How to Play the Banjo: Foggy Mountain Breakdown

[genericsoul]

you need a better quality camera, but i thank you very much for posting this video, it's not easy to learn on my own and paying for lessons is out of the question

[HeavyDutyAvalanche]

is he picking the 3 lower strings on the right?

[MSfeller]

I've been playing for 4 and a half years and still ain't got around learning Dueling Banjos and the Scruggs version of FMB. In my experience playing so far, those two, along with the Ballad of Jed Clampett, are the most requested tunes by regular people who know little about banjo, or in other words, just about everybody I come across. At least I learned the last one, better get into the other two beg'uns if I wanna please people! Foggy Mountain has always been my favorite though.

[jrgal27]

thats not how u do a hammer on (rocking fingers back and forth)!!!

[imavampwhazup]

FMB is pretty hard to play, and the hardest part is getting to banjo to play it on

[flopsy1997xfactor]

winston marshall made me want to learn the banjo!!!!

[Kyarina93]

@flopsy1997xfactor same here!! once i started to hear mumford and sons, i thought, I HAVE TO PLAY THIS i immediatly bought a banjo...and here i am =)

[flopsy1997xfactor]

@Kyarina93 hahaha i know theyre so awesome! i used to think the banjo was some weird uncool old fashioned nerdy instrument that only hillbillies play but then along came mumford and sons and now i see it as an amazing beautiful instrument! im getting a mandolin soon, like next week or something, before them i didnt even know what it was :D

[Kyarina93]

@flopsy1997xfactor exacly...im addicted to their music, it has opened up our taste in music..acctually my sister agreed to buy the mandolin and i bought the banjo =p we tried playing the songs on our violins but it just ddnt sound the same...im so excited to play along with the banjo and mandolin!!

[joselo1944]

Sorry but I do not see your name:

Very good your explanation.

The video is a little fuzzy, but still is very good and I thank you in doing so detailed.

From Buenos Aires Argentina, Fender FB54 Banjo with me, I greet you cordially, and again Thank you, José Luis.

God bless you.

[stormyamorette]

@tyme4mike I'm sure someone sells a left handed banjo, and If not than you could invest in a custom one, probably cost a pretty penny though.

[TheFreemanuk]

brilliant thanks for this very helpfull x i have a few songs simple acoustic banjo things

please listen comment whatever thanks x

[valerievomit23]

I think you should go over what string you are actually putting each finger thumb on because its way too blurry. Not helpful at all for beginners.

[MartinRaetzJr]

Great tutorial. Thank you.

[hotone23]

Thanks for posting...critical idiots can piss off.

[lucifersaprentice6]

wee wee wee bo i tell ya wat

[fayrico10]

more playig less talking please

[Zero11270]

this tutorial at least helped me more than those stupid expert village ones.

[songforamericans]

good vid...very helpful.....

[tyme4mike]

Maybe you can help me? Because I cannot play RIGHT-handed! And I can't even find a LEFT-handed banjo. Is there such a thing as a left handed banjo and where might I get one? Or am I doomed to learn to play a banjo right-handed? It's the most uncomfortable thing in the world trying to play righthanded for me.

[Chreele]

@tyme4mike you can buy a right handed banjo and re-string it so it is like a left handed... kinda

[shrunkenfun]

Are you playing the same right hand pattern throughout the whole song? I can do the left hand with out a problem I just don't understand how to that pattern doesn't change. Any tips or advice would greatly be appreciated.

[cabaldivision]

every single instructional video on this song is different from what i can see and also the tabs i searched and found are also different to the instructional videos, this video is mainly just talking then he starts playing fast randomly no warm up into playing it or anything i hope i find a good instructional video soon

[brianszuch]

WRONG Play it right or not at all

[ReNerdify]

thanks dude I <3 Banjos xD

[tasilbhurn]

i cant see easily, is that the 2-1-5-2-1-5 roll or more like 2-1-5-1-2-1-5 ?

[stringpiano]

Thank´s man, very instructive to a beginner like me who bought a clawhammer banjo without been able to drive one coherent chord of the board yet. Thank´s again

[cowboysamurai]

THANKS!

[jchipps1]

AWESOME !!!

You make it look so easy.

I'm pretty much a beginner and I've been beating my brains out...or at the very least....wearing my fingers out trying to learn to play this song (My favorite) and just can't get the right sound during that run of hammer ons. After watching and listening to your video...I think most of my problem is the tempo...or count of my roll pattern. Your's sounds more like "do do do do DO do do do" if that makes sense.

