BANJO MOUNTAIN
Beginner Bluegrass Lessons
Join hundreds of players who have found success learning bluegrass banjo following our lessons.
Holding the Banjo
 This is the foundation of your banjo playing, and you don't want to skip it.Â
You want to keep the banjo from slouching away from you at an angle. This often happens if you are slouching on the couch as opposed to sitting upright with the banjo close to your midsection.
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Lesson 2 | Picking Hand Position
It all starts with the anchor. Proper positioning of your anchor on the banjo head, whether it’s one or two fingers, all play a part in consistent and clean picking. Proper anchoring will keep you from scratching the banjo head and give you consistent picking (which over time, will help with increasing the speed of your picking). Learn this and much more.
Lesson 3 | Picking Basics
Picking is part of what makes the bluegrass banjo seem like magic. In truth, it’s simply clean mechanics that have been drilled over and over until they are second nature. The thumb will pick downward and will play the 3rd, 4th, and 5th strings. The index will typically play the 2nd string, but will sometimes play the 3rd string. The middle finger will typically play the 1st string, but occasionally play the 2nd string as well. Learn this and much more in this lesson.
Lesson 4 |Finger Picks
Bluegrass banjo players use very different picks from most stringed instruments. The thumb pick is typically a plastic pick, while the index and middle fingers use metal picks. There are many types, including different thicknesses and sizes. While a person CAN play bluegrass banjo without picks, one shouldn't. This is for several reasons, but the main reasons are volume and speed. Learn what you need!
Lesson 5 |Â Fretting Basics
The magic of an advanced bluegrass banjo player, fretting up and down the neck at lightning speed, is incredible to watch and looks like an impossible feat. The first step of this journey for a new bluegrass banjo player is learning what a fret is.
You'll continue learning the bluegrass banjo fundamental skills...
...Into Your First Song!
Bile 'Em Cabbage Down
Bile 'Em Cabbage Down is simply the Forward Roll with an occasional "pinch." Bile 'Em Cabbage Down uses the Forward Roll over the open strings (which is a G chord) and then fretting the C chord. That's it! It's incredibly simple. Check out the lesson (our free gift to you)! Â
Learn Banjo Now!Next we build your Bluegrass Song Library...
You've learned all the fundamental bluegrass skills to learn your first song and now we will teach you the essential bluegrass beginner songs...
- Cripple Creek
- Cumberland Gap
- Froggy Went A Courtin'
- I've Just Seen a Face
- Jesse James
- Oh Susanna
- Red River Valley
- This Land Is your Land
- Tom Dooley
- Turkey In The Straw
- Wabash Cannonball
- Worried Man
- You are My Sunshine
- and many more!
Ready to see our Intermediate Bluegrass Section...
You'll learn all of the fundamental intermediate skills to take you into backing up and jamming as well as building out an intermediate song library...
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