Left Hand - The Choke
An important Left Hand Technique on the banjo is the choke. A choke is just another way of saying bending a string. A banjo choke is is usually done with the middle finger and stays in the same fret, don’t start on the tenth fret and end on the eleventh. The idea of the choke is to bend to a higher note - this note is usually a whole or half step higher. A choke is indicated by the symbol ~, which is printed below the note that is to be choked.
Playing a choke on the banjo is simple - place your middle finger on the 2nd string at the 10th fret. You can bend towards or away from your palm, it just depends what feels good and where your fingers are going next. Start your bend just after you have picked the string. In this example you bend up a half step and then pick the next note. For your interest, the note you are choking is an A.
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Left Hand - The Push-Off
A push-off is similar to a pull-off, but has your finger pushing the string away from your palm. Whether you play a pull-off or a push-off depends on the next string you need to play. For example, if you were going to be playing the 4th string after the 3rd string you would probably use a push-off on the 3rd string.
To play a push-off - pick the string and push your middle finger down onto the string, pushing it away from your palm and then let it snap back. The finger should dig into the string and push it until you let it snap back into place.
The following exercise has a push-off in it and also has a sixteenth note to watch out for. I’ve just tabbed out the first half a measure to get you started.
Listen to the push-off here:
Count this exercise: 1 e + 2 e + 3 e + 4 e +….. Repeat this exercise until you can hear the push-off nice and clearly.
This exercise fits the push-off into a roll.
Count this exercise: 1 e + 2 + 3 4….. Listen to this exercise here:
When you get comfortable with the push-off you can use them instead of, or with pull-offs, so have fun and make up you own banjo licks.
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Playing the Banjo in a Group
Whether you are playing in a band or jamming with a friend - you have to know how to fit in with the music. The first and most important thing to know is simple: You are not the only instrument in the band.
When we learn songs, we are very focused on ourselves - We are thinking about the song structure, the chords, the vocals, playing more consistently and probably a few more things. While concentrating on what we are playing is very important, when you are in a group, you have to worry about the other instruments, including the vocals. So, how do you know how to fit in? In a group, you will have different roles depending on the situation.
To give you a good idea of how this works, I’ll use the group that I play with as an example. In my situation, we have three instruments - banjo, guitar and mandolin. If I am singing, I will play a simpler banjo part than if I am not singing. It is easier to sing and play if the banjo part is less complex. The next situation you will encounter is playing leads and backups.
When I am playing a break or lead on the banjo, the guitar and mandolin play a backup role. This backup role can vary, but usually they play a simple part that doesn’t interfere with the banjo. When the mandolin and guitar take lead breaks, the banjo backs off and covers the backup role. Switching from a break to back up takes practice, especially if you want to do it well. You can play backup a lot of different ways, but the main thing to remember is not to over play - backup keeps the rhythm of the song without competing with the lead.
Here are a few rules for jamming or playing in a group:
- Be in tune.
- Have fun.
- You don’t have to play all the time.
- Don’t play a break over top of the vocals.
- If you can’t hear the lead or vocals you are too loud.
- Have fun
- If you can’t hear yourself you are to quiet.
- Music is not a competition - Do what you need to do to make the group sound better.
- You are NOT the only instrument in the group.
- Have fun
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Left Hand - The Pull-off
Another very common banjo technique is the pull-off. This is a tricky technique to get sounding good, but with practice - you will get it.
Place your middle finger on the 3rd string - 2nd fret. Now pick with your thumb and snap your finger off the string towards the palm of your hand. Try to get the second note as loud as the first.
Here are two more banjo pull-offs on the second fret.
You can also do a pull-off from your middle to your index finger. For the following exercises, your index finger is on the 2nd fret and your middle is on the 3rd fret. Your index finger should be held firmly in place. In this exercise you play a note at the same time as the second note of the pull-off, it is important that both notes are played simultaneously.
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J.D. Crowe on YouTube
J.D. Crowe is an amazing banjo player, maybe the best I’ve ever heard. I’ve recently discovered music on YouTube, and stumbled onto a version of John Hardy by The Bluegrass All-stars. The banjo player in this band is J.D. Crowe and he puts on a banjo workshop.
Before I talk about the banjo, I have to at least mention the musicians who make up the All-stars. First, Tony Rice - guitar and vocals; Alison Krauss - fiddle; David Grisman - Mandolin; Mark Shatz - Bass and J.D. Crowe on the banjo. This group lives up to their name, just check out John Hardy. Here’s a picture of J.D. in the late 70’s.
This song is a demonstration of how to play backup on the banjo. J.D. plays so solidly - he uses a few different approaches on backup, and they all work great. I think what makes J.D. stand out from the crowd is his timing - it is always right on. His lead break is a work of art, and there is a great camera angle that shows off his picking. Relaxed, hardly describes J.D.’s stage presence - he appears to be playing without any effort at all. What an inspiration to be a better banjo player.
There are a few videos of J.D. on YouTube - in the clips I checked out he is nearly perfect. I’ll let you decide for yourself - search out some J.D. Crowe and get ready to learn how to REALLY play the banjo.
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Left Hand - The Hammer-on
The hammer-on is similar to the slide on the banjo, but instead of sliding to the next note you hammer it with your finger. The middle finger waits just above the fretboard, and after the first note is picked, the finger hammers out the second note.
Let’s start by using open strings, pick the third string open and hammer the 3rd string - 2nd fret. Move that same hammer-on to the fourth string, pick 4th string open and hammer 2nd fret. Practice this one until the second note is as strong as the first. The H indicates a hammer-on.
Here are two more hammer-ons, but this time there is another note picked at the same time as the hammer. Make sure that the second note is picked at the exact same time as the hammer. Your index finger stays on the second fret while you do the hammer-on with your middle.
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Left Hand - The Banjo Slide
The slide is one of the left hand techniques that gives the banjo its unique sound. Learning to do a slide is easy, you just slide your finger down the fretboard.
The best way to learn is to play, so I’ve included a couple of exercises to get you started.
Exercise one slides from the 2nd fret to the 4th fret on the third string and then jumps into a roll. Use you middle finger for the slide. The S indicates a slide, if I had used an H it would indicate a hammer-on.
to the slide here:
This time we will do a slide on the fourth string from the 2nd fret to the 4th. Again we will use our middle finger.
Hear it played:
Practice these two exercises until you can play them without making mistakes. Make sure and count, 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and….
When you play this exercise listen for fret buzz, uneven picking, tempo changes and be honest. Slow it down and correct the problem and never worry about it again.
If you do a slide that is only one fret, it sounds the same as a hammer-on. Banjo slides rarely go to a lower note, they all seem to slide up.
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