Music Education
Learning Banjo - Easy Bluegrass Picking
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By the way, this is the only TAB I'm going to use for this workshop.
This isn't the only roll. There are thousands of different rolls you can come up with. I just happen to like this one for a basic picking pattern.
Why do I like this roll?
Well, when you are playing in 4/4 time the emphasis is usually n the first and third beat. If you look at this roll you will notice that your thumb is alternating between the third and fourth string on the first and third beats. That makes it easier to keep a steady rhythm and put your emphasis in the right place without worrying too much about it.
The other cool thing going on is that alternating between the third and fourth strings gives a nifty alternating bass effect. When we start changing chords and singing in a little while that alternating bass effect is going to give the picking pattern a feeling of motion that sounds pretty cool.
Play this roll for a little while. Don't stare at your picking hand and don't get all tense and nervous about hitting the right string. Looking at your picking hand isn't going to help your accuracy - in fact it'll only throw off your rhythm because there will be a pause in your timing as your eyes send a signal to your brain to signal your fingers that your are on the right string. Being tense about screwing up and hitting the wrong string will only ensure that you do just that: screw up and hit a wrong string.
Relax. This is supposed to be fun. You're playing the banjo, an instrument somewhere on the wonderful scale between puppies in a basket next to a sleeping baby on Easter Morning and eating a chunky peanut butter sandwich on a spring day under a maple tree. Don't ruin the joy of making music by worrying and beating yourself up. If you hit a wrong string keep going. If your rhythm gets funky stop for a beat and start again on the next beat. The only things that really matters is that your rhythm is consistent and you are enjoying yourself.
Keep playing that roll for a while. Give yourself some time to get used to how this all feels. If you're wearing picks try the roll without them. If your not wearing picks try it with them on.
As you are playing this roll over and over again mess around with where your hand is positioned between the bridge and the neck of your banjo.
When we started I left the "where" of the hand position up to you. My reason for this is simply because there really is no "wrong" place for your picking hand.