John Hardy - Scruggs - Basic

This is a great version of John Hardy for the banjo. It should be fairly easy for experienced players and very accessible for late beginners. Remember, this tune and others can be made easier with the use of the difficulty slider in Tunefox.

We strongly recommend that you learn the melody and rolling backup before learning this version. That will give you strong foundations in the melody and rolls needed to play this.

Read and listen to the banjo tablature before playing. Always do this. Analyze what you read, and actively listen to what you hear. This is an important part of practice. Try to notice roll patterns. If you look and listen closely you can see and hear the forward roll being used.

The most important measures, and groups of measures, to master for this basic Scruggs style arrangement are as follows:

#1 - The forward roll on a C chord in measure two.

#2 - The extended forward roll pattern in measures four and five. Use the focus feature to loop both measures together.

#3 - The tricky rhythmic picking pattern in measures fourteen and fifteen.

You will notice these rolls and picking patterns happen a lot in this song. Master each of the 3 important elements using the focus feature before trying to tackle the whole song.

Explore more John Hardy Banjo Tabs:

Melody, Rolling Backup, Vamping Étude - Pentatonic Walk, Scruggs Style Étude - Lick Based Solo, Earl Scruggs: Transcription, Earl Scruggs: Transcription # 2, Earl Scruggs: Transcription # 3, Scruggs Style, Melodic Style, Backup