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In this audio banjo lesson we’ll discuss how to play a specific poweful dynamic banjo ending. This ending is used many many times in bluegrass songs. It’s probably the most standard of all. There is a trick to playing it and that is you need to focus on volume changes and speed changes throughout the ending. I’ll discuss this more in the audio lesson. Check it out!

Ok here’s the fast part. In this vid we’ll walk you through how to transition from the dueling part to the up-speed banjo solo! Enjoy! tags: duelling banjo dueling earl scruggs deliverance deliverence song

You’ve been asking for it so here it is! This is part 1 to Dueling banjos. I go completely through how to play this great tune. Click the video to get started. This is a more advanced lesson but basic enough that a beginner will learn a lot from it.

How to play Blackberry Blossom on the Banjo. Click here to get signed up for Ryan’s online video banjo lessons!

Learn how to play Worried Man Blues on the banjo. This little tune will walk you through the G, C, and D chord. It’s a great song to learn some of the very basic licks. For our beginner version we will only use the forward/reverse roll. Enjoy! Ryan

Ok, here’s my version of Pike County Breakdown. It’s a bit different than the original. I think you’ll like it. Mainly I have added one of my favorite endings into the lesson. You can use this ending in a lot of different tunes. It’s a great one to learn. Have fun! Sign Up for Ryan’s high powered banjo lessons!

Part 2! Here’s the “B” part of Shucking the Corn on the Banjo. Shucking the Corn is one of my favorite banjo songs and always will be. I hope you enjoy my version of the B part. Don’t forget to send me a video or two of you playing some tunes for a video critique. Sign Up for Ryan’s high powered banjo lessons!

Morning’ everyone. This video covers some D chord riffs along with one of my favorite little licks. By the way, if you feel stuck or are having troubles getting started don’t forget to email me. I’ll help you. We can do a little skype lesson or something, but I’m here to help you learn the banjo. Thanks, Ryan

Ok, this lesson is a bit different. I’m going to play through Cripple Creek once on the banjo and then play through once on the guitar. This will give you the opportunity to hear yourself play this tune with a guitar. If you’ve been a little nervous about going out to your first jam then you will gain a lot from this video. Try it a few times and let me know what you think. Try it with headphones on and without. It might make a big difference.

Hello, if you’ve recorded a banjo tune and would like to have it featured right here on banjoexpert.com then send send me an email at ryan@banjoexpert.com. I’m would like to add some of our students picking to the site this year. I would be great to hear what songs your working on and how you and your band are sounding. Send us a recording and we’ll air it on the podcast! Thanks, Ryan

Today we’re going to jump into a fun bluesy lick on the banjo. If you’re an absolute beginner watch the video and see what you think. I would encourage you to take a stab at it. See if you can get through the notes. If you do, you’ll end up with a really cool lick under your belt. If you’re an advanced banjo picker this ones for you. I get several requests for bluesy banjo licks so here’s a good one. Let me know what you think!

There seems to be a common theme with new pickers not wanting to relax their right hand while picking the banjo. Stop stretching so much This can be corrected very quickly. New pickers tend to keep their right hand perfectly still while reaching or stretching for the strings with their fingers. It’s almost as though we’re stretching our picking fingers to the limit to pick the strings when it’s simply not necessary. What’s the right way? When your picking with your right hand let it move freely up and down in a rocking motion. Don’t keep your hand in one spot with a vengeance. Let your hand move. You will still need an anchor point with your pinky, ring finger, or both; however, your hand should still be able to compliment your picking fingers. When you reach up for the fifth string with your thumb, your hand should fade upward and then back down after the string has been picked. It’s almost as though your picking with the motion of a guitar player’s hand. When your picks are picking upward the base of your hand should be moving upward to help give your fingers some extra power. When your making a downward stroke with your thumb pick then your hand should be moving slightly downward to relieve some of the movement of your thumb. Sum it up In conclusion, the idea is that your picking hand follows the movements of your picking fingers. Don’t keep it stuck in one place. Give it the freedom to move and minimize the stretching and reaching of your thumb, index, and middle finger. Try it out. You’ll soon notice that your right hand is more relaxed and your playing speed has increased with a smooth texture. What does your right hand want to do? Are you a floater or a rigid picker? Leave your comments below.

Click here to get the free tab to this song in tabledit format

Learning to read tablature will open up a new world to your banjo playing. If you’ve never really grasped the concept of reading from tablature stay tuned for our “how to read tabs” video. I’m getting ready to record a screen shot video of some banjo tab in tabledit software. I sat down with our mystery student yesterday and one of his first questions to me was about tablature. I immediately realized that this would be the perfect starting point for beginning banjo students. If you can read tab then your on your way to teaching yourself the banjo! We’ll start with quarter notes, and then progress to how to determine where your hand goes on the neck of the banjo. Reading tablature will really speed up the learning process for you and help you to learn some new songs very quickly. The beauty of tabs is that you can immediately see what someone else is playing. There’s no more doubting whether or not you’ve got the right lick. Keep you’re eye on the blog for this video.

If you’ve always wanted to know how to play dueling banjos then here it is! I’m going to dive into a 3 part lesson on how to play this song from beginning to end. We’ll discover some really cool licks in this one! The first lesson above goes into detail about how to play the dueling part with the guitar. You’re going to love this lesson. Part 2 will be released right here on the blog next week. Enjoy!