Grab my totally free 90-minute beginner banjo course at banjoskills.com/quickstart-guide. And get the backup patterns PDF here www.banjoskills.com/download-your-backup-pattern-exercises
Thanks so much! Yeah so I would normally start with that bouncing bassline type backup and then just start incorporating other patterns as they might fit in well. I find that pretty useful to coming up wtih an accompaniment that keeps that "banjo-y" sound without playing the melody.
How would you backup a bluegrass banjo player when s/he is taking a lead break on the same lower tones (down the neck) that most clawhammer players hang in? Perhaps a video on that idea?
I dont' feel like it would be super different - bluegrass with finger picks is such a different sound from clawhammer. I would probably go a little heavier on the brush strokes and maybe add a bit of syncopation to lessen the single string strikes. As I write this comment, I'm getting ideas! I may make a video about this soon 😀
@@BanjoSkills my wife plays clawhammer and I play bluegrass. When I back her leads I go up the neck and try to avoid the 3rd. When we play fiddle tunes I’m playing melodic and use the entire neck. When I’m down the neck there’s a lot of unison notes coming from the clawhammer that sometimes dilute the lead.
Yeah I was going to say, you could consider moving the clawhammer chords up the neck during those parts, and possibly lightly muting the strings. .You might try a light syncopated pattern like 1 2 (3) & 4 & where 1 is a single string, 2 and 4 are brush strokes and the &s are thumb plucks.
You’re about my favorite banjo channel, and there’s a lot of banjo channels out there. And remember when you play Boil That Cabbage Down to be sure to be aware of those pumas in those crevices. Ref: ua-cam.com/video/Vn-eOvqWO7I/v-deo.htmlsi=f1-6DkQ9YrOlbW-W
Grab my totally free 90-minute beginner banjo course at banjoskills.com/quickstart-guide. And get the backup patterns PDF here www.banjoskills.com/download-your-backup-pattern-exercises
you are a life saver! this is exactly what i was looking for! love you videos!
Awesome, I'm glad it helped!
Interesting how things work. I was looking for back-up recently. Thank You for posting these exercises !!
You’re welcome! Glad it helped
Super useful for a complete noob like myself. Thanks! New subscriber
Thanks so much John!
That was a Great lesson!! Super useful!!👍👍👍🙏🙏🙏👏👏👏🤗
Glad you liked it!
great job Jack! love the third pattern for sure, sounds cool! mixing them i never thought of. will have to try that.
Thanks so much! Yeah so I would normally start with that bouncing bassline type backup and then just start incorporating other patterns as they might fit in well. I find that pretty useful to coming up wtih an accompaniment that keeps that "banjo-y" sound without playing the melody.
Yes! This is just what I needed. Off to practice… 😂
Great! I'm glad it was helpful
Excellent
Thank you! Cheers!
Very useful!!!
Glad it was helpful!
How would you backup a bluegrass banjo player when s/he is taking a lead break on the same lower tones (down the neck) that most clawhammer players hang in? Perhaps a video on that idea?
I dont' feel like it would be super different - bluegrass with finger picks is such a different sound from clawhammer. I would probably go a little heavier on the brush strokes and maybe add a bit of syncopation to lessen the single string strikes.
As I write this comment, I'm getting ideas! I may make a video about this soon 😀
@@BanjoSkills my wife plays clawhammer and I play bluegrass. When I back her leads I go up the neck and try to avoid the 3rd. When we play fiddle tunes I’m playing melodic and use the entire neck. When I’m down the neck there’s a lot of unison notes coming from the clawhammer that sometimes dilute the lead.
Yeah I was going to say, you could consider moving the clawhammer chords up the neck during those parts, and possibly lightly muting the strings. .You might try a light syncopated pattern like 1 2 (3) & 4 & where 1 is a single string, 2 and 4 are brush strokes and the &s are thumb plucks.
or use my jam kill and play VERY quietly
That works too!
You’re about my favorite banjo channel, and there’s a lot of banjo channels out there. And remember when you play Boil That Cabbage Down to be sure to be aware of those pumas in those crevices. Ref: ua-cam.com/video/Vn-eOvqWO7I/v-deo.htmlsi=f1-6DkQ9YrOlbW-W
Never saw that before, thanks for that! The "No" at "take it Tom!" was great
@@BanjoSkills Unreconstructed folkies of my generation, i.e. boomers, will immediately recognize the puma references.
That's was good fun! Thanks for the link😆 Take it!!