Playing Technique Lessons

Premier Sponsors

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue, we will assume that you agree to our privacy policy which includes details of cookie usage.

(hide this)

Playing Technique

Advice for Beginners: Basic quick tips for beginners
Ben Freed

Alternate Picking Terry Holland

Banjo Strumming Techniques: All about the different ways of playing your banjo
Jim Bottorff

Beginner Lesson 1: Covers some of the very basics of banjo playing
Phil Mann

Beginner Lesson 2: Forward-Reverse pattern and G, C, D7 chords
Phil Mann

Drop Thumbing: Get that thumb off of the 5th string!
Richard Hefner

Ear-Training: Some good warm-up exercises for ear-training
Pat Cloud

Forward Rolls Terry Holland

Forward-Backward Rolls Terry Holland

Holding the Banjo and Using Picks Richard Hefner

How to Get the Most Out of Your Banjo Playing! Warren Yates

How To Hold the Banjo: An illustrated guide to holding your banjo
Richard Hefner

How To Play the Five String Banjo, Bluegrass Style Warren Yates

Left Hand Exercises: Some simple exercises for that ornery left hand
Bob Kensinger

Plectrum Banjo Playing Tips BanjoSeen.com

Slurred Notes: Hammer-ons, pull-offs, and slides
Richard Hefner

Some Jazz Licks Pat Cloud

The Pinch Terry Holland

Working With Tones Warren Yates

Exercises/Warmups

4-Beat Play-Along Samples: Sound clips to play long with
Jim Bottorff

Fingering Exercises & Techniques: Set One: intended to help you develop strength, dexterity, and coordination, each includes a midi sound file as an example, and a tab file that you can download to practice with
All Tabs & Jim Crowley

Fingering Exercises & Techniques: Set Two: intended to help you develop strength, dexterity, and coordination, each includes a midi sound file as an example, and a tab file that you can download to practice with
All Tabs & Jim Crowley

Left Hand Exercises: The finger-spacing and spider walking exercises
Bob Kensinger

Left Hand Exercises: Introduction and Banjo-less (tabletop) Exercises
Banjo Brad

Left Hand Exercises: Vertical Exercises (working up and down the neck)
Banjo Brad

Left Hand Exercises: Horizontal Exercises (Working across the strings)
Banjo Brad

Left Hand Exercises: Finger Stretches (increasing your reach)
Banjo Brad

Left Hand Exercises: The Chord of Death! And a 3-finger challenge
Banjo Brad

Play-Along Samples, 3/4 Time: Sound clips to practice with
Jim Bottorff

Play-Along Tremolo Exercises: Test your skill--progressive exercises for ya
Jim Bottorff

Frailing/Clawhammer

Basic Clawhammer Technique: The Bum-Ditty Strum Richard Hefner

Clawhammer Banjo: The Basics: A very short introduction to clawhammer/frailing
Don Doughty

Clawhammer Tutorials: Ezbanjo.com's list of tutorials
Richard Hefner

The "Bum Ditty" Strum Richard Hefner

The Frailing Strum: the basic technique, rhythm, tablature, practice patterns and chords
Stover Mountain Music

Scruggs Style

Backward Rolls Terry Holland

Double Forward Rolls Terry Holland

Double Thumbing Richard Hefner

Forward Roll Richard Hefner

Forward-Reverse Roll Richard Hefner

Introduction to Bluegrass Banjo: for absolute beginners who want an organized and step wise introduction to picking
Ben Freed

Mixed Roll Richard Hefner

Slurred Notes Richard Hefner

The Banjo Book, revised 2013: A simple, easy to understand resource for the beginner to intermediate player. Introduces basic chord theory and playing techniques. First published in 1979 and revised 2013.
Frank Eastes

The Pinch Richard Hefner

Two-Finger Rolls Terry Holland

Tenor Banjo

Keith Style on Tenor Banjo: Melodic technique on DGdg tenor banjo
Mirek Patek

Old-Time Brush Style on Tenor Banjo: Frailing on tenor banjo
Mirek Patek

Patek Style Tenor Banjo: New tenor banjo playing styles
Mirek Patek

Playing in Octaves: In case of DGdg or CGcg tunings the fingering of octaves is very easy on Patek style tenor banjo so one can use octave soloing known from jazz guitar.
Mirek Patek

Reno Style on Tenor Banjo: Single-string fingerpicking on DGdg tenor banjo
Mirek Patek

Scruggs Style on Tenor Banjo: The basics of Scruggs style on tenor banjo
Mirek Patek