Breaking Down "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" Lick By Lick 

I never thought I would play this tune. Masterful teaching!

I’ve watched this video at least 100x. Started practicing this song 3 weeks ago, and now I have memorized all the parts...finally! Now it’s just repetition, accuracy and building speed. This is the first song I have ever attempted on the banjo, and you were my first teacher. Thank you so much. I’m so glad you made this.

Yo! Mr Bill there are many videos,and banjo teaching,but you R the best for me. I didn't understand you 9 months ago but ,lawd have mercy... Thank you for caring for us 62 year old beginner's.. thank you

Wow! I never thought I'd be able to play Foggy Mountain Breakdown, but I'm there!

Truly the best teacher online

I took banjo lessons for a year. I just learned more in 30 mins from you than i did all years The way you taught it i learned from ,memory and listening to you play. Now i am not dependent on tabs. THANKS!

him: "a little faster" me: *head explodes*

You are not only a great Banjo talent but a NATURAL BORN TEACHER!! Thank you, sir, for doing this. Amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My dad took me to see Bonnie &Clyde in 1967 and i got hooked on Foggy Moutain Breakdown . In 1972 i learned to play it from the Earl Scruggs instructional book .. I learned Clinch Mtn Backstep from another video of yours ,, I appreciate that ..

I'm glad you put up the tabs and broke every part of it down You are very good teacher

I started RU-vid banjo lessons from scratch with Eli Gilbert about 3 months ago and learned some of the basics…then I saw this video - it’s been 3 weeks or so of daily practice and I’m up to playing FMB at 60-70 bpm! You and Eli are both consummate professionals who also have the rare gift of being great teachers. I just love your speed progression at the end of this video. Look forward to learning Ballad of Jed real soon! Thank you!

Just want to say a huge “ThankYou”!!! I lived with a banjo in my hands when I was a kid - actually started playing with family country band after about a month of owning it. Life fell apart and it eventually led me away from playing. Now I’m older and playing again for my own enjoyment and your teaching vids and skills at teaching have been tremendous. Thank you so much I greatly appreciate your labor of love.

Best banjo tutorial i've seen so far

Without a doubt one of the most concise banjo teachers on RU-vid!! Thank you for this my friend. All the best and stay safe.

I am so glad I found your site. I have finger picked Guitar for almost 30 years or better and have never learned to play a Banjo but always wanted to. When I was in Kentucky last year for my Fathers funeral, my brother gave me a Banjo. It needed a head and it took me more than a year to finally get that replaced. I just got it in tune today and found your site. Of course, the hardest thing for me is getting the muscle memory for playing the Banjo. It's so different that picking a guitar. I am 62 years old but I still remember how much work it took to get very fast at guitar. I am so infatuated with learning to play the Banjo that tells me, You can teach an old dog new tricks. I hope that all of the beginners realize that it takes as long as it takes to learn this skill. The trick is, learn it slow. Play it as slow as you need to at first but most importantly, DO NOT LEARN BAD HABITS !!!!!!! When you learn to play it slow, slowly speed it up until you are playing, preferably a little faster than you will need to play it on stage. This way, you are prepared if the people or band you are playing with start at a little faster tempo that you are comfortable with, but most of all, have fun and pat yourself on the back every time you go a little faster or learn a new lick. Just don't give up.!!!!!!!! Thank you for taking the time to record this, it is much appreciated.!!!!!!!!!

Bill, wow you are an amazing teacher. I'm in Australia, my daughter gave me a restored banjo for Xmas. I practiced for 2 days with your teaching and can play Foggy Mountain Breakdown, although very slow at the moment, but you taught me. I'm going to keep practicing till I can at least go half your pace. Love Scruggs music. Thanks again Bill. You are amazing. Would love to meet you if ever I was in the USA

The "Dang" at the end convinced me to subscribe.

Bill, I’ve said it before & I’ll say it again. You ARE the MAN! Your lessons have inspired me to keep going & practising. Thank you!

