Fretiquette: Fretting Etiquette For the Modern Banjo Player with Tom Collins

Ever struggle to figure out which fingers go where? In Part 1 of Fretiquette, I'll show you some of my solutions for excellent fretting technique on the banjo.
Only a small portion of my content is released to the public! If you'd like access to all of it, and would like to join a rich and vibrant banjo community, please consider joining Banjo Quest! www.patreon.com/tomcollins
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This video is made possible by my generous supports on Patreon, and my students around the globe. Thanks for a wonderful year, guys!

[@goofoffbert]

Thank you .... online instructors rarely cover the fretting hand, so it is nice to see some tips.

[@admiralsnaccbarr5514]

Thank you so much for keeping the great stuff coming, Tom! I lost my job and can't afford the Patreon anymore but I'm glad you're still my teacher ;)

[@FretlessFury]

Hey John! My pleasure. So sorry to hear you lost your job. These are tough times, and I will always provide some of my content for free. If you promise to keep playing the banjo, I promise to keep the content flowing! Here's to better futures! Tom

[@jeremiahdeangelo5730]

instaBlaster

[@edemrich6037]

Great content and methods. Thanks.

[@FretlessFury]

Thanks, Ed!

[@ivanbower6814]

Paul Rudd Teaches Banjo Politeness!!! Thank You Good Sir!!!

[@JohnJohnson-rj5uf]

Thank you for this video. Beginner Banjo just a couple weeks in and Never played any instrument in my 63 years, proper left hand placement and control has been my biggest issue, specially with what I would consider, Fat Fingers.... Watched your video and then went and practiced. I'd say a 75% improvement in my fretting! Now I just need the muscle memory to kick in..... any tips on that?...... I know.... Practice, Practice, Practice..... And I am, several times a day. Again, thanks for the lesson! New Subscriber!

[@KKIcons]

I loved the thumbnail photo. Maybe in your case it is a picknail photo though...

[@FretlessFury]

Hahahah! Haven't heard from you in awhile, KK Icons. Glad you're posting again! Best, Tom

[@zachb8012]

Dude, your merch is really cool.

[@FretlessFury]

Hahaha! Thanks, Zach!

[@jantona]

How do you keep the neck up without a strap? I'm trying all the different grips you mentioned but if I don't "deathgrip" fret the neck drops into my hand and I lose that mechanical advantage. Are you pressing into the body with your picking hand?

[@FretlessFury]

Lilly, great question! I did a video on this fairly recently. “How to hold a banjo” or something like that. On my phone or I’d toss you a link. In short, my striking hand captures the instrument as you mention. If you’re supporting the banjo with your fretting hand, something needs to be fixed or you’ll feel limitations early.

[@FretlessFury]

Hey Kevin! No, the banjo is not on a stand, and I'm not using a strap of any kind. I "weld" the banjo to me with my striking arm with a light, but consistent pressure on what I call the "fulcrum"...the rim of the pot. Hope that helps!

[@waylonwillie5736]

Ha ha! Is the fretless bootcamp only live, or will it be archived for patreon subscribers?

[@FretlessFury]

Both! It starts on Monday and goes for 7 days live. It stays on Patreon as an archived camp, so you can run it anytime at your leisure! Hope you’ll join us!

[@WoodBilly53]

This does not work for people with small hands, need more info for that . Ok never mind I figured it out, I was holding my banjo (Elizabeth) up with my fretting hand and not my clawhammer hand and for arm rest, I did that and got it . Now I get it when they say something like heavy right hand and light left hand (something like that) .

[@susanward6719]

Now if you could just give me a good head smack and repeat this maybe it will stick. Thanks even though I’ve been trying at this for a couple of years I need to keep hearing this.