Driving your Banjo
Have you ever heard the term drive used to describe someone’s banjo playing? When people talk about J.D. Crowe or Earl Scruggs they often mention that they drive the banjo, or give it drive, or are driving the music. Last time I checked, a banjo didn’t have a steering wheel, so what does drive mean?
Drive is achieved by accenting certain notes in your banjo rolls. If your are playing in 4/4 time (4 beats per measure), the accented beats are the 1st and 3rd beats. If we translate this to a measure of eighth notes we are accenting the 1st and 5th notes. I know this sounds awfully simple, but there is a bit more to it, the 1st note is accented a bit stronger than the 5th, and the rest of the notes should be played at an even volume. In order to play a roll with drive, you have to be able to play your rolls very consistently and comfortably, so don’t try to drive a song before you are ready.
Here is an example to get you on the right track:
In the example above the 1st beat and the 3rd beat are accented.
Listen to some of your favorite banjo players and try to figure out which notes they are accenting, it is often the 1st and 3rd beats. Banjo isn’t that simple though, accents can fall on any beat, depending on the feel you are trying to get.
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