three notes, it would be three strings covered with three fingers in a roll pattern.
[G] I could also play 3-2-1.
[B]
Now another foundational roll that you'll hear named in bluegrass is called a backwards roll.
That would be the exact notes I just played, but the notes would be traveling this way up toward the smaller string.
So if I wanted to play 1-3 [E]-5 instead of 5-3-1, that would just be the opposite of a forward roll.
[G] We call that a backwards roll.
I could play, instead of 3-2-1, which is forward, I could play 1-2 [F#]-3 and call that a backwards [G] roll.
[B]
[G] But again, it's three fingers covering three different strings, [B]
three note strings.
Now another pattern is to combine forward and backwards rolls into one pattern, and we call that a reverse roll.
It starts forward and reverses itself, or it could start [G] backwards and go forwards.
Here's a very common beginner roll.
3-2-1-5-1-2-3.
That would be a forward-backwards roll, often called a reverse roll.
And you can do that on different combinations of strings.
[Bm] Starting forward, coming backwards, or starting backwards and returning forwards.
[B] Another common beginner roll that has a name is called the alternating thumb roll.
This is one of the more complex rolls that beginners start with.
[G] 3 -2 -5-1.
And then alternate [C] for the thumb to [Bm] play the fourth.
Then 2, [G] then 5, then 1.
And then alternate back to the third.
[Bm] So the alternating part is thumb on the third, thumb on the fourth.
[E] The other notes [G] stay the same.
3-2-5-1-4-2-5-1-3-2-5-1-2-2.
And there's [E] another basic roll that usually beginners don't start with,
but eventually [B] creeps into your course of study.
It's called a double thumb roll.
It allows you to play four [G] notes in a row.
Thumb, index, thumb, middle.
It's called a double thumb.
And again, [N] these are just the basic rolls that you would learn to start your course of study
as a Scruggs-style banjo player.
For the right-hand roll patterns, again for review,
are just streams of notes that are [E] generally considered one note per string per finger.
[G] Three note patterns played with, obviously, three fingers.
That's one of the very first things you learn as a bluegrass Scruggs-style player
is to get good with these [C] basic roll patterns.
[B] And then as you improve and learn more about the style,
you can make up your own roll variations.
You [Gm] can look at the variations of [G] rolls from famous players,
other professional players that you've seen and heard about
that play these more exotic roll patterns, and you can learn what they're doing.
But it all [B] starts with your basic foundational rolls,
which are reverse rolls, forward rolls, backwards rolls, alternating thumb, and double thumb rolls.
[N] So in the next video, we'll look at another form of three-finger style
within the context of bluegrass banjo,
and it's [G] referred to as melodic or Keith-style banjo.
[C] So I'll see you in that video, and I thank you for watching.
Have a good [G] day, and enjoy your banjo.
[N]
Key:
G
B
E
C
Bm
G
B
E
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ This [E] is Bluegrass Banjo Styles 101, and I'll be your instructor, John Boulding.
I'm a long-time professional banjo player, been playing _ full-time for over 25 years.
And the purpose of these videos is just to give you a brief overview of what bluegrass banjo is and [G] some of the styles involved.
_ Generally, when you say three-finger banjo, people will associate that with bluegrass banjo.
And it is true that all true bluegrass banjo players use three fingers.
There is more than one way to use three-finger picks _ in bluegrass banjo than just one.
So for each of the videos that I'm going to present to you, we will look at each of the three _ divisions of three-finger style within the whole context of bluegrass banjo.
And hopefully I can give you some insights [F] into what makes each style tick, and you'll know a little more about it, so you'll gain a [B] new appreciation level for it.
The first style that you should start with if you're wanting to be a bluegrass banjo player is what's known as Scruggs style.
_ Scruggs is [G] referring to Earl Scruggs, who is a fellow North Carolina banjo player, who is the most famous banjo player probably who ever lived.
He passed away in 2012, unfortunately, but he's given us a fantastic legacy of music.
[C] So saying three-finger banjo is also [B] synonymous with saying Scruggs style.
_ Now, Earl's way of playing was to use notes of chords, and Earl would stream together [C] these chord tones into patterns that he called rolls.
Let me play an example of a roll pattern that you might hear in Scruggs style [G] banjo.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ That was called a forward roll.
Now, there are literally hundreds, if not thousands, of [F#] different ways you could combine notes, even on a five-string banjo, [A#] in these patterns.
And you could call [Bm] those some kind of variations of rolls, but it would be nearly impossible for you to keep up with all the different names [E] and to categorize [B] each one individually.
_ The main _ focus of rolls is to carry melody or to play _ [A] what we call licks, [G] which are streams of notes that sound good together that you [B] can use to fill spaces in songs.
_ You can [Gm] roll over the chords that you know to provide [Bm] backup and accompaniment to other instruments.
