Whiskey Before Breakfast is a wonderful traditional fiddle tune in the key of D and very popular amongst bluegrass pickers. This melodic banjo arrangement of the tune is in standard open G tuning and beginner friendly, capturing the essence of the tune, while keeping the phrases on the easier side, making it quite accessible for the beginner picker.
Tarbolton Reel is a traditional Scottish reel, played at a fast tempo, in the key of Em. Using both the dorian & aeolian minor scales, this arrangement features a nice mixture of ornamentation, rhythmic variation and both the melodic & single-string techniques. Up to tempo, this is a challenging tune, well suited to the advanced picker.
Banks of the Ohio is a fantastic traditional song and this arrangement on the 5-string banjo is in the key of G (standard tuning). This banjo arrangement is a great advancing beginner exercise that features some Scruggs licks, a little melodic technique, and some great rolling ideas over the chords. In the lesson we’ll break down how to approach the break and work through the techniques you’ll need to focus on.
Pigeon On The Gate is a fantastic traditional Irish reel in the key of Em (Dorian). This banjo arrangement is in standard tuning and features both the single-string & melodic techniques on the 5-string. Played at a fast tempo, there are some demanding passages within the tune and is certainly suited to the advanced picker.
Smash The Windows is a great traditional Irish jig, played at a lively tempo, in the key of D (standard tuning). This arrangement features both the melodic and single-string techniques and features the 6/8 time signature. Jigs always sound great on the banjo, but there are some challenging techniques and combined with the lively tempo this is well suited to the advanced intermediate picker.
Leather Britches is a great old-time fiddle tune, played at a medium/fast tempo, in the key of G (standard tuning). This arrangement features both the melodic and Scruggs style, up and down the neck, well suited to the advanced picker. There are 2 variations for each section, combining the different techniques, played over a Texas Swing stye backing.
St Anne’s Reel is a popular bluegrass fiddle tune, played at a medium/fast tempo, in the key of D (standard tuning). This arrangement lays out a nice, basic melodic version of the tune, well suited to the intermediate picker, but also allows for the fingers to more easily get around the tune comfortably at a faster tempo.
The Cordal Jig is a traditional Irish jig in the key of D (aDGBD). This 5-string banjo arrangement features the melodic and single-string techniques and will be a great tune for the advanced intermediate picker. It is a fantastic melody to pick and will be a great addition to your trad banjo repertoire!
O Christmas Tree is a traditional German Christmas Carol, also known as O Tannenbaum. This arrangement on the 5-string banjo is in the key of G (standard tuning) and features a combination of the melodic technique and Scruggs style, played at a slow tempo in the 3/4 time signature and is suited to the intermediate picker.
Go Tell It On The Mountain is a traditional Gospel Christmas Carol. This arrangement on the 5-string banjo is in the key of G (standard tuning) and features a combination of the melodic technique and Scruggs style, played at a medium tempo, and is suited to the intermediate picker. It will be a great addition to your Christmas repertoire and It’s a super fun tune to pick!