Mention Bluegrass Banjo to anyone and chances are they will say Earl Scruggs, well what can you say about the man, hes a legend in his own lifetime. Founder of the Scruggs Style of Bluegrass Banjo, his style of playing brought the banjo to the forefront of country music in the 50s and has brought thousands of people to the Banjo since then. The Scruggs Style of Banjo is based on a series of rolls with the right hand. It can be learned fairly quickly by beginners but to actually play Scruggs Style well takes a lot of practice. I wish i could say i counted myself among those who play it well........ Below are some of Earl Scruggs better known rolls,

Scruggs Style Rolls

There are quite a few Scruggs style rolls: The Double Thumb Roll, the Forward Backward Roll, The Forward Roll, The Backward Roll and many variations of them.

My main playing style is frailing and melodic clawhammer.....though these are my favourite scruggs style rolls, but as i said it takes a lot of practice to play scruggs style well.

Wearing the finger picks

Believe it or not this is something i have been asked loads of times...." Which way do Finger picks go on?" its something any expierienced banjo player would not give a second thought to, but to a beginner who has no one to show them, i guess it can be a problem. Look at the picture on the left, this is how you place the finger picks on your fingers....dont clamp them on like a vice, just ensure they are comfortable, if you have them too tight your fingers very soon become a bit numb. How much of the actual pick you leave sticking off the end of your finger, is an individual choice...only you can decide what feels ok. The other thing you should know is picks come in various materials and sizes. I use Dunlop Metal 0.15 gauge picks myself, as i find these are easier to conform to the shape of your finger. Many players have a mixture of gauges when picking...i know a couple of players who use 0.25 gauge on the Index finger and 0.18 gauge on the Middle finger. My prefrence is for Metal Picks.....as they are a bit more robust than the plastic ones, and give a sharper note.......but the choice is yours!

Placement for right hand in Bluegrass

The small finger and ring finger of the right hand should be firmly rested on the head of the banjo as shown left. Picking the strings near the bridge produces a bright sound, moving the right hand away from the bridge will soften the sound somewhat, how close you play to the bridge is an individual choice, though most Bluegrass Players will Pick close to the bridge, to give them that sharp sound for Bluegrass.
Most beginners think playing Bluegrass Banjo is about playing at breakneck speed, this is where most of them come to grief. Good right hand timing and position, left hand finger placement, good chord positions, and a steady rhythm are what the beginner should be aiming for, speed comes with practice and experience. Get the basics right and speed will follow.

Chord Inversions

What is a chord Inversion?.....its a way to play the major chords while playing up the neck. There are 3 basic shapes to chord inversion The Barre (or Bar)...The F Shape.....and The D shape. Right now you wont have any idea what im' talking about, but when you get your banjo on yer' lap an give it a go, you will begin to understand what i mean.

This is what i mean by the 3 basic shapes, you form the shape of an F chord, a D chord or an A chord. Using 1 of these 3 shapes at specific frets will play one of the major chords...........before you go any further, you can play those chords cant you?....if not...go practice them until you can play them without making the strings buzz.......o.k. go get your banjo... and lets try a little hands on lesson.


Presuming your banjo is tuned to open G.....play the 5 strings open...e.g. brush your middle finger down all the strings...............you have just played the chord G.
now position your fingers in the F shape on the third fret as shown in the example below. Brush your middle finger down all the strings. ..............does that sound familiar?....it should......its also the chord G



now move to the 7th fret and make the D shape (shown below)........Brush your middle finger down all the strings.......yet again another G chord....



now lets move to the 12th fret...make an A shape shape (shown below)........Brush your middle finger down all the strings.......yes G again....starting to get the picture?



I dont have the time..or the patience to go into every chord inversion..thats up to you to find that out for yourself, but ill' give you a couple of examples to get you started..........

Chord shape:

For chord C Inversion = A shape 5th fret..... F shape 8th Fret....... D shape 12th fret.
For chord D Inversion = A shape 7th fret..... F shape 10th Fret....... D shape 14th fret.
For chord F Inversion = D shape 5th fret..... A shape 10th Fret....... F shape 13th fret.
For chord A Inversion = F shape 5th fret..... D shape 9th Fret....... A shape 14th fret.

Well what are ya' waitin for get workin' those inversions out now!!


Bill Keith and Bobby Thompson Just a quick word about these 2 great banjo players, there are two trains of thought on the Melodic style of banjo playing, some say it was developed by Bill Keith while others say it was Bobby Thompson....it depends on which camp your in. My personal opinion is that it does not matter who developed it, the fact is its another forward step in banjo playing.... and thats what matters. Who cares who developed what or why or when, just enjoy the banjo for what it is....