Tab is an effective way of learning songs, but for some it may be easier to pick them up by listening and imitating others.
Standard notation defines “slur” as an legato transition between notes (not flatpicking techniques). Choke is used when striking the string without sounding it – up and down choke is similar to sliding.
Bluegrass
Bluegrass music originated with Bill Monroe. He experimented with new ways of presenting string-band music and developed his distinctive banjo picking technique that gave bluegrass its unique sound. By the mid 1940s, Bill had created his own group, The Blue Grass Boys, that began exhibiting many characteristics associated with modern bluegrass.
Bluegrass music relies heavily on the unique style of banjo banjo that features both fifth string and shorter drone string. Furthermore, its signature rhythm and tempo is usually upbeat; each banjo beat is accented by bass guitar, mandolin or mandola to provide an engaging rhythm which provides the foundation for other instruments to build on and is vitally important.
Tab is a form of musical notation which uses symbols to depict fretting positions on banjo strings. While not as precise as written notation, tab can be useful when beginning bluegrass playing – especially for beginners learning the instrument. Tabs may even reflect rhythm of songs which can prove extremely helpful for newcomers!
However, when using bluegrass banjo tabs there are a few key issues that must be taken into consideration. You must learn the proper way to read them; tab is different than written music in that it has its own set of rules that need to be learned and memorized. Furthermore, some notation may be misleading due to being broken up into groups of one beat per notation – for example a 1/16th note may look like an 1/8th on tab due to being divided up by groups.
Country
Country music banjo playing is an emerging style which has not yet established its own rules, techniques or definitions. This makes the genre appealing for banjoists who wish to contribute without conforming to stereotypes or playing styles defined and perfected by others.
Keep in mind that country songs typically do not allow the banjo to shine as the lead instrument; rather, most often the banjo serves as an integral rhythmic backbone for other instruments – similar to how bluegrass music utilizes guitar as an accompanying element.
Therefore, when learning country songs on banjo you should avoid tab. Instead, get acquainted with their chord progressions first before trying out your own style with them on banjo.
Keep in mind that although a banjo is a 5-string instrument, it can be tuned differently and altered significantly to alter its sound and overall song. For instance, you could play your banjo in C with a capo on its second fret for an acoustic-guitar sounding rendition.
Note that banjo tab does not accurately represent melody and harmony. Even the finest tab writers can find difficulty translating these elements of music onto tab sheets due to equal value notes of the notation system – something most songs contain long-short-long-short rhythm patterns; using tab in beginner banjo books starts off a player on an incomplete musical journey.
Old-Time
Old-time music refers to a specific string band style featuring fiddle, banjo and guitar that predates Bluegrass but remains influential today in American popular music. It has given birth to genres from country music through bluegrass to even contemporary rock like Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros; regardless of which genre you listen to or listeners you follow it’s important to understand their relationship as many styles share similar underlying structures.
Modern old-time music has seen a remarkable renaissance thanks to a number of influential films, easier access to source materials, and groups like Freight Hoppers, Wilders, Uncle Earl, Glade City Rounders, Foghorn Stringband and Carolina Chocolate Drops. Additionally, bluegrass and folk influences can often be heard in contemporary artists’ work such as Brandi Carlile, Mumford & Sons or Old Crow Medicine Show.
At an old-time jam, you’ll likely see people of all ages and walks of life playing a variety of instruments – fiddles, banjos, guitars are usually among the more commonly seen instruments – fiddlers may join others playing bass guitar, washboard, spoons bones jugs etc to provide entertainment in an informal atmosphere where musicians tend to play without stressing out or competing against each other.
Most old time musicians employ notation rather than listening and learning by ear. However, certain banjo traditions don’t rely on notation at all, like clawhammer banjo style. Though difficult to learn at first, once it becomes second nature it can be immensely satisfying! There are great resources out there such as Wayne Erbsen’s book Clawhammer Banjo Tune Collections Tips and Jamming as resources for this style.
Irish
Irish music has long embraced the five string banjo as an integral element, as used by Luke Kelly, Finbar Furey, Seamus Eagan, Margaret Barry and many more artists. Furthermore, Celtic musicians frequently employ this instrument with its 3-finger technique.
Tony Sullivan offers several Irish traditional tunes written in standard notation and tab for tenor banjo, with both standard notation and mandolin-style tuning options (GDAE tuning). Tony also has books full of Irish traditional tunes written specifically for this instrument in both tunings.
Old Molly Hare is an ideal tune to practice triplets. Due to its irregular structure, it would be wise to capo on the second fret and tune up to A on your fifth string for optimal practice. This tune was selected as Tune of the Week on January 10, 2024.
Folk
Folk music was traditionally passed down through families and other small social groups, usually with acoustic instruments played acoustically, that depicted traditions and culture of an area or group of people. Instrumentation for this genre varies but typically includes guitars and banjos; additionally traditional flutes whistles pipes; as well as more unusual instruments such as hurdy-gurdys hammer dulcimers and bazoukis are sometimes featured.
There is an abundance of banjo tab available online, from user-produced pages like the Banjo Hangout to books containing tablatures for multiple songs. These resources can assist beginners learning the fundamentals of tabbing interpretation while more experienced players may use these pages as sources for new melodies over chord progressions.
Beginners should understand that melody over chord progression is the building block of every song, and should prioritize learning how to play melody before learning chord progressions. Starting out should not attempt to learn both simultaneously as this will prove too challenging a task for newcomers.
Musescore provides an ideal way to practice tablature tabbing, by allowing users to easily create song arrangements on the computer screen with chords and melody, including hearing how their arrangement will sound once complete.