Getting Started Playing Melodic Style Banjo - Bluegrass Banjo

Here are a couple of ideas to get you started playing melodic style banjo.
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I'm playing my ‪@RecordingKingOfficial‬ M5 banjo

[@seanparker7203]

A few months ago I found one of your videos instead of doing homework and now I own a banjo. Only thing left is to learn how to use it🤣

[@JimPankey]

You can do it!

[@TheSithpower]

Its been a year, you shredding?

[@FrenchSissoko]

Gotta do your homework now, both ways!

[@tedfritsch3340]

Thanks Jim, something new to pass a cold, windy, snowy Colorado Day.

[@JimPankey]

Enjoy!

[@skydog4393]

Jim, your lessons are invaluable to me. I've been a guitar player for 50 years, and there is always something new to learn. You never learn it all. So I decided to buy myself a banjo and extend my musical versatility. Thanks so much for taking the time to do these videos, because I appreciate them. I'm having fun learning from you.

[@JimPankey]

You'll have to post a video! Would love to hear you play. 😀

[@billsterling6485]

I can truly understand why anyone would love hanging out here with you ....You have a way of making it fun for the student ..

[@JimPankey]

Thanks 😊

[@j.c.lipseymusic884]

Epiphany! The G on the 5th fret (F-shape) allows the tones in your g-major scale to “ring over” one another. Because you’re alternating strings (as you go up the scale), the previous string is allowed “sustain” underneath the next tone. So cool!!

[@JimPankey]

Yup!

[@MountainHomeJerrel]

I got nothin' to say. Just commenting to help the optics. Thanks for the great video.

[@JimPankey]

Thanks 😊

[@FLORIDAHOODVLOGS]

Just got my first banjo here el central alabama. Trying to figure this out with a vintage kent. I am a cuban so this is definitely outside my regular list of expected hobbies 😅

[@JimPankey]

You’ve got this!

[@timungrysr3326]

Thanks Jim! Keep up the good work! We're still frozen, up here, -20 below last week!

[@JimPankey]

Too cold for me. 🥶😜

[@kennethgillespie4468]

This is a good lesson for the do ray me and switching strings, a keeper. I may even put labels on the fretboard for a while. I'm just getting started with the banjo at 74 and having fun. Thanks.

[@JimPankey]

Thanks for letting me teach you 😀

[@donaldfair4259]

Hey Y’all . Still loving these videos Jim .

[@JimPankey]

Thank you 😊

[@robertlandry5230]

Hey Jim. My wife got me a banjo for Christmas and other then the two weeks I’ve been away from home, I’ve been practicing, A LOT! I love this thing! My wife is now a huge fan of yours because of how I describe your lessons. I think she follows you. I’m trying to get foggy mountain breakdown up to 100bpm and doing ok on the low part but struggling a bit on the half way up the neck part. It’s coming. Anyway, thanks for doing a great job in helping us all out here on you tube. Thanks from Toronto, Ontario. Bob.

[@JimPankey]

Thanks for letting me teach you ☺️

[@mazlinithegreat]

You and me both having difficulty with that up the neck part! Have the passage of 2 years solved the problems you were experiencing? And BTW, I bought a small travel banjo specifically to take with me on ANY trip - it comes apart and fits into a small carryon! It’s called the Tranjo - google it!

[@Knappist]

Brilliant cheers Jim 👍

[@JimPankey]

Thanks 😊

[@astro781]

Thanks Jim!....Melodic has always been intimidating to me....thanks for easing us into it a bit. I'm excited with this one.

[@JimPankey]

You can do it 🙂

[@johnbremner1591]

Thanks jim

[@JimPankey]

Welcome!

[@jeffevans4663]

Hi Jim great video i was just going through your worried man video on the back of your truck these new ideas will keep me occupied for a while

[@JimPankey]

Hey, thanks for watching 🙂

[@j.c.lipseymusic884]

Whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half!

[@skydog4393]

Well Jim, if someone had told me that I would spend $40 for a thumb pick, I would have called them crazy. But I just got my BCT-BRL from Blue Chip and I'm sold. Love the design and it plays really well. Just wanted to say thanks for for the heads up on that company. Real good people too. Hope you and yours have a Happy New Year, and I'm still grinding away on my Recording King.

[@JimPankey]

Glad you like it! Yup, those Blue Chip folks are tops!

