Understanding Banjo
Tablature
Tablature is the written
form of music for the banjo. While it looks much like conventional
music, tablature provides banjo-specific information, such
as what string you play and whether the string is open or
fretted.
The five horizontal
lines represent the five strings of your banjo, with the top
line corresponding to the 1st string and the bottom representing
the 5th string. The numbers indicate left-hand fretting positions,
with 0 standing for an open string.
Essential Right-Hand
Patterns for Bluegrass and Clawhammer Banjo
The key to becoming
a great banjo player is having solid timing and rhythm in
your picking hand. One of the best ways to develop this ability
is to practice the most frequently used patterns in clawhammer
and bluegrass style, playing them over and over again until
you've completely internalized them.
Here are the crucial
right-hand moves you'll use just about every time you pick
your banjo.
Clawhammer patterns
The Basic Clawhammer
Stroke
Double-Thumbing Technique
Bluegrass patterns
Alternating Thumb Roll
Forward-Reverse Roll
Forward Roll