As a guitarist i learned 5 string Banjo due the Corona time. The beginning was hard, but now i´m maybe the half of your fastest speed. Greetings from Germany!

Your effort will help keep this music alive.It's helped me a lot.Your a fine musician and teacher

you speak truth when you say this is not a melodic tune, thank you and my wife agrees , in fact its lack of melody now has me practicing in my neighbors garage but your video will help me to advance hopfully back to my attic , and thanks

Been playing this tune for years after listening to your video you simplified the opening link I have been making it to complicated thank you look forward to more videos

I picked up the Banjo 4 weeks ago and used your Breaking Down Foggy Mountain Breakdown video to learn to play! You rock. I can now play it at full speed with my eyes closed and have started practicing my cords and rhythms. Thank you for sharing.

thanks im a french guy from Quebec and it's help me a lot :)

Clear, concise, talking through with us exactly what you're doing and how you're doing it as you're playing -and making it all a great laugh into the bargain without an ego -That's the sign of an excellent teacher. As a beginner I've learned so much already thanks to your teaching and I'm now well away. Full credit to you Bill! (from the UK)

Benn playing 5 string for 6 month's now and was struggling to start with until I found your videos on RU-vid This has made it really easy to learn now Amazing videos

I have been watching your videos for a few months now. My skills plateaued at the basics, but after watching your videos/reading your tabs I have improved tremendously! Thank your for all the work you put into your videos and instructions!

Bill, I am glad I landed on your video tutorial. A lot of other people do a lot of cheating in the various licks to make them easier....They dont drop the thumb etc. I am totally new to banjo and I cannot believe I am playing this song after 2 1/2 weeks! Thanks again.

I don't often comment on videos, but I have to stop and tell you thank you for this one. Superb teaching and patient style. Thank you so much. Tab as you go helps a ton. Really really great video. I cannot believe how quickly I could learn this legend. Amazing job.

You're a fantastic teacher. Nice and slow and put it all back together for us. Too many people rush through it.

Great idea to get down the licks one-at-a-time. Thanks a bunch!

Now , your cooken real blue grass !!! Slow it down !!! Fast is for old freight trains !!! Only !!! WWVA Wheeling W.V. 1955 !!! My radio station !! ❤

I finally found someone I can understand. I like the way u teach

This is by far the best instruction I have seen so far in banjo. Clear, concise and patient. All fingers easy to see, with position given. I just started banjo and I can already make the small but defines notes that people know it is Foggy Mtn Brkdn. Thank you for a superb video.

Thanks for the video. I like the way you went step by step. And your fun to watch.

Up until now I have been satisfied with playing my banjo at moderate and slow speed. This video has me fired up and I am practicing this great video. And desire to match your lesson and your speed note for note. Thanks for this great lesson. Paul C

That is just exactly what I need - many thanks from Spain, where banjos are thin on the ground. Seems appropriate that I play my Sierra in the Sierra Nevada.

One of the best examples I've seen. Well played sir.

Wow! This tutorial has been outstanding ~ I'm amazed you're not charging for this kind of thing! Breaking down each roll/lick made it incredibly easy to visualize and to learn; thank you for this incredible introduction into playing the banjo. As a mediocre guitar player, I could tell you're a talented musician, however, after learning the song for myself I can truly appreciate how inhumanly proficient you can play a right-hand roll. Hope you're doing well out there, keep posting lessons :D EDIT: been playing this song regularly for a year now - Bill is a goddamned maniac; he plays so fast I still cant keep up 2 year edit: Bill is still too fast - playing almost every other day

Thank you so much for this very clear, concise and well laid out lesson on how to play this song.

