Chords for Beginner's Old Time Banjo Lesson - As Easy As 1-2-3 - Volume 1

_ Howdy folks, my name is Tony Thomas.
I'm a singer-songwriter and
Also an instructor and what I want to do here for you today
Is show you some very very easy techniques _ in learning the old-time
_ _ Banjo style what I'm going to show you today.
I call it the one two three method and
It's as easy as one two three and I'll go I'll demonstrate you need to get your banjo [Gbm] and and
the [Bb] standard G tuning in order to [Gb] do this a _
lot of instructors they tend to start out their [Ab] students with complicated type [Gm] of
lessons and
[Cm] First thing the student [G] does is become [G] really frustrated and discouraged
_ But I wanted to give you a few helpful hints, and I don't want [Cm] nobody to be
Frustrated hardly discouraged [Ebm] and we'll do a simple [Gb] old song and like I [G] say
This is as easy as one two three and the old-time style
This is what we're going to call the drop thumb method you can [N] do it with or without picks either way you prefer
We're going to count down our frets these apparatuses here these metal
[B] Apparatuses are called frets one two three four
_ _ Five _ your banjo is tuned [Gb] in the open G tuning
_ [B] When I say [G] open if you _ _ strum your banjo without noting it's called open and that's a perfect G
_ But one two [B] three four five down you bar [C] that fifth fret there with your index finger.
You've got a perfect [Cm] C
_ Go two down
Six [D] seven you've got a perfect D.
Then what you've got [G] now is G _ _
[C] C
[D] _ and [G] D
One two three one [D] two three
[G] _ _
_ [D] It's as simple as one two [Ab] three.
We're going to go through a song with you here if
If baby blue will let me do this, but anyway [Ebm] an old-time Stephen Forster song old Susanna
We're going to do it slow [G] and easy
_ _ Well, I came from Alabama
_ with a banjo [D] on my knee
[G] I'm for Louisiana
My true love for to see here's the [C] course _ _
_ _ [G] Don't you [D] cry for me _ [G] came from
Alabama with the [D] banjo on [G] my knee
I use the the key of G open G
_ [D] closed D and
Your course [Cm] went into your C
_ [G] We're going to do it one more time slow and easy and I use the [D] Kentucky drop thumb
Which is a pinching method or you can either just strum downward and a [B] downward stroke with your thumb [G] slow and easy _
_ Well, I came from Alabama
_ with a banjo on [D] my knee
[G] I'm for Louisiana
my true love for to see
[C] _ old Susanna
[D] Don't you cry for me
[G] I'm for Alabama
with a banjo on my knee
_ _ [B] Excuse the lyrics I get them messed up, but [Bb] that's the melody that you're gonna go [G] by do it one more time
Well, it rained all night today
_ The weather [D] was so good
[G] The Sun was so hot I froze to death
Susanna [D] don't you [G] cry
[C] _
old
_ Susanna
_ [G] Don't you cry [D] for me?
_ [G] for I came from
Alabama
_ _ _ _ [D] _ _
[G] _ I'm gonna show you the chords in the G _
_ _ Open [D] the D closed [C] and the C closed
remember one two, three, four five
Bar it with your index finger [B] or either finger that you prefer.
You got a [G] perfect C go down to which would be
Six [D] seven you got a perfect D on your [G] neck there go by your fridge
Slow and easy I'm not gonna do the lyrics.
I'm gonna do the chords this time
_ Oh
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
[D] _ _ _ [G] _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ [C] _
_ _ _ _ _ [G] _ _ _
[D] _ _ [G] _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ [D] _ _
[G] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ [C] _ _ _ _ _
[G] _ _ _ [D] _ _ _ [G] _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ Remember your your tuning [B] your G tuning the banjo [E] is in a standard G tuning
you use your [G] open G
_ your [C] closed C [G] and your [B] closed V and a tuner is
[Ebm] Essential have a good [C] tuner where you can get your [Db] banjo in perfect pitch
[B] All right, that's all for right now, but I'll be back later with maybe some more banjo lessons
that you might be able to
_ _ [Ab] take a liking to and
Grasp pretty easily so you can [F] be on your way to playing old-time banjo and remember you can play [Em] with the picks or without
Or you can actually use a guitar pick [E] just whatever you want to do, whatever you're comfortable, [Eb] but it's all in that [G] wrist _
[C] _ _ [D] _ [G] _ _ later _