Hello City Limits - Rolling Backup

"Hello City Limits" this is your sign...to practice rolling backup on your banjo! Rolling backup is crucial for playing in jams. It's also a great skill builder. Learning to roll through a chord progression really prepares your picking hand for the demands of authentic Scruggs style banjo playing. Aim for accurate timing, even volume and good tone! Avoid those scratchy sounds by getting the blades of your finger picks to strike evenly against the strings. Try to just strike strings with the tips of the picks.

The backwards roll is used to navigate the chord changes. Practice the banjo roll pattern in measure 1 thoroughly. Memorize it. Work on it until you can play it with ease and without watching your pick hand. Then, practice moving from the partial C chord to open G. You can just practice the fret hand motions by placing fingers down, applying pressure, and then releasing. Do that as an exercise. Keep fingers curled over the fingerboard even when you aren't fretting any notes. Then, use focus to work on rolling with the chord changes. Loop measures 4 & 5 together. Do the same thing with the partial D chord and the change to C. Notice that the same fret hand shape and fingering is used for C and D here!

The licks will give you examples of how to incorporate different roll patterns and authentic Scruggs style vocabulary.

Explore more Hello City Limits Banjo Tabs:

Melody, Scruggs Style - Basic, Emerson Style