Skip to My Lou for clawhammer banjo is a great tune for any beginner to learn. It's a simple song that used to be a popular dance tune and has become a common children's song. This is good because many people already know the melody. Simple songs you know by heart are the best to learn when you are first studying how to play an instrument.

All these banjo tunes are in Drop C! Make sure to tune your big D string, the 4th string, down to a C note. This is especially important for the Clawhammer and Backup arrangements.

Check out the Melody first. Make sure you know how to play those important notes. This will be simple and the least challenging. Next, try out some Backup. This is great to sing along with. If these chords are new to you, then first focus on making the chord shape with your fret hand and just strum one chord at a time without worrying about playing in time. After you get familiar with the chord shapes then try to apply that classic clawhammer strum pattern. If you need help learning or refreshing the basics of the bum-ditty then check out the learning path for Getting Started with Clawhammer Banjo to dive into some video lessons and exercises to help you master the basics.

If the melody and backup come easily to you then dive into the clawhammer version of this tune. There's a few great licks to help you keep things interesting and learn how to add variation using a variety of clawhammer banjo techniques and playing styles.