lessons, tabs, thoughts
I first learned this tune from a young fiddler who was trying out fiddles at the House of Musical Traditions in Takoma Park Md. I liked the flow of the tune and I really loved the name so I went right home and learned it. There are not a whole lot of tunes that I... Continue Reading →
There are a lot of arrangements out there in G so I thought I would put an easy C major version to paper. Hope you enjoy it!
Big Sciota, sometimes called Big Scioty, is a popular tune at bluegrass and old time Jams. It has a cool vi minor chord in there that is fun to play. The PDF below includes melody, chords, and the G major scale and arpeggio for practice. If you are interested in one on one lessons contact... Continue Reading →
Did up this melodic arrangement of Big Sandy River this week. I'm currently on the mend after a Spine surgery so I won't have a video up for a while. I included an optionals ending for the B section if you are up for a little up the neck action. Enjoy and let me know... Continue Reading →
Clinch Mountain Backstep is one of my favorite Ralph Stanley tunes. If you aren't familiar with Ralph Stanley You should definitely check him out as he is one of the all time greats of bluegrass banjo. During his epic career spanning from the formation of the Clinch Mountain Boys in 1946 to his death in... Continue Reading →
Cripple Creek Banjo Lesson If you have looked at any beginning banjo material you have almost certainly seen some version of Cripple Creek. It is in the Earl Scruggs 5-String Banjo book (highly recommended) and though I had been playing for a while when I learned it, it was one of the first tunes that... Continue Reading →
Once you own a banjo and you have managed to get the thing tuned, one of the first things you will want to get started with are some basic bluegrass rolls. Rolls are the finger picking patterns used in bluegrass and I want to lay out a few basic examples to you started. One thing... Continue Reading →
Banjo Notebook 