Chords for Sheldon Online Academy: Béla Fleck-Single String Technique
Tempo:
87.05 bpm
Chords used:
G
D
Gm
Bb
B
Tuning:Standard Tuning (EADGBE)Capo:+0fret
Start Jamming...
So I thought it might be fun to talk about this technique we use on the banjo,
which we call single string technique.
And normally we think about the banjo doing [G] rolls like this.
And we get the impression of going really, really fast
by alternating the three fingers on the right hand.
So I can go
I couldn't move any one finger this fast,
but by alternating all three I could go as fast as I want.
No finger is moving faster than that, right?
So that's a technique in itself that is what Scruggs [N] style is all about.
But there's a guy named Don Reno who started another style on the banjo
called single string.
And of course people argue about who actually started it,
but he certainly was a great one who did an awful lot with it
and probably started it.
And he figured out that on a banjo you could break the rule
that you never hit the same string twice,
that [G] Scruggs generally kept to,
and hit the same string with the thumb and the index in a row.
And basically you're turning your thumb and index finger into a flat pick
with this technique.
So you could do things like, if you're playing along with a roll,
and you bring in the thumb
Not what we think about when we think about the banjo [Gm] roll.
[G]
And all I'm doing there is going back and forth with my thumb and index.
Down strokes are always the thumb.
Index is always up.
So a good way to practice this might be to start with the open strings.
So say you take the middle string, the G string,
and go 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.
And then do the second [B] string.
And then [D] the first string.
And then start doing them [G] consecutively.
[D] [G] So that, by going across all the strings, you get used to being in time
and you get used to switching from string to string,
which is one of the trickiest things [Bb] about the thumb-index single string style
because it's one thing to stay on one string [G] and go up and down,
but if you're going all the way from any string to any string,
that's a lot harder.
So another cool technique to work on that would be to, say,
do just three notes on each string,
which will mean you'll go thumb, index, middle
No, thumb, index, thumb.
[Ab] The next string you'll start index, thumb, index.
[G] So it'll be like this.
So by coming up with some techniques like that,
you start out by learning how to get your right hand together.
After that, [D] now you have to learn how to get the left hand in.
So one [G] suggestion I might make is to do a similar kind of thing
and do, for instance, four notes on each string, a nice even number.
And then go to the next string.
Try any note you want.
Then the next obvious thing to do is to do three notes.
[Gm]
[G] [Bb] [G]
Well, then I went into triplets, but that's for the next lesson.
I think that's maybe enough for right now.
If it was me and I was learning that for the first time,
my head would be exploding.
So get a towel off your head and learn this music.
[Eb] Good luck.
which we call single string technique.
And normally we think about the banjo doing [G] rolls like this.
And we get the impression of going really, really fast
by alternating the three fingers on the right hand.
So I can go
I couldn't move any one finger this fast,
but by alternating all three I could go as fast as I want.
No finger is moving faster than that, right?
So that's a technique in itself that is what Scruggs [N] style is all about.
But there's a guy named Don Reno who started another style on the banjo
called single string.
And of course people argue about who actually started it,
but he certainly was a great one who did an awful lot with it
and probably started it.
And he figured out that on a banjo you could break the rule
that you never hit the same string twice,
that [G] Scruggs generally kept to,
and hit the same string with the thumb and the index in a row.
And basically you're turning your thumb and index finger into a flat pick
with this technique.
So you could do things like, if you're playing along with a roll,
and you bring in the thumb
Not what we think about when we think about the banjo [Gm] roll.
[G]
And all I'm doing there is going back and forth with my thumb and index.
Down strokes are always the thumb.
Index is always up.
So a good way to practice this might be to start with the open strings.
So say you take the middle string, the G string,
and go 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.
And then do the second [B] string.
And then [D] the first string.
And then start doing them [G] consecutively.
[D] [G] So that, by going across all the strings, you get used to being in time
and you get used to switching from string to string,
which is one of the trickiest things [Bb] about the thumb-index single string style
because it's one thing to stay on one string [G] and go up and down,
but if you're going all the way from any string to any string,
that's a lot harder.
So another cool technique to work on that would be to, say,
do just three notes on each string,
which will mean you'll go thumb, index, middle
No, thumb, index, thumb.
[Ab] The next string you'll start index, thumb, index.
[G] So it'll be like this.
So by coming up with some techniques like that,
you start out by learning how to get your right hand together.
After that, [D] now you have to learn how to get the left hand in.
So one [G] suggestion I might make is to do a similar kind of thing
and do, for instance, four notes on each string, a nice even number.
And then go to the next string.
Try any note you want.
Then the next obvious thing to do is to do three notes.
[Gm]
[G] [Bb] [G]
Well, then I went into triplets, but that's for the next lesson.
I think that's maybe enough for right now.
If it was me and I was learning that for the first time,
my head would be exploding.
So get a towel off your head and learn this music.
[Eb] Good luck.
Key:
G
D
Gm
Bb
B
G
D
Gm
So I thought it might be fun to talk about this technique we use on the banjo,
which we call single string technique.
