The Rakes Of Kildare is traditional Irish jig, played at a medium/fast tempo, in the key of Am (dorian). During the lesson we’ll spend time working on the picking structure suited to the accents found in the 6/8 time signature, an important part of playing a jig. The tune is suited to an intermediate picker, has a great melody and is an excellent example of the jig picking structure. Go to lesson...
The Rakes Of Kildare is traditional Irish jig, played at a medium/fast tempo, in the key of Am (dorian). During the lesson we’ll spend time working on the picking structure suited to the accents found in the 6/8 time signature, an important part of playing a jig. Part A keeps us in the open position, while Part B takes us up to the 5th position with some lovely movement, making the tune well suited to an intermediate picker. Go to lesson...
The Sailor’s Wife is a traditional Irish jig (6/8), played at a fast tempo, in the key of Dm, and the banjo is in standard tuning (gDGBD). The structure of the melody provides some challenging picking passages and left-hand movement, making it an appropriate study for the advanced intermediate picker. As part of the lesson, we’ll analyse the melody and picking technique within the 6/8 time signature and learn a fun tune! Go to lesson...
The Flowers Of Edinburgh is traditional Scottish reel, played at a medium/fast tempo, in the key of G. Well suited to the intermediate flatpicker, and with a fluent knowledge of the G Major scale, this tune is awfully fun to pick. Part A keeps us in the open position, while Part B takes us up to the 7th position with some lovely movement. Go to lesson...
The Sailor’s Wife is a traditional Irish jig (6/8), played at a fast tempo, in the key of Dm. The structure of the melody provides some challenging picking passages and left-hand movement, making it an appropriate study for the advanced intermediate picker. As part of the lesson, we’ll analyse the melody and picking technique within the 6/8 time signature and learn a fun tune! Go to lesson...
The Flowers Of Edinburgh is traditional Scottish reel, played at a medium/fast tempo, in the key of G (standard tuning). Well suited to the intermediate picker, and with a fluent knowledge of the melodic G Major scale, this tune is awfully fun to pick. Part A uses the melodic G major scale found at the 5th position, while Part B takes us further up to the neck with some lovely movement. Go to lesson...
The Sailor’s Wife is a traditional Irish jig (6/8), played at a fast tempo, in the key of Dm. The structure of the melody provides some challenging picking passages and left-hand movement, making it an appropriate study for the advanced intermediate picker. As part of the lesson, we’ll analyse the melody and picking technique within the 6/8 time signature and learn a fun tune! Go to lesson...
The Flowers Of Edinburgh is traditional Scottish reel, played at a medium/fast tempo, in the key of G. Well suited to the intermediate picker, and with a fluent knowledge of the G Major scale, this tune is awfully fun to pick. The tune is played in the open position, with a great work out for the pinky in Part B. Go to lesson...
In part 3 of this introduction to the melodic banjo techniques, we’ll continue to work out of open G tuning, but look at the key of D major. We’ll cover scale positions and exercises for the key, while applying these to another great tune, that is sure to enhance your technique. Go to lesson...
O’Carolan’s Draught is a beautiful Turlough O’Carolan melody, in the key of G. In this fingerstyle arrangement, we have some great movement and some challenging left-hand positions, suited to the advanced player. In the lesson we’ll break down the technique, fingering and positions for both A & B. Played at a slow tempo, this piece is a challenge, but very rewarding and well worth getting to know. Go to lesson...