[@peterwatkins9611]

you are absolutely fantastic, you keep me playing through this covid pandemic, thank you Jim, honestly, thank you.

[@JimPankey]

Glad you enjoy it!

[@thefamily2707]

Nice lick great lesson thank you 🙏

[@JimPankey]

Thanks for watching!

[@scottl8436]

Your teaching style is so awesome thanks

[@JimPankey]

So nice of you

[@ffspo]

I had been hoping you’d do a melodic video 😊 Thank you!

[@JimPankey]

I love it when a plan comes together 😉

[@brotherjauffre4923]

Thank you for teaching me the banjo

[@JimPankey]

Thanks for letting me teach you!

[@bigblockbumpside2296]

THANK YOU SO MUCH JIM. I requested this a couple videos ago. You’re the best.

[@JimPankey]

Hopefully this’ll get you started 🙂

[@plutobmx7278]

Love your videos Jim! I was wondering if you could make some lessons on the Del McCoury band? Nashville Cats is an all time favorite of mine!

[@JimPankey]

Thanks for the recommendation.

[@zachmaready5272]

Thanks a bunch, Jim! After learning Fox on the Run, I was really interested in playing more melodic tunes using tabs. Glad this is here👍

[@JimPankey]

Hope this will help!

[@harley7311]

Thank you, Jim!

[@JimPankey]

You're welcome!

[@josefdetzer8717]

I'will play Paganini capriccio 24 one day.Those licks help me to make it real.Thanke you for teaching us Mr.Jim Pankey.Josef from germany.

[@JimPankey]

You can do it!

[@banjomark9900]

Fantastic as always Jim Thank you so much!

[@JimPankey]

My pleasure! Thanks for watching.

[@kartunlucuymbal]

Very nice sound and player. I am a guitarist just wan to learn banjo. Thx for great tutorial 😁🙏

[@JimPankey]

My pleasure!

[@dangeoopatrick2593]

Hi Jim thanks for your unselfish generous use of your time helping us beginners and more advanced players, who all benefit from your clear brilliant lessons. As for melodic banjo, Don Wayne Reno does some melodic runs across the strings which are also used by his pa Don Reno. I wonder if you know the sort of things I am describing.

[@JimPankey]

Yes... Don Reno was well known for his single string style. It’s different than what I show here.

[@dangeoopatrick2593]

Thanks Jim, I get it that Don did the single string stuff and he would incorporate the single string bits into a Scruggs style tune, ie such as Sockeye and it would fits in nicely. Problem is he does it so quick its hard to figure the notes. Its kinda like the B part in Beaumont Rag where everyone stops and whoever’s playing lead does a nice little sort of melodic lick. Its at that part of the tune where Reno would throw in a melodic type lick using the single string style. I have heard you do similar stuff in some tunes, I find using such variants makes the picking very interesting and attractive. I was trying to conquer picking a tune and trying over and over again when my wife said ‘Wonder what will come first, you getting that tune or the Covid Vaccine?’’ Keep with the great lessons Jim and y’all Stay Safe.

[@blackmesa4188]

r u crazy, i like this ♥ thanks professor !

[@JimPankey]

Thanks for watching 😊

[@markglore7196]

Very cool! Thanks Jim!

[@JimPankey]

You're welcome!

[@mikael8092]

Thanks for the post, captain. Lookin' great- you lost weight!

[@JimPankey]

Thank you kindly

[@Northyorkspaul]

Excellent

[@JimPankey]

Thanks

[@earldurham542]

Nice ,,,,thank you

[@JimPankey]

You’re welcome!

[@MarkMcCluney]

Tiny little palm trees. It took me the whole video.

[@JimPankey]

😁🏝

[@seanparker7203]

WHO DARE DISLIKE THIS VIDEOOOOO!!!!!!!

[@JimPankey]

🤷🏻‍♂️

[@subschool5415]

when he tilts his head sideways i do too :)

[@JimPankey]

🙃

[@celinak7619]

Hi, can you do a breakdown off "you took all the ramblin out of me". Realy want to play this. Btw, love your videos!

[@JimPankey]

I don’t know that one. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@celinak7619]

Oh, sad :/ do you have any suggestions of where it is best to look for tabs? Tryd to find some without luck.

[@MadManiacGamer]

Congrats on 60k subs!

[@JimPankey]

Thank you!!

[@peterbates3973]

Hi Jim i am really enjoying yr videos. just wondering what scale is the second lick ? It sounds really funky playing with G and F chords i thought might be minor /mixalodean,?

