Free Banjo Lesson: Improve Your Fretboard Knowledge

[@chasebh89]

Couldn't tell ya a G from an A back in band class (and was a hell a sax player!) but in 3 KZbin videos I've learned more about note names and placements than 5 years of band Thanks Mike!

[@MikeHeddingMusic]

Glad it was helpful. - Mike

[@louiswiley6121]

17 years and a lot of practice right Mike.

[@cw8692]

Super!! Thanks

[@terrygray6078]

Thanks for your help true gentleman

[@MikeHeddingMusic]

You're welcome. Hope it was helpful. - Mike

[@glennmeyer4539]

Thanks Mike you really helped me out

[@MikeHeddingMusic]

Glad to hear it. - Mike

[@shaynegoodison]

Thanks for this lesson Mike. Finding the 5 notes on a single string was a good lesson. Still trying to find them all in all the spots on the banjo, however as per your challenge i did expand the 5 notes to go to 8 on a single string..... Do, Ra, Me, Fa, So, La , Te, Do. Surprised myself. Thx for this

[@MikeHeddingMusic]

Nice! I'm glad it was helpful. - Mike

[@brandonjones5826]

Super helpful, thanks

[@MikeHeddingMusic]

You're welcome. - Mike

[@MrJTDuke]

thanks Mike , very helpful

[@christaburns4871]

This is probably a ridiculous question, but how do you know what set of frets/keys to play a song in, if there are multiple? I have never played an instrument before, only ever sang in choir. 😅 If there is more than one "C" key, for instance, how do you know which one to use? Again - I'm sorry if this is a really dumb question!

[@MikeHeddingMusic]

It will depend on the specific song and the arrangement you're playing. Unlike a piano, there's lot of ways to play the same notes on the banjo. There won't always be a guide as to which notes you should use, but it will depend on where you need to go to play the next musical phrase. Once you figure that out, you can find the best spot to play that previous phrase. It just takes some trial and error to figure it out. You'll get it with practice. - Mike

[@billthecat666]

Thanks Mike. Great lesson. I had a question. I'm new to banjo. When reading tablature, at the very top there's sometimes an indication of a chord (G, Em, D7..etc) but the tablature doesn't always exactly follow that chord. Am I missing something?

[@MikeHeddingMusic]

No, that's very normal in tablature and music. Sometimes the lead player (banjo in the case) will be playing different notes on top of the chords. Think of it like a piano, where your left hand could be playing chords but your right hand could also be playing separate individual notes. So the chords are indicated because that's what the band or rhythm section would be playing behind the lead notes. Or sometimes you'll just roll through the chords in which case the chords above and the tablature would match closely. If you always had to have a chord down though you'd be very limited to what notes you can play so it's normal for the lead player to explore beyond the chords to different notes. Sorry for the long response! - Mike

[@donaldjones3580]

No wonder the kid in Deliverance fingering and the sheet music I have do not match up at all! of course I have only been teaching myself for three weeks now.

[@MikeHeddingMusic]

Yes, that song there's multiple ways to play those same notes at different spots on the fretboard. - Mike

[@1850Navigator]

Hi Mike, I am very new to the banjo, two weeks. I have been studying music theory and guitar on my own for about a year now. But the notes you are showing on the strings don't make sense to me. For example, on the first string which is D, the next note is E which is a whole step and I think should be on fret two of the D string. The next note of course would be F, a half step up from E, and would be found on fret 3 of the first string. But this is not what you are showing in your video. Can you help me understand why this is not correct on the banjo?

[@MikeHeddingMusic]

Thanks for your question. Actually, in this example the next note would be F# (4th fret). Not F (3rd fret). We're playing the first five notes of a D major scale. So our notes are D, E, F#, G, A. Or using whole steps and half steps: W-W-W-H-W. You would use a F note if you wanted to play a D minor scale. If you have any more questions let me know. Best, Mike

[@1850Navigator]

Mike Hedding thanks for your reply. I got it. Understood. 👍🏻 Keep up the lessons and I’ll keep watching and promoting your work.

[@hughmongasass3773]

@@MikeHeddingMusic that was a boss explanation.