Anyway...Thanks for the great post.

[neil7227]

Learn to give a lesson the right way asshole like Chris Armstrong does!!!

[Thejohndeerecowboy]

this is great slow steps like this help people like me learn faster to bad you couldnt shoot it in hd so i could tell what string you were plucking

[iamdanielcash]

this is the best lesson for learning foggy mountain breakdown that i've found. thank you!

[relimes]

BANJO BUNGHOLIO!

[NightingaleHMP]

Well still playing my banjo and very grateful indeed for the online tutorials such as this one, I have never played such an addictive instument - I love it and can hardly put it down once I start to play. I hope to learn to play duelling banjos before I die and then I will be happy.

Er......I wont learn to play it too soon of course..LOL

Thank you for sharing this please DO keep up the good work. best wishes from the UK.

[MerlynSchutterle]

If you ever get a chance to hear Bobby Thompson's melodic run on Arthur Smith's Battling Banjos, you need to include it. When I first heard it, I thought Bobby was using a lot of flatted 5 and 7's, but it was a straight melodic run to Em. Bobby often sounded a lot like Earl, but Earl never sounded anything like Bobby.

[tibrotibroprokk]

Ive heard people say you should learn guitar before learning how to play the banjo. Does anyone agree? Is it harder to play the banjo than the guitar?

[mauricenanalook]

@tibrotibroprokk Banjo is probly easier. It does help out if you learn the guitar. the strings are basically no different on the banjo and guitar. just the bottom, or first string they call it, is tuned at D. The only hard part, to me, was learning the rolls on the banjo. other than that, your all set'n'ready to go... have fun. I know I am. and Good luck.

[MrPhlarg1]

@mauricenanalook and ya got be fast too lol

[TheAustinLitz]

your a fucking awful teacher

[wilfdarr]

It's FREE you douche!

[VeritgoHigh]

@TheAustinLitz And your a fuckin aweful excuse for a human being. This guy is donating his time to teach strangers how to play banjo. Why don't you do something productive with your life... like jump in front of oncoming traffic.

[57lookout]

@TheAustinLitz asshole if he's such an awful teacher how bout you get on here and teach the rest of us how to play

[TheCountryBoy4u100]

kyle, thank you lol

[MRmattconnell]

the banjo world needs a "Ultimate-guitar" type site. for tabs and news and such.

[tnony]

banjo hangout is similar. less user friendly

[kylecov3333]

Should really give a more detailed explanation on which strings you are plucking. It is kinda hard to tell. Not a bad video though. And @WillSkinner704 I am also just learning banjo and i found finger picks are incredibly hard to deal with. If you want to use them it will be much easier to start playing them than trying to switch over.

[steppmjk]

so whats this guys name and does he have any more lessons available?

[WillSkinner704]

I've never played before, but i am about to get a banjo. Is it easier to have the finger pics? Or does it depend on how you're playing it?

[bluemandos]

You have to have finger picks to play it right, if you want to do bluegrass banjo playing. You can practice without picks if you have neighbors, wife or kids who hate banjo. But, to get that tone, you need picks. Lots of different picks available that have different tones and usage techniques, so look into that too. Good luck, man, the world needs more banjo pickers!

[BorDeRxPaTrOlxx]

simple question, ive never played one before and was just wondering, ur right hand keeps the same pattern am i correct?

[AcousticFingerstyle7]

Great video, helped alot!

[ldrocks2009]

i would NEVER use my thumb for that.

it's I-M-I-M-T-I-M-T

[sonny2020]

@ldrocks2009

Different players will do different things. This picking pattern is just a forward roll except starting on what is usually the fourth beat (if playing in 8th notes). If you're used to playing a forward roll as: T-M-T-I-M-T-I-M then it's a pretty simple transition to I-M-T-M-T-I-M-T. Unless you're used to playing a forward roll starting on your index finger, in which case your picking makes sense. Personally I prefer his.

[christuspilatus]

great lesson Thnx

[RobertELee01]

That guy looks like SC Governor Mark Sanford.

[DKoppJr]

What is the standard tuning for a banjo?

[catdaddybanjoman]

gDGBD (from 5th string to 1st string)

[zerogravity724]

Everytime i try to learn something on banjo, i will look down at the strings and get carried away with playing, now i have to restart the video and put my banjo down

[pupafredfred]

haa yeah thats exactly what i do

[JimmyDeLocke]

Hey That's a mighty fine rendition of the way it goes -- great tone!