[@JimPankey]

I really have no idea. I don’t have any practical knowledge of sharing what I play in theoretical language. I kinda just play what sounds good to me.

[@dampftim7390]

Great video Jim, Could you play Hard ain't Hard please?

[@JimPankey]

That's not one I usually play or teach, though I am familiar with it.

[@tomjackson7022]

Tasty!

[@JimPankey]

Thanks 😊

[@trevorstolz8580]

Hi! I am a classical musician. I have a banjo and would like to learn to play it well. I always wished there was banjo music written on treble clef, kind of like for classical guitar. If I read tab, I don't know what notes I am playing which is really frustrating for a classical musician. I hadn't thought of just practicing scales (and arpeggios!). I'll do that, practicing several different scales until I know the fingerboard and where all the notes are inside, outside, upside down!

[@JimPankey]

You can occasionally find tabs with notation included. I’m not a fan of either since I play folk styles and primarily by ear. You should give my beginner lessons a peep.

[@Handsome2]

Nice lesson! :-)

[@JimPankey]

Thanks!

[@cletusvlogs4913]

Can you please do a lesson of the battle of New Orleans it’s an old military country song that my grandfather used to play but he never wrote down the tab so I haven’t been able to learn it thank you for your time

[@JimPankey]

If you can hum it, or sing it, you should be able to take the concepts I teach in this video and start to find the tune.

[@millerjeff]

Ok Jim I promise to never ask this again but which model of Recording King is that banjo? I promise. And thanks for the great lesson on melodic banjo. Do you recommend memorizing all of the notes on the fretboard?

[@JimPankey]

It’s an M5 like I said in the description.

[@JimPankey]

...I’ve never memorized all the notes

[@millerjeff]

@@JimPankey Thanks Jim that what I've got. Just wish I could get a brighter sound out of mine. Sounds good on open strings but when I fret a string it sounds dead. Thanks again. I'm working through all of your beginner lessons. Love the way you taech.

[@millerjeff]

Sorry I didn't read the show more. *teach

[@Butterapplejuice]

Dear Jim, do you know that pop song by Taylor Swift which is named “love story”? Can we play that song with a five string banjo?

[@JimPankey]

I don’t play it, but I’m sure it can be played on banjo; you can play anything on the banjo.

[@Butterapplejuice]

@@JimPankey Thank you for the prompt response Jim!🙂

[@reddevilrust2024]

Hey Jim. I know that this request is a little strange but, is there any way that you could maybe do a lesson on the banjo part to Thirst Mutilator by billy strings? I have watched countless live recordings of the tune to try and get it down but I have no luck. I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you.

[@JimPankey]

I wasn’t familiar with it until you mentioned it. I probably won’t learn it, but it’s pretty straight melodic stuff. Once you get to where you can sing the melody, then maybe start piecing together the melodic break for it.

[@ethanowings]

I'm home schooled

[@davidgibb580]

Is it important which finger you use to pluck each note?

[@JimPankey]

I'd recommend using the same ones that I do

[@长廾丂闩尸]

ℑ 𝔱𝔥𝔦𝔫𝔨 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔰𝔬𝔲𝔫𝔡 𝔬𝔣 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔟𝔞𝔫𝔧𝔬 𝔦𝔰 𝔞𝔫 𝔞𝔠𝔮𝔲𝔦𝔯𝔢𝔡 𝔱𝔞𝔰𝔱𝔢. ℭ𝔬𝔲𝔩𝔡 𝔶𝔬𝔲 𝔯𝔢𝔠𝔬𝔪𝔪𝔢𝔫𝔡 𝔞𝔫𝔶 𝔫𝔦𝔠𝔢 𝔭𝔦𝔢𝔠𝔢𝔰 𝔱𝔬 𝔩𝔦𝔰𝔱𝔢𝔫 𝔱𝔬?

[@thomasschwartz3245]

Hey can someone tell me why my fifth string page is so hard to turn

[@JimPankey]

Could be a number of reasons... hard to say without actually seeing it.

[@thomasschwartz3245]

Thanks for the reply not the answer I was looking for but thank you

[@hugo.p]

Hi Jim I like your videos but please stop bending your head over you look ridiculous. Hello from Scotland

[@JimPankey]

I had 1,500 subscribers before I started leaning. Now I’m at 60k. I’m probably gonna continue the lean. 🤓