Transform Your Guitar Playing with Banjo Picking ★ Acoustic Tuesday 296

Are you ready to banjo roll into leveling up your picking hand?

On today's episode, we're journeying into the realm of banjo picking techniques and exploring how they can elevate your guitar playing.

We'll start off with the basics: tuning your guitar. We'll transition your guitar from standard tuning into open G tuning. If you've never dabbled with alternate tunings before, don't worry, I'll guide you every step of the way. This particular tuning allows your guitar to take on a banjo-like resonance, which is exactly what we're aiming for.

Next, we dive headfirst into banjo rolls, an essential element in the banjo player's arsenal. By incorporating these fingerpicking patterns into your guitar playing, you'll discover a whole new world of rhythm and melody that can freshen up your sound. These rolls might be tricky at first, but stick with it—I promise it's worth it!

Now, onto the main event: clawhammer picking. A traditional technique, clawhammer involves a down-picking motion with the fingers, creating a percussive, rhythmic drive. We'll dissect this style in detail, taking you through each step until you feel comfortable enough to integrate clawhammer into your own playing.

The beautiful thing about learning another instrument's technique, like the banjo in this case, is that it provides a new lens to view your guitar playing. You'll uncover fresh sonic patterns and new ways of approaching the guitar that you may not have discovered otherwise. I guarantee this episode is a fantastic opportunity to broaden your musical horizons and fuel your guitar journey.

Featured in this episode...

#banjo #acousticguitar
00:00 - Intro
02:45 - Banjo Rolls for Guitar
08:56 - Clawhammer Technique
15:44 - Acoustic Guitar News pt. 1
22:54 - TAC Guitar Lick Challenge
27:10 - Acoustic Guitar News pt. 2

[StevenParente]

I really enjoyed your banjo picking and claw hammer demonstrations. You're a very good teacher!

[kwaktak]

I love the idea of throwing a little claw hammer technique in with some percussive playing. It’s like hitting a muted high hat.

[notmyname]

About Banjo rolls; they sounds amazing with a flat pick as well. I learned them from a Molly Tuttle vid, with the only real difference being that she plays (if finger picking a forward roll) Thumb, index, middle, Thumb, index, middle, thumb, middle. - only a small difference but it does change the sound, feels more 'bluegrassy' to me!

[ralphkern]

I'll never be accused of being a banjo picker, I tried. But I did become much more accurate in my finger style guitar picking when trying to learn fingerstyle banjo.

[bradleyvigus]

Love the show, would love a show on lessons from Bob Dylan, or Jonny Cash.

[FullRut]

Is there an episode on guitar picks? Pick thickness, sizes, and finger?

[walterstreet]

What cords were you playing, because I would like to practice accurately 17:20

[danbgt]

I have worked on banjo techniques for a little while now and mostly in open G. But I have taken a pointer from Keith Richards and just removed the low E string completely. Very seldom used it anyway.

[Dave-gfkd]

I knew nothing about banjo! So thanks for the education!

[schorrguitars]

Thanks for showing some of my work via Tom Sand's video!

[mikefullerton]

Any banjo strumming that is well suited to blues playing.

[robertjohnson]

Interesting show. Totally off topic, but interesting at least to me. I came across Driftwood Guitars on YouTube. He makes custom guitars (surprise). Beautiful guitars and some interresting content on his channel. For example, he has a video where he repairs/replaces a truss rod.

[hansvandermeulen]

It always bothers me a bif when people use the word 'stealing' in the sense as used here,
Stealing means 'to take away secretly' (look up the dictionary defifinition elsewhere), that's bot what's meant here so borrowing would be a better word.

Otoh: FURCH!

[JonseyWales]

Just to be pedantic, you didn't demonstrate the clawhammer 'Bum-ditty', you demo'd the 'Double-Thumb' technique or Bum-er'-ditty (the drop thumb is a variation of this double thumb - 1and - 2and). This classic clawhammer 'Bum-ditty' would leave out the first thumb strike (1 - 2and).😉👍

I actually got into playing the Clawhammer Banjo (which is a blast 😁) after discovering and studying Steve Baughman's excellent DVD on clawhammer guitar.🪕👈👉🎸