and is called a natural sign. It looks fancy, but is actually quite easy. You notice of course that there is a sharp sign for the c in this exercise. The natural sign cancels out this sharp, so: any c without a natural sign in front is played sharp (on the fourth fret), the ones with a natural sign are played natural (on the third fret).

How to play it

It's vital that you keep a good fingering for this exercise. The left hand uses one finger for each fret:

The fourth (little) finger frets the d
The third (ring) finger the c sharp
The second (middle) finger the c
The first (index) finger the b

With the right hand you play every other note with down- and upstrokes respectively.

When the going gets tough

Start playing this exercise veeeeery slowly and then gradually increase the speed.

Sooner or later you'll reach the limit of how fast you can play. When you do:

If the right hand can't follow up

Check your right hand position:

The little finger should rest lightly on the banjo head not far away from the bridge.
The wrist of your hand should be relaxed and be able to move easily back and forth

Also experiment with different ways to hold the pick and different angels to strike the string

If the left hand is causing problems

Stop playing immediately!
Then take a close look at your left hand position:

Only the out most tips of your fingers should touch the banjo neck!
The thumb should touch the back of the neck lightly (and only with its tip) somewhere between the position of the index and the middle finger.
The palm of your hand should lie almost parallel to the banjo neck without touching it.
The wrist - and the entire arm - should be nice and relaxed.
The fingertips should touch the fretboard lightly - barely hard enough to get a clean sound and close to the frets without actually touching the frets.

[ ABG Index | Previous step | Next step ]