Newport Sessions: Béla Fleck - “A Banjo Crashcourse”

Béla Fleck joins Chris Funk backstage at the 2022 Newport Folk Festival to talk through banjo fundamentals.
The Newport Sessions are free educational workshops, tutorials, conversations, and performances meant to inspire the next generation of players and fans.
Recorded backstage at the Newport Folk Festival by SöPa Productions
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[@wackyruss]

I bought a $90 Banjo from Wal-Mart. I learned to play a few licks and chords. I brought that thang to Bonnaroo 2008 and Bela Fleck signed it with a sharpie!!!!! Huzzah!!!!

[@stevendearborn445]

Thank you for sharing this Bala Fleck, I have listened to your style for forty five years

[@austenrobinson2747]

He’s the best I ever heard. He learned from the then master but accelerated so far beyond. Noam is gaining.

[@Panicmicelf]

Bella, not Scruggs, is who I originally sought to play like. I’ll never be there. Both are wonderful, and brought so much to the banjo. No body can play like Bella or Earl. 🙏🏻

[@scottcaley6555]

This video is a treasure! What a privilege to hear first hand from Béla how he got to this point in playing the banjo.

[@jeffreysalzman1497]

What a humble genius

[@tommyisbettercq6dn1gl3r]

Alot of the geniuses talk themselves down or even trash their playing 🤔

[@KennethWilliamElkington]

Bela is so engaging, affable... casual... unassuming, yet... the consummate professional and fount o' knowledge. Oh, think he won a few Grammys?

[@anthony27334]

Check out his interview with Rick Beato if you not seen it !

[@keypicker]

the 2 songs that made me love banjo - enough to actually learn it - are the Beverly Hillbillies theme (Ballad of Jed Clampett?) and Big Country. From Earl to Bela. Course I will never play like Earl or bela, but danged if I don't try.....

[@pedroelalto]

Big country is especially fun to play in low E tuning

[@victorswenson5026]

Thanks Bela

[@douglasalan5783]

Wonderful interview.

[@Horsefingerandthetaintwrights]

Bela is like EVH,Jimi and Zappa rolled into one for us banjo junkies That's an understatement. His humbleness and aproachability is without reproach and his body of work is mind boggling. IMHO

[@brysonalden5414]

To date myself, watching Bela Fleck do, for him, simple work on his banjo reminds me of watching Willie Mays handle routine fly balls in Candlestick park. They both make it look so easy, and it is until you try it.

[@Chasantnik]

Willy Mays! Wow! Blast from the past.

[@chaplainmattsanders4884]

Ya! Very cool analogy (from a guy who, when a CubScout, met the great Mr. Willie Mays!)

[@thesavvybassist]

I wanted to add banjo to my repertoire, so I bought a pretty nice one in January 2023. I am as good today as I was then. 😢 Banjo is hrrrrd.

[@yukon2445]

Just keep going, mate! It's a really hard instrument but it's worth it... Banjo is mindblowing. Greetings from France.

[@jasonsorrell2402]

Bela is the MAN!!!

[@jamespell8091]

Victor Wooten (I hope I have this spelt right) this is where I had learned of Bela Fleck. I had bought a book The Music Lesson. I had eventually learned that Wooten worked heavily with Dave Mathews. Having the book I looked into Victor Wooten. The guy does bass. Amazing.

[@chaplainmattsanders4884]

Yes indeed-a great bass player!

[@dangoodman9951]

Opened my mind to Victor Wooten

[@frankmurphyburr3598]

I've been playing banjo since 1980, Bèla was my hero, I have learned most if his easier tunes. I went to see his classical music with an orchestra a few years back, not his finest for me

[@AnthonyMorroni]

My Grandfather bought me first drum set RIP WW2 veteran ❤️❤️❤️

[@bassplayer1966]

One of the very best musicians on the planet....I've seen Bela with New Grass Revival back in 1992 or so and the Flecktones a couple years later....freaking incredible!!!

[@Marie-uq6vv]

This is great!

[@davidospina5216]

Hello Marie how are you doing today?

[@Marie-uq6vv]

@@davidospina5216 doing well thanks!

[@davidospina5216]

@@Marie-uq6vv so tell me where originally are you from..?

[@Marie-uq6vv]

@@davidospina5216 grew up in Connecticut, how about you?

[@davidospina5216]

@@Marie-uq6vv Nice place, I live in Oklahoma city but I'm currently working here in Syria

[@davidsean290]

The effortless, rolling Scruggs-esque rendition of Baa Baa Black Sheep was a fun and welcome surprise.

[@OzzMazz]

Great interview with examples.

[@HFamilyDad]

What a wonderful stream of consciousness

[@brucevernon5827]

Earl Scruggs, Lester Flats, and Don Reno, it was Don playing jaz guitar and Earl ,they decided to apply this jaz to the banjo , the choice of banjo they chose was a Gibson cardardra,high dome, these 2 people wrote the Beverly Hill Billy theme and Foggy mountain breakdown,they took a negro stile banjo and added the back sound reflector from the 10 er banjo then apply the 3 finger picking in a jaz style ,which became known as bluegrass style

[@eggmalt8414]

First saw him with Jack Tottle and his Tasty Licks (maybe 1977?) at Jonathan Swift's in Harvard Square. He was just a kid. I saw Bill Monroe and Earl Scruggs there, too, at different times.

[@aaronkruse]

2 people are my inspiration to learn the banjo... Béla, and my dad. 2 totally different styles, but both awesome in their own right.

[@blownaway4371]

To me, I think guitars aren't as vocal as banjos. (guitars really need to be plugged in to sound better)

[@clawhammer704]

The first banjo I heard was a old guy that accompanied my grandfather as he played the fiddle here in North Carolina. He was playing clawhammer. Later on I saw Earl Scruggs three finger rolls with Lester Flatt on TV.

[@ishgumi44]

The GOAT!

[@Foxrock321]

Bela is sportin da gray hair and beard…that’s experience..

[@JerrySmith-ih9rd]

Bella Fleck at Carnegie Hall

[@havi70]

I feel privileged to have the same tee shirt

[@bruth6138]

How the hell is he 65? He looks really good. Long time fan. Good to see this interview! What a normal/nice dude.

[@clawhammer704]

He earned his living by playing music and no manual labor.

[@mradisic11]

Mesmerizing guy. God blessed.

[@joannehack7588]

✌🏽

[@joannehack7588]

Nice t-shirt

[@universalwill3696]

Thank You!

[@muttandjeff5213]

Super cool!

[@laberintos]

Maybe my comment is inappropriate, but Bela shouldn't be the one to ask him to teach the basics, one could learn advanced cool banjo techniques from him.