Fingerboard Logic, Part 1: Three Positions: A, F, and D

from: The Banjo According to Danny Barnes with Danny Barnes

This lesson is part of the course The Banjo According to Danny Barnes with Danny Barnes.

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Roots music iconoclast Danny Barnes reveals his systematic approach to the banjo, with one-of-a-kind insights on improvisation, reading music, getting a good sound out of the banjo, rhythm and timing, and more.

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The Right-Hand Stuff

Danny talks about the other roll he thinks is important to practice and have in your repertoire, the 1 2 1 5 roll. The 1 2 1 5 roll allows you to move a melody up and down the banjo neck on the first string. Danny shows you how to do that on a tune like Alan Munde’s “Deputy Dalton” and how to practice the 1 2 1 5 roll with a metronome. He also shows you a variation that moves the middle-index finger alternation to the second and third strings (2 3 2 5) and third and second strings (3 4 3 5).

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Fingerboard Logic

Fingerboard Logic, Part 1: Three Positions: A, F, and D

Fingerboard Logic, Part 2: All 12 Keys and the Circle of Fifths

Fingerboard Logic, Part 3: Scale Fingerings

Fingerboard Logic, Part 1: Three Positions: A, F, and D

The tuning of the banjo provides different places to play the same note, giving you lots of different options, which can be very helpful, but also potentially confusing. In this lesson, Danny reveals how he conceives of and organizes the banjo fingerboard. He starts by explaining how he boils the fingerboard down to three simple fingerings for chords and scales, which you can call A form, F form, and D form, based on the fingerings for those chords in first position. Then he shows you all those forms in the key of G, from open position to the top of the fingerboard.

Fingerboard Logic (Available to subscribers)

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← Reading Music, Part 4: Multiple Octaves

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Fingerboard Logic, Part 2: All 12 Keys and the Circle of Fifths →

Previous Lesson

← Reading Music, Part 4: Multiple Octaves

Next Lesson

Fingerboard Logic, Part 2: All 12 Keys and the Circle of Fifths →

Previous Lesson

← Reading Music, Part 4: Multiple Octaves

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