Southern Rock & Roll - on the Banjo

Sweet Home Alabama. It's a southern rock anthem. I learned this riff on guitar as a child. I loved it then. I love it now. This riff sounds great on the banjo. The chord progression is solid and simple. It's just -- ||: D | C | G | G :||

I've had to move the riff up an octave. The banjo doesn't have as much range as guitar. There's several low strings and notes we just don't have access too because they don't exist on our instrument. That's ok. In moving the riff up an octave it's now in a great spot to practice D, C, and G with the common "root shape" banjo chord that's used in a lot of backup.

There's plenty of info in the video below. Watch that. I talk about lot's of things to focus on and ways to practice, but wanted to make this post so you'd also have some convenient links to follow.

If you don't know the some common banjo chord shapes then check out the learning path for Vamping and Closed Position Chords on Banjo. The Root position chord shape is what you'll need most for this version of Sweet Home Alabama, but all of the chord shapes are foundational and worth memorizing and practicing. If you are feeling adventurous and want to learn G, C, and D in more positions then check out I IV V Chord Progressions: G Major. That will equip you to play this all over the neck. You can take the picking patterns learned in the video and apply them to the chords in this banjo tablature. Once you have the timing of the chord progression you'll be playing Sweet Home Alabama up and down the neck!

There are a lot of "fills" in this song that will be much easier for you if you have a good handle on the G Major Pentatonic Scale in the Melodic Style on banjo. Practice the scale and workout as a warmup before working on the tune.

Physical practice isn't the only kind of practice! Mental practice and active listening without your instrument are very important. Listen to the original version of Sweet Home Alabama regularly. Imagine yourself playing the riff on banjo as you listen. You can also practice listening with Tunefox. Reading and imagining the sounds and sensations is another form of mental practice that can be hugely beneficial. As you read the banjo tablature think of which fingers go where, and what that would sound like.

Okay, jump in and watch the video. If you end up on youtube we would really appreciate the likes and the subscribes! I've got another lesson on the way that will cover the verse and chorus fills for Sweet Home Alabama as well as that cool instrumental bridge. I hope you all enjoy this one. Let us know what you think and please don't hesitate to reach out with questions or requests.

Oh, and here's the basic chord progression and fills for this song so you can practice on Tunefox.