Chords for Beginner banjo: Simple three-note rolls to get you started.

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_ _ _ _ _ So I just want to do a quick little video here to go over what I usually go over with my very rank
beginner students and it's just mainly to get you used to
wearing the picks
your finger picks and your thumb pick [G] and
striking the strings with your pick
_ _ and
Getting used to the fact that this your thumb, there's your thumb, there's your index, there's your middle
Now one thing I do stress is the angle of your right hand needs to be as flat on the strings as you can get it
You want the blade of that pick to be flat on the string
[Bm] Not like this
We're just kind of glancing across at an angle
[G] _ _ _ _ _ _
You want the blade of the pick to be as flat on the string as you can make it.
Same thing with your thumb pick
Okay
[E] So that's what these little forward rolls are for just to mainly get you used to the feel of the picks on the strings
[D] Okay
So I'm going to start with three two one and this is one.
This [G] is two.
This is three
This is four.
This is five
The way I know that this is is five
It's because it's a five string banjo and the fifth string is what makes it a five string banjo
And the fifth string is a little weird short one
The drone string so that that's how I know this is it's a five string banjo
And that's string number five.
So five four three two one
Okay
that's
Step one is learning the numbers of the strings and then step [N] two is learning.
This is your thumb.
This is your index
There's your middle T I M
[G] Now forward roll why they're named Tim it's Tim the forward roll _ _
Give you time to snicker under your breath there for a second
Okay.
So here's my first roll three two
one three two
One these are all forward rolls
T I M
thumb index middle
_ three two _ _
_ _ Okay, that's the first roll the second roll
I'm gonna take my thumb move it to the fourth string leave my index and middle where they are on two and one
So I'm doing four
two one four _ _ _ _ _
_ _ [D] _ _ _ [G] _ _
All right.
That's the second roll
Third roll.
I'm gonna move my thumb to the fifth string
Leave my index in the middle where they are on two and one
five
two one _
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_ _ So
I want to be able to do three two one four two
_ _ _ Notice how my hand doesn't move throughout all that
Only thing is moving is is underneath my these knuckles _
_ Okay, three two one four two one
_ _ Five two one
_ That's our first three rolls
Our next two rolls.
I'm gonna move my index finger.
I'm gonna leave my middle finger where it is on the first string
Move my index finger [G] to the third string.
_ Okay, so I'm gonna end each one of these rolls with a three
So that leaves four with my thumb four three one _ _ _ _ _ _
You know, that's four with the thumb three with the index one with the middle
thumb index middle T I N
_ _ Now I'm gonna move my thumb to the fifth string leave my index and middle where they are index is on three
Middle is on one
five three
_ _ Okay, _ _ _ _ _ _ _ so that's my five forward rolls all named Tim Tim the forward roll
I'm [E] gonna make a cartoon someday.
It's gonna be called.
Hello [Eb] everybody.
I'm Tim the forward roll _ _
_ _ [G] _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ It's number one number two number three number four
_ My index finger over to the third string
_ Thumb over to the fifth string
_ _ _ _ _ So one is three two one two is four two
Three is five two one
Four is four three one
_ Five is five three one
Okay
They're all four rolls
now
My reverse rolls are all named mitt
_ _ Sorry MIT middle index thumb
So I do the same strings I did before just in reverse and said three two one I'm gonna do one two three
_ _ _ roll number six _
_ _ Again, I'm gonna move my thumb to the fourth string.
It's that one two three
I'm gonna do one two four one two four
And
_ _ _ _ Again, I'm gonna move my thumb over to the fifth string
Leaving these index and middle in place on one and two _ _
Okay _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ And [Gm] now I'm gonna move my index to three leave middle words that
[D] Middle is playing one all the time in this
[G] I'm gonna go one three four _ _
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Now I'm gonna go one three five move my thumb to the fifth string _ _
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Now
You want to [F] keep your your tone and your volume as even as you can do you don't [G] want to be like _
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One all to be loud _ _ _ _ _
You can always quieten down later if somebody complains, okay? _ _ _
_ _ Be nice and loud all the way across for this that way your thumb and your index and your middle all get equally
exercised
Ex er sized
[Eb] _ _ Okay
[Gm] And that's ten rolls
five going forward five going in reverse
all using the same
[Ab] strings
Okay, [G] three two one
four two one five
Four three one five three one one two three
One four four one two five one three four _ _
Okay, _ _ [Eb] hope this helps _ _