So there's a lot [B] of different ways you could use [B] rolls musically in bluegrass [G] banjo.
We won't have time in this video to even [E] touch on just the bare beginnings of that.
But we can look at the roll patterns.
[N]
Forward rolls refer to notes that travel in this direction across the banjo head.
So from a string that's higher up in the plane of the head to a lower placed [G] string.
Say from the fifth string, 5-4-3-2-1, [E] from 5 to 1.
If the notes travel in [B] that direction, they're called forward rolls.
So the roll I played just a few seconds [G] ago was 5-3-1-5-3-1-5-3-1.
And I don't want to get too technical in this video explaining eighth notes and sixteenths and dotted notes, all these musical terms.
Let's just focus on what a roll looks, feels, and sounds like.
So thumb, index, middle, 5-3-1 would be one _ example of a forward roll. _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ If I wanted to try [B] a different combination of three notes, it would be three strings covered with three fingers in a roll pattern.
[G] I could also play 3-2-1. _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ [B]
Now another foundational roll that you'll hear named in bluegrass is called a backwards roll.
That would be the exact notes I just played, but the notes would be traveling this way up toward the smaller string.
So if I wanted to play 1-3 [E]-5 instead of 5-3-1, that would just be the opposite of a forward roll.
[G] We call that a backwards roll. _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
I could play, instead of 3-2-1, which is forward, I could play 1-2 [F#]-3 and call that a backwards [G] roll. _
_ _ _ _ _ _ [B] _ _
_ [G] _ _ _ _ _ But again, it's three fingers covering three different strings, [B]
three note strings.
_ Now another pattern is to combine forward and backwards rolls into one pattern, and we call that a reverse roll.
It starts forward _ and reverses itself, or it could start [G] backwards and go forwards.
Here's a very common beginner roll.
3-2-1-5-1-2-3. _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ That would be a forward-backwards roll, often called a reverse roll.
And you can do that on different combinations of strings. _
_ _ _ _ _ _ [Bm] Starting forward, coming backwards, or starting backwards and returning forwards.
[B] Another common beginner roll that has a name is called the alternating thumb roll.
This is one of the more complex rolls that beginners start with.
[G] 3 _ -2 _ -5-1.
_ And then alternate _ [C] for the thumb to [Bm] play the fourth.
Then 2, [G] then 5, then 1.
And then alternate back to the third.
[Bm] So the alternating part is thumb on the third, thumb on the fourth.
[E] The other notes [G] stay the same.
3-2-5-1-4-2-5-1-3-2-5-1-2-2.
And _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
there's [E] another basic roll that usually beginners don't start with,
but eventually [B] creeps into your course of study.
It's called a double thumb roll.
It allows you to play four [G] notes in a row.
_ _ Thumb, index, thumb, middle.
It's called a double thumb.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ And again, [N] these are just the basic rolls that you would learn to start your course of study
as a Scruggs-style banjo player.
For the right-hand roll patterns, again for review,
are just streams of notes that are [E] generally considered one note per string per finger.
[G] Three note patterns played with, obviously, three fingers.
_ _ _ _ _ That's one of the very first things you learn as a bluegrass Scruggs-style player
is to get good with these [C] basic roll patterns.
[B] And then as you improve and learn more about the style, _ _
you can make up your own roll variations.
You [Gm] can look at the variations of [G] rolls from famous players,
other professional players that you've seen and heard about
that play these more exotic roll patterns, and you can learn what they're doing.
But it all [B] starts with your basic foundational rolls,
which are reverse rolls, forward rolls, backwards rolls, alternating thumb, and double thumb rolls.
_ [N] So in the next video, we'll look at another form of three-finger style
within the context of bluegrass banjo,
and it's [G] referred to as _ melodic or Keith-style banjo.
[C] So I'll see you in that video, and I thank you for watching.
Have a good [G] day, and enjoy your banjo. _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ [N] _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ This [E] is Bluegrass Banjo Styles 101, and I'll be your instructor, John Boulding.
I'm a long-time professional banjo player, been playing _ full-time for over 25 years.
And the purpose of these videos is just to give you a brief overview of what bluegrass banjo is and [G] some of the styles involved.
_ Generally, when you say three-finger banjo, people will associate that with bluegrass banjo.
And it is true that all true bluegrass banjo players use three fingers.
There is more than one way to use three-finger picks _ in bluegrass banjo than just one.
So for each of the videos that I'm going to present to you, we will look at each of the three _ divisions of three-finger style within the whole context of bluegrass banjo.
And hopefully I can give you some insights [F] into what makes each style tick, and you'll know a little more about it, so you'll gain a [B] new appreciation level for it.
The first style that you should start with if you're wanting to be a bluegrass banjo player is what's known as Scruggs style.
_ Scruggs is [G] referring to Earl Scruggs, who is a fellow North Carolina banjo player, who is the most famous banjo player probably who ever lived.