And normally we think about the banjo doing [G] rolls like this. _
_ And we get the impression of going really, really fast
by alternating the three fingers on the right hand.
So I can go_
I couldn't move any one finger this fast,
but by alternating all three I could go as fast as I want. _ _
No finger is moving faster than that, right?
So that's a technique in itself that is what Scruggs [N] style is all about.
But there's a guy named Don Reno who started another style on the banjo
called single string.
And of course people argue about who actually started it,
but he certainly was a great one who did an awful lot with it
and probably started it.
And he figured out that on a banjo you could break the rule
that you never hit the same string twice,
that [G] Scruggs generally kept to,
and hit the same string with the thumb and the index in a row. _ _ _ _
_ _ And basically you're turning your thumb and index finger into a flat pick
with this technique.
So you could do things like, if you're playing along with a roll,
_ and you bring in the _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
thumb_
Not what we think about when we think about the banjo [Gm] roll. _ _
_ [G] _ _ _ _ _ _ _
And all I'm doing there is going back and forth with my thumb and index.
Down strokes are always the thumb.
Index is always up.
So a good way to practice this might be to start with the open strings.
So say you take the middle string, the G string,
and go 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.
And then do the second [B] string.
_ _ _ And then [D] the first string. _ _
_ And then start doing them [G] consecutively. _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ [D] _ _ [G] _ So that, by going across all the strings, you get used to being in time
and you get used to switching from string to string,
which is one of the trickiest things [Bb] about the thumb-index single string style
because it's one thing to stay on one string [G] and go up and down,
but if you're going all the way from any string to any string,
that's a lot harder.
So another cool technique to work on that would be to, say,
do just three notes on each string,
which will mean you'll go thumb, index, middle_
No, thumb, index, thumb.
[Ab] The next string you'll start index, thumb, index.
[G] So it'll be like this.
So _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ by coming up with some techniques like that,
you start out by learning how to get your right hand together.
_ After that, [D] now you have to learn how to get the left hand in.
So one [G] suggestion I might make is to do a similar kind of thing
and do, for instance, four notes on each string, a nice even number.
_ _ And then go to the next string.
_ _ _ _ Try _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ any note you want. _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ Then the next obvious thing to do is to do three notes.
_ _ [Gm] _ _
_ _ _ _ [G] _ [Bb] _ _ [G] _
_ _ Well, then I went into triplets, but that's for the next lesson.
I think that's maybe enough for right now.
If it was me and I was learning that for the first time,
my head would be exploding.
So get a towel off your head and learn this music.
[Eb] Good luck. _
which we call single string technique.
And normally we think about the banjo doing [G] rolls like this. _
_ And we get the impression of going really, really fast
by alternating the three fingers on the right hand.
So I can go_
I couldn't move any one finger this fast,
but by alternating all three I could go as fast as I want. _ _
No finger is moving faster than that, right?
So that's a technique in itself that is what Scruggs [N] style is all about.
But there's a guy named Don Reno who started another style on the banjo
called single string.
And of course people argue about who actually started it,
but he certainly was a great one who did an awful lot with it
and probably started it.
And he figured out that on a banjo you could break the rule
that you never hit the same string twice,
that [G] Scruggs generally kept to,
and hit the same string with the thumb and the index in a row. _ _ _ _
_ _ And basically you're turning your thumb and index finger into a flat pick
with this technique.
So you could do things like, if you're playing along with a roll,
_ and you bring in the _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
thumb_
Not what we think about when we think about the banjo [Gm] roll. _ _
_ [G] _ _ _ _ _ _ _
And all I'm doing there is going back and forth with my thumb and index.
Down strokes are always the thumb.
Index is always up.
So a good way to practice this might be to start with the open strings.
So say you take the middle string, the G string,
and go 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.
And then do the second [B] string.
_ _ _ And then [D] the first string. _ _
_ And then start doing them [G] consecutively. _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ [D] _ _ [G] _ So that, by going across all the strings, you get used to being in time
and you get used to switching from string to string,
which is one of the trickiest things [Bb] about the thumb-index single string style
because it's one thing to stay on one string [G] and go up and down,
but if you're going all the way from any string to any string,
that's a lot harder.
So another cool technique to work on that would be to, say,
do just three notes on each string,
which will mean you'll go thumb, index, middle_
No, thumb, index, thumb.
[Ab] The next string you'll start index, thumb, index.
[G] So it'll be like this.
So _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ by coming up with some techniques like that,
you start out by learning how to get your right hand together.
_ After that, [D] now you have to learn how to get the left hand in.
So one [G] suggestion I might make is to do a similar kind of thing
and do, for instance, four notes on each string, a nice even number.
_ _ And then go to the next string.
_ _ _ _ Try _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ any note you want. _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ Then the next obvious thing to do is to do three notes.
_ _ [Gm] _ _
_ _ _ _ [G] _ [Bb] _ _ [G] _
_ _ Well, then I went into triplets, but that's for the next lesson.
I think that's maybe enough for right now.
If it was me and I was learning that for the first time,
my head would be exploding.
So get a towel off your head and learn this music.
[Eb] Good luck. _