Scruggs Style BackUp For The 5-String Banjo

Welcome to this Bluegrass Backup course for the 5-String Banjo! Playing BackUp on the Banjo is one of the most fun and creative aspects of playing Bluegrass banjo. There are three basic elements of music which is rhythm, melody and harmony. When you are playing backup or accompanying another musician, you are dealing with two of those elements which is rhythm and harmony. Rhythm being the roll pattern and harmony being the chord progression. In this course we will cover everything from the most basic Boom Chick backup pattern so you can accompany other musicians and we will learn more advanced sounding patterns with walkups and licks so you have a well rounded understanding of traditional Scruggs style backup so you can jam! I designed this course around a basic chord progression that many people call "The Bluegrass Chord Progression". It is two measures of G, C and D. This Chord progression is very important in Bluegrass music and is the harmony makeup of Dozens of Bluegrass songs. Each new technique you learn will be applied to "The Bluegrass Chord Progression" so you understand how the techniques work in the context of a song. We will start the course by learning the Basic Boom Chick pattern so you can easily start to play with other musicians or participate in jam sessions. You will also learn how to play Walkups in order to connect chord progressions. When you use scales to walk through chord progressions, it leads the listeners ear through the song and creates a thread throughout the song in a very musical way. In other lessons you will learn many of the most used and sought after licks used in Bluegrass Backup to create an exciting musical sound! Another important aspect of backup you will learn is movable fill licks so you can play all over the fretboard and "recycle" licks and ideas. Repetition and pattern recognition is the key to success! We will also go over the aspect of playing driving first position backup which relies heavily on the Forward Roll pattern. This style of backup is used for creating "Drive" in the song and staying in the lower register of the banjo. You will also have the opportunity to learn how to play slow backup when someone calls a slow song in a jam session. This pattern is called the teardrop pattern created by the Master Earl Scruggs. Playing slow songs can be very satisfying and enjoyable with the proper techniques. Be sure to play each new technique you learn with the backup guitar tracks so you get a feel for using the new ideas in a jam session. I guarantee that practicing these ideas and techniques, you will expand your banjo vocabulary and get ideas on how to create your own licks and ideas. Thank you for your interest in this Backup Banjo course and have fun! Chris Elliott