In this tutorial we look at how to get a 'blues' sound on the banjo and adding the use of a slide (and how to play Banjo Jen's original bluesy song ' Colour of the Devil').
*Edit: For technical accuracy I should point out that from around 16.45 onward where I start talking about sliding up to the 'C' chord and down to the B♭, it's technically a D to a C. If you're playing without a capo on a banjo (in open G tuning as usual) barring the third fret always gives a B♭ chord, the fifth fret gives a C chord and the seventh fret gives a D chord. So that was in my head as I was talking about it! But with a capo on the second fret (as I was using in the video), three frets along from the capo is actually the fifth fret so is therefore a C chord, then five along is a D chord, and seven along is an E chord, etc! Confusing eh!
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Hey everyone :) Welcome to the banjo ranks! I'm Banjo Jen - a singer-songwriter from Sheffield in the UK. I don't really play loads of old tunes (even though they're cool) and I don't focus overly on too much theory or technical aspects. But I use the wonderful frailing banjo style to play and create songs, and - most importantly - to play for fun. So I hope that I can help you to do the same thing and get enjoyment out of this fab instrument if you're just starting out (just be aware you will always be the butt of jokes in folk music circles if you play the banjo!). Please join me in the uphill struggle to make banjo cool!
If you're interested in my original singer-songwriter material, please check out my website www.banjojen.com and subscribe to my main TH-cam channel th-cam.com/users/banjojen. Thank you :)
Other links:
Facebook: banjojenmusic
Instagram: banjojen
Twitter: BanjoJen
Bandcamp: banjojen.bandcamp.com
Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/3YOVXUh7y4kZt6B42pHmsc?si=1Xe8yPQLQ06mRZufMe6o7w
These tutorials are of course available for free, but if you feel that you'd like to contribute anything, obviously any donations to poor banjo players are always appreciated in these tough times! My PayPal account is www.paypal.me/banjojen for any of those exceptionally lovely humans :)
And finally, always remember …pick tunes not fights!
Jen xx