He passed away in 2012, unfortunately, but he's given us a fantastic legacy of music.
[C] So saying three-finger banjo is also [B] synonymous with saying Scruggs style.
_ Now, Earl's way of playing was to use notes of chords, and Earl would stream together [C] these chord tones into patterns that he called rolls.
Let me play an example of a roll pattern that you might hear in Scruggs style [G] banjo.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ That was called a forward roll.
Now, there are literally hundreds, if not thousands, of [F#] different ways you could combine notes, even on a five-string banjo, [A#] in these patterns.
And you could call [Bm] those some kind of variations of rolls, but it would be nearly impossible for you to keep up with all the different names [E] and to categorize [B] each one individually.
_ The main _ focus of rolls is to carry melody or to play _ [A] what we call licks, [G] which are streams of notes that sound good together that you [B] can use to fill spaces in songs.
_ You can [Gm] roll over the chords that you know to provide [Bm] backup and accompaniment to other instruments.
So there's a lot [B] of different ways you could use [B] rolls musically in bluegrass [G] banjo.
We won't have time in this video to even [E] touch on just the bare beginnings of that.
But we can look at the roll patterns.
[N]
Forward rolls refer to notes that travel in this direction across the banjo head.
So from a string that's higher up in the plane of the head to a lower placed [G] string.
Say from the fifth string, 5-4-3-2-1, [E] from 5 to 1.
If the notes travel in [B] that direction, they're called forward rolls.
So the roll I played just a few seconds [G] ago was 5-3-1-5-3-1-5-3-1.
And I don't want to get too technical in this video explaining eighth notes and sixteenths and dotted notes, all these musical terms.
Let's just focus on what a roll looks, feels, and sounds like.
So thumb, index, middle, 5-3-1 would be one _ example of a forward roll. _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ If I wanted to try [B] a different combination of three notes, it would be three strings covered with three fingers in a roll pattern.
[G] I could also play 3-2-1. _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ [B]
Now another foundational roll that you'll hear named in bluegrass is called a backwards roll.
That would be the exact notes I just played, but the notes would be traveling this way up toward the smaller string.
So if I wanted to play 1-3 [E]-5 instead of 5-3-1, that would just be the opposite of a forward roll.
[G] We call that a backwards roll. _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
I could play, instead of 3-2-1, which is forward, I could play 1-2 [F#]-3 and call that a backwards [G] roll. _
_ _ _ _ _ _ [B] _ _
_ [G] _ _ _ _ _ But again, it's three fingers covering three different strings, [B]
three note strings.
_ Now another pattern is to combine forward and backwards rolls into one pattern, and we call that a reverse roll.
It starts forward _ and reverses itself, or it could start [G] backwards and go forwards.
Here's a very common beginner roll.
3-2-1-5-1-2-3. _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ That would be a forward-backwards roll, often called a reverse roll.
And you can do that on different combinations of strings. _
_ _ _ _ _ _ [Bm] Starting forward, coming backwards, or starting backwards and returning forwards.
[B] Another common beginner roll that has a name is called the alternating thumb roll.
This is one of the more complex rolls that beginners start with.
[G] 3 _ -2 _ -5-1.
_ And then alternate _ [C] for the thumb to [Bm] play the fourth.
Then 2, [G] then 5, then 1.
And then alternate back to the third.
[Bm] So the alternating part is thumb on the third, thumb on the fourth.
[E] The other notes [G] stay the same.
3-2-5-1-4-2-5-1-3-2-5-1-2-2.
And _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
there's [E] another basic roll that usually beginners don't start with,
but eventually [B] creeps into your course of study.
It's called a double thumb roll.
It allows you to play four [G] notes in a row.
_ _ Thumb, index, thumb, middle.
It's called a double thumb.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ And again, [N] these are just the basic rolls that you would learn to start your course of study
as a Scruggs-style banjo player.
For the right-hand roll patterns, again for review,
are just streams of notes that are [E] generally considered one note per string per finger.
[G] Three note patterns played with, obviously, three fingers.
_ _ _ _ _ That's one of the very first things you learn as a bluegrass Scruggs-style player
is to get good with these [C] basic roll patterns.
[B] And then as you improve and learn more about the style, _ _
you can make up your own roll variations.
You [Gm] can look at the variations of [G] rolls from famous players,
other professional players that you've seen and heard about
that play these more exotic roll patterns, and you can learn what they're doing.
But it all [B] starts with your basic foundational rolls,
which are reverse rolls, forward rolls, backwards rolls, alternating thumb, and double thumb rolls.
_ [N] So in the next video, we'll look at another form of three-finger style
within the context of bluegrass banjo,
and it's [G] referred to as _ melodic or Keith-style banjo.
[C] So I'll see you in that video, and I thank you for watching.
Have a good [G] day, and enjoy your banjo. _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ [N] _