prev-icon
next-icon

Learn How To Play Five-String Banjo | Beginner Level

Beginner

by Bill Evans

45 Years Experience

US $102 per class |

for 1-on-1, 60 mins class

Pay as you go, 2 classes at a timePay as you go, 2 classes at a time

You can choose your time slots in the next step. ipassio has thousands of happy learners from the US, Canada, Australia, UK, Europe, UAE, and India.

Instruction Language

: English

Course Summary

This 12-week beginner course on ipassio is for those who wish to pick up the musical instrument Banjo. This course will be taught to you OnliVe (online + live), on a 1-on-1 basis. The instructor for this course, Banjo expert and player Bill Evans will be incorporating proper techniques like hand positions for fretting chords and picking melodies. The lively music of the five-string banjo is now increasingly present in all kinds of folk and popular music these days, from bluegrass to jazz and even classical music. Bill Evans has taught thousands of students over a career that now spans 45 years and he will create a customized curriculum in this individualized 1-on-1 course of instruction, based on the student's experience level and short- and long-term goals. 

Learn on

ipassio Video

ipassio Video

Skype

Skype

Teacher's Profile

Bill Evans

Bill Evans

Experience: 45 Years

From: United States

  • Teacher Skill Keywords

    Teacher Skill Keywords

    Melodic Style, Five String Banjo, Single String Style, Scruggs Style

About the Course

The instructor for this beginner course, Bill Evan's teaching is shaped to the needs and goals of each individual student. Playing with relaxation and utilizing comfortable hand positions for fretting chords and picking melodies is essential to a foundation of great playing. Bill will help you find what hand positions work best for you. From there, you'll learn the essentials of Earl Scruggs' three-finger picking styles and will also learn how to play bluegrass banjo classics such as "Cripple Creek," "Cumberland Gap," "Fireball Mail," "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" and much more. Other topics that can be discussed include accompanying others in bluegrass and folk ensembles, playing melodic and single-string styles, and learning the progressive banjo techniques of Bela Fleck, Tony Trischka, Noam Pikelny, and others playing fiddle tunes, jazz, and contemporary tunes using the three-finger technique. Tablature examples are included in all of Bill's lessons and he has hundreds of topics to present. Student requests are more than welcome! The frequency of lessons is up to each individual student, depending upon their budget and available practice time.

The three-finger right-hand picking technique developed by Earl Scruggs ("Foggy Mountain Breakdown") opens the door to play all kinds of music on the five-string banjo. "Scruggs style" is great for playing bluegrass, country, and folk standards and also provides the technology that is ideal for accompanying singers and other instrumentalists in bands. In addition, Bill teaches melodic and single-string styles, which both can open the door to a more advanced study of scales, chords, and modes, while you learn to play fiddle tunes, jazz standards, Beatles songs, and much more.

About the instructor: Bill Evans is a highly recognized and revered banjo player, known internationally for his talent and even being described as a "five-string banjo life force" by his peers. With a career that has spanned over thirty-five years, Bill is a passionate performer, a deeply knowledgable teacher as well as an excellent composer and writer. His thousands of fans worldwide, as well as his students, would agree that he brings an intense level of virtuosity as well as a contagious and unwavering passion to everything about the banjo. Bill is known for successfully bridging the gap between contemporary and a more traditional sound, as well as shaking up the traditional playing techniques. Using these unusual methods, he has created a new style of music that is still firmly situated within the traditions of bluegrass while also drawing upon his vast wealth of knowledge of world music, classical, and jazz.  He has achieved this fine balance by using his previous experiences as a Music at the University of California graduate, his time in Berkeley, and of course, the International Bluegrass Music Museum where he is the associate director.  As an expert player of the mid-19th century minstrel style banjo as well as late 19th to early 20th-century classic style banjo, Bill has a uniquely authentic performing style and showcases all of his widely diverse performing interests at his solo concert, "The Banjo in America." 

Bill has taught hundreds of thousands of banjo players of all levels from all over the world through his best-selling books and DVDs, hundreds of camp and workshop appearances, and private lessons. His instruction is practical, down-to-earth, and designed for the adult learner at any level, whether it be “how Earl & J.D. did it” or the latest in progressive melodic & single-string techniques. His books Banjo For Dummies and Bluegrass Banjo For Dummies along with nine Homespun, Murphy Method, and AcuTab DVD projects have set the modern standard for bluegrass banjo instruction. He hosts two popular online banjo courses at Peghead Nation and has taught at almost every bluegrass camp in the world, in addition to hosting his own events in California and New Mexico. His own mentors include Sonny Osborne, J. D. Crowe, Ben Eldridge, Alan Munde, Bill Emerson, and Bill Keith and in turn, he has helped many young professional players, including Chris Pandolfi, Wes Corbett, and Jayme Stone. These days, he tours with his solo show The Banjo in America and regularly performs with guitarist Dan Crary and The Hard Road Trio. His latest recordings are Prime Time, recorded with Dan Crary and Wally Barnick, and The Banjo in America, a DVD/CD set from Old-Time Tiki Parlour recordings.

... Read More

Available For All Age-Groups

Available For All Age-Groups

Online live sessions completed

Online live sessions completed

Our teachers recommend customized classes for an effective learning experience. Here's why!

Every individual

  • Has a unique learning style

  • Is at a different learning stage

  • Has different posture and instrument holding style

  • Has different mind-hand coordination

  • Has a different understanding of rhythm and melody

  • And a different GOAL!

What you get?

World-class  masters as  teachers

World-class masters as teachers

Personalized & Interactive 1-on-1 classes

Personalized & Interactive 1-on-1 classes

Course studio that amplifies passion learning

Course studio that amplifies passion learning

Access to  global creative community

Access to global creative community

Pay as you go - 2 classes at a  time

Pay as you go - 2 classes at a time

Milestone-based learning for best results

Milestone-based learning for best results

Statement of Accomplishment

Statement of Accomplishment

Teacher's performance bits for reference

Teacher's performance bits for reference

Whatsapp

Contact us in case of any questions

+91-97400-50326

Calling

Not able to decide on a teacher?

Take Our Help

FAQs

What Makes ipassio Your Best Fit?

Online, real-time classes

Online, real-time classes

From the comfort of your home, 1 on 1 online interactive classes are scheduled at your convenient time.

World class performers as educators

World class performers as educators

Award-winning teachers customize the course just for you. Their structured learning methodology lets you always track your progress.

Pay as you go

Pay as you go

No long-term commitment. Pay for as few as 2 classes at a time. When you can't make it for the class, you can mutually reschedule with ease.