Homespun

Turn Powerful Exercises Into An Arsenal of Banjo Licks - Lesson Two

In his second “Licks-Ercises” lesson, Bill Evans explores contemporary banjo techniques in both the “melodic” style, developed by Bill Keith, and “single-string” style, pioneered by Don Reno and, more recently, by modern players such as Béla Fleck and others. Bill helps you map out the fretboard and master major scales, octave shifts, chromatic licks, picking and fretting techniques, blues riffs and other invaluable devices. You’ll quickly come to understand the theory underlying these game-changing playing styles.

Bill shows you how to turn the technique-building exercises that he teaches into powerful licks that you can use in everything from traditional bluegrass improvisations to fiddle tunes and blues and jazz-tinged solos. Start playing Red-Haired Boy, Devil’s Dream, Bill Cheatem and any other tune that you want to shine on. Each element you’ll learn doubles as a powerful skill-building exercise - without the usual struggle that the term “practicing” implies. 

This lesson was designed for bluegrass banjo players at all levels, and detailed tab is provided for all examples.