[celsoalvizi]

Dude!!! Greetings from Brazil. Thank you for your lessons. Vey helpful. Very kind!

[amibovverred]

Thank you for this excellent banjo riff, you're doing a brilliant job 5**** John.

[fedupwithtwits]

Thanks! What is the link to find your DVD?

[josherad11]

00:11

[Whitelightng]

I play banjo and I thought it was funny! :)

[edmunk]

My dad is a banjo picker that has picked with Earl Scruggs and he doesn't need a special role to play it.....just a good banjo picker that can play what he hears.

[s61dude]

The split screen is super! Easy to follow on either hand.

[s61dude]

This is a great video and shows the left hand position well. Thank you very much. This is one of the best banjo songs ever if played right.

[REALBACKDOORMAN]

YOU´RE ONE OF THE BEST MASTERS

THANK YOU, MAN.

i´LL PROBABLY BUY YOUR DVD SOON

[NightingaleHMP]

Excellent !!

[bandasalamandra]

Thank you... I´m in mexico and for this songs and videos i´m a banjo passionate i can´t stop to play it...saludos desde Monterrey

[NightingaleHMP]

This is absolutely excellent! I live in the UK and I have just bought a banjo and cant wait to learn to play...videos like this will be a great help and inspiration. Well done and thank you for sharing. Please keep up the good work!

[GULRUDJ]

No joke.

[friloupi]

good joke xD

[groberson2007]

Thanks, we need all the teachers we can get...

Thanks for your comment on Kaspar Fiddles With Gods Band. Kaspar teaches too.

[jrgal27]

Good lesson thanks

[evsynator]

nice lesson ... clearly done ... thanks .

[sherriffflood]

I agree with blueslover.This guy is doing everyone a favour showing us this, and they are all the right notes-if you already know how to do it properly what are you doing on here!

[blueslover777]

C'mon people, there is really no "wrong" way to do it. If you learn it a different way than what Scruggs says, big deal. If it sounds the same and you're still hitting the right notes, what does it matter? If you read the Earl Scruggs banjo book, he tells a stroy of how he developed his style when he was young. Everybody said he was doing it "all wrong." Ha, Pretty awesome "all wrong" way to do it if you ask me.

[brummeister1]

@blueslover777  everybody cept' those that made him famous and bought his albums and went to see him live...all cept them said he was doin it wrong right? ;)

[PureZOOKS]

@blueslover777 well, you are right, but there is a wrong way to do it, if I where to rub my genitals on the strings until the desire notes are achieved through my screaming, then people would say to me, "you're doing it wrong".

[ilikezappa]

@PureZOOKS You might find it hard to book gigs with your "Cockhammer" style banjo though ?

(apart from certain clubs in Amsterdam)

[PureZOOKS]

@ilikezappa I will just play the intervals of Vagina monologues and Puppetry of the penis shows.

[boomerbanjo]

I think you are playing this wrong. My Scruggs book show an index hammer thumb hammer on the second string to start the first measure. It seems you are playing a middle finger on the first string between those beginning hammer-ons. I've seen it tabbed this way in other books by other players but it sounds a little different.

[boomerbanjo]

I thinnk you are doing the roll incorrectly. My Scruggs book shows the tune starting with an index hammer thumb hammer on the second string. It seems you are throwing in a middle finger on the first string that the tabs do not show and my ear dois not hear

[iceonaboy]

What Scruggs book? I would love to find his tab of this tune. If you could point me in the right direction I would be a very happy chappie indeed

[MerlynSchutterle]

@iceonaboy

I think this was in the first Scruggs book written by Bill Kieth. I still have my old yellow copy from the 70's. That book followed some of the tunes on the Foggy Mt. Banjo album. The new Scruggs book has tunes I am not familiar with.

[RocketBoys202]

im confused, how did that help anyone, he showed us the first part over 5 mins... nothing else, great help on first part, but where is the rest?! Another videos please, i know you can! Awsome videos!

[jdogatl]

I think because after you can master that you have been doing this for a month or two. Or as in Scruggs book, now practice this atleast 1000 times. -shrug-

[REDHEADTINKERBELLSWE]

HUGE HELP THANKS!!!!

[LuxOccuIta]

First One to view... first comment :)... cool vid :)