It's Banjo Time!

Here's some licks, endings, and backup ideas from our old buddy the banjo.

The first lick is your classic banjo double ending (shave and a haircut.)The stretch in the third bar is a little hard but it's worth it and you only have to bend up a half step.

The next two licks are very stereotypical "banjo" rolls. Not exactly what a banjo player might do necessarily, but they do make one think: "oh, banjo!"

The first one makes a nice backup lick. In the second lick, brush down with your thumb to get the double stops. I stole this from Redd Volkaert and I think he does it with his middle and ring fingers, as he plays with a pick.

The fourth lick starts as a G Major arpeggio in root position. The notes are G, B, and D. Each time you move up the neck, the arpeggio starts on the next note of the original arpeggio ( B, D, G and then D, G, B.) Keep your third finger on the fourth string the whole time. This will require you to do a bar with your third finger at the 12th fret.

The last two examples are basic banjo backup licks. These can be a good alternative to strumming and useful if you are playing backup at the same time as another guitarist and you want to do something different. The very last example also uses two different voicings of the same chord in the same bar. You can expand that concept to many different applications.

I took two videos of lick 2 so you can see my right hand. I also played the backup licks through a simple chord progression, same shapes, just different positions the neck.

Till next time!

Roscoe