Gospel Plow - Melody

This melody is in double C tuning. Make sure to adjust your banjo's tuning before trying to play this. This one is pretty simple. You could fret every note needed with your 2nd finger. There's also some alternate fingerings in the licks. Those may be a bit more challenging, but once learned you'll likely find them to be more efficient.

Notice the lyrics beneath the banjo tablature. Even if you don't plan on singing learning the lyrics and how to hum or sing a melody is immensely beneficial for all musicians. It helps you know the melody, timing and how it all connects and interacts with the chord changes. With enough listening practice, you'll begin to memorize the melody and timing. This arrangement is a bit simplified, so not every syllable of every word is represented in the guitar tablature. "Syllabic" melodies are often much harder to play, and it's best to start simple before taking on that kind of challenge.

There's a few more licks for measure 2 that show you how o incorporate a basic bum-ditty or double thumb pattern. Try those out and practice them well. See if you can analyze the lick and tell how it is different from the melody. If you can see the concept and pattern being used then try and apply that bum-ditty or double thumb pattern with another measure. Play along with the Tunefox player so hear if you are keeping correct timing.