HOW TO ORDER TAB

The Session Book
Jam Along With The Band!

The Kickoff Book
Build Your Repertoire!

The Jerry Book
Old and In The Way
Banjo Transcriptions

  1. Select the 'Add to Cart' button under any video on the site for which you'd like to purchase the TAB.
  2. Once you've made all your selections, click the 'View Cart' button above.
  3. Pay for the TAB on Paypal with either a credit card or through your account.
  4. You'll receive an email with the purchased TAB attached (PDF and TablEdit formats) as soon as the Paypal purchase clears.
    (TAB will be sent to the email address listed on your PayPal account. If you do not receive your tab within thirty minutes of purchase check your spam folder. Please contact me directly with any questions or concerns regarding your order.)

(In order to playback the TablEdit files you'll need to install the free viewer: Tefview)

Please contact me with any questions at all or for discount pricing on multiple orders and thanks to all who support seanray.com

Search Results

Single String Chromatic Exercises

February 3rd, 2007

This video demonstrates single string style picking using the standard three finger Scruggs approach on the five string banjo. The fundamental right hand pattern starts with the thumb and alternates with the index finger to simulate the up and down stroke of a flatpick. Some people use their middle finger instead of the index. Either way works so use whichever feels more natural.

The first exercise is a G chromatic scale starting at the fifth fret of the forth string. The notes of the scale are: G, G#, A, A#, B, C, C#, D, D#, E, F, F#, G.

The second exercise involves playing a forward roll (T-I-M-T) on one string while walking into the 1st, 3rd and 5th degrees of the G scale (G, B, D, G). In this case it’s demonstrated on the first string but can be played on any string in any key. Greg Cahill uses this lick to great effect.

Both of these exercises are played in a closed position and use no open strings so they can easily be moved into any key.

Wildwood Flower

December 16th, 2006

Here is the Carter Family classic Wildwood Flower. A simple melody that lends itself well to crosspicking. If you’re unfamiliar with crosspicking it’s just a fancy word used to describe the process of simulating a banjo roll with a flatpick. In its simplest form the picking pattern generally starts with a downstroke and alternates from there. It gets a little more involved once you start branching out to multiple strings.

Get the tab!

Tab in PDF and TablEdit formats - $6.00

Banjo Crash Course

December 9th, 2006

Here is a crash course in Scruggs style banjo playing. Below are the fundamental building blocks that will get you up and running in no time. All of the examples that follow are played on a five string banjo in standard G tuning using two metal finger-picks and one plastic thumb pick. If you’re unfamiliar with G tuning then here it is:

D – 1st String
B – 2nd String
G – 3rd String
D – 4th String (The wound one)
G – 5th String (The short one)

Now that you’re in open G tuning you already know your first chord so let’s focus on the right hand picking patterns commonly called “rolls”.
There are four basic patterns that can be applied to any combination of strings.

Forward
Reverse
Backward
Alternating Thumb

Next try adding the basic C and D7 chords to your rolls.


And finally here are three closed position chord shapes that you can play anywhere on the neck. You’ll quickly find that you need to be selective about when to add the fifth string to these shapes since it has the possibility of sounding very dissonant. Another trick is to use fragments of these movable chords

Randy Lynn Rag

December 8th, 2006

Randy Lynn Rag is all about the forward roll. It can be quite a challenge but it’s a great tune. How J.D. Crowe plays it as fast as he does is beyond comprehension.

For those of you that are unfamiliar with the tune it requires Keith Tuners. Set the G tuner for G to F# and set the B tuner for B to C. Other than that it’s pretty self explanatory.

Get the tab!

Tab in PDF and TablEdit formats - $6.00

Drive Back

March 25th, 2006

I found some inspiration this weekend and channeled it into recording a Neil Young tune. The song is Drive Back from his album Zuma.

      Drive Back

I busted out the old Prophet 600 for a few cheesy analog syth licks. No quantizing here just good old disheveled rock & roll complete with a reverb explosion at the end.

Single Malt Audio

November 30th, 2005

Here are some rough recordings of me kickin’ back and screwing around.
Complete with false-starts and tempo fluctuations.

      Nashville Blues

      Blue Banjo

      Bite The Bullet

      Roll On Buddy

      Deal

      She's More To Be Pitied

Earl Scruggs

January 8th, 2004

These excerpts from the “Earl Scruggs & The 5-String Banjo” book opened up the “Banjo Doors” for me.
Direct from Mr. Scruggs himself…

The Reverse Roll
Waltz rhythm
The Vamp
Boogie Woogie
Backup Run

Read the rest of this entry »

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