Great tutorial! I've been working on this the last week and finally got all the parts tied down and strung together. I'm working now to get them up to speed. I had a banjo many years ago during my "trying to play everything a little" phase, and I did a poor version of this. It sounded sort of like it, but I was a guitar player trying to play banjo and my fingerstyle was different. I was basically doing a backward roll through the whole song. I could peck around on it and tuned it correctly and got a few chords down, but didn't put the effort into it I should have(teenager). I've been playing upright bass with a bluegrass band and got the urge to take it up again. I recently got another banjo and I'm determined to learn this stuff the right way. Fortunately I found your video right away. Thanks for such an in depth tutorial!

I've always wanted to play this iconic banjo song ever since I heard it as a child but then I thought no way. Thank you so much for this wonderful lesson. You're a fantastic teacher.

Thank you William. I am really loving your teaching methods

Absolutey briliant tutorial William! I've been playing fiddle and guitar for around 40 years.... tomorrow, I'm gonna get a banjo!

You sir are an inspiration to the future generation of banjo players! What a great tutorial, I have managed to learn all the licks, now to string them all together... thank you very much

thanks for your excellent instructional video where you truly take the time to have patience with us novices jim

You are a great teacher. Thanks.

I got myself a banjo the other day and thought it would take me ages to play that iconic song, but I am getting there faster than I expected, slowly but steadily. Thanks a lot for your extremely helpful tutorial.

HI Sir ! Thank You, i 'm watching from France. Your videos are extraordinary, after several years spent learning the guitar I am learning the banjo. Thank you for your lessons, I take great pleasure in listening to you and seeing you. Fabrice

Love the end when he goes faster and faster. Fun to watch

I don't have a banjo now but I altered an acoustic by tuning the high E down to D and removing the bass E and A strings and replaced the A string with a high E string and tuned it up to G. A banjitar just to learn this song. Your lessons are top shelf. Cheers mate.

You're the man. Been watching this video everyday for over a week now. Have all the licks down time to start piecing them together. Thanks again!

Bravissimo. Grande maestro! Grazie, ciao.

Thank you for posting this step by step lick by lick video. very helpful...also your a great teacher and banjo player.

Incredibly helpful and easy to follow video. Thanks for the lesson!!

Thanks for this great video, I play ukulele and a bit of guitar but have started to learn banjo and thanks to your video I have memorised all the licks and now just trying to build up my speed, so thank you for this, you broke it down perfectly and so easy to understand, I can't put the banjo down now!

Thank you! You taught me this song and did it so well, now all I gotta do is practice and go fast!

Thanks a lot from Brazil!

You are a master! You playing, your teaching, your tabs and all of your methods are wonderful. Thanks. It’s fun!

Thanks so much for breaking it down like this. I really appreciate that gesture, and for free too.

Wow!! It's like you're sat in my room giving a lesson. This has to be the best, most informative video on Scrugg's 'method' I have ever had the pleasure & privilege to watch. Thanks William, you've renewed my faith in learning this incredible instrument. Just need to get back to practicing. Regards .......... Geof Harris (UK)

Thanks Bill, I just bought a banjo yesterday, never played before. I look forward to your help, you are a great teacher!

Thank you very much for your easy to follow teaching style and humor....I started banjo about six weeks ago and can already play this tune at about half speed, I really appreciate you putting this up on RU-vid !

You are the man, everything clearly explained and shown, two thumbs up!!!!

I started today and learned this in about 7 hrs. Thank you for the new patterns, and my first song on the banjo.

The way you teach it is great i cant wait to get a banjo and learn this song

Absolutely amazing ... Gonna give this one a go finally .... Thanks so much for sharing the breakdowns and simplifying it !

Thank You Sir ! I take great pleasure in watching your videos and learning the banjo. Difficult to do better in terms of pedagogy. Bravo and hello from Preux au Sart (North of France).

William you are the man! Thank you so much! Seriously.... it means a lot to me to be able to play this song and now I can because of you and really only because of you I've looked at a bunch of lessons, but then yours came up and voilà! I feel like a banjo player finally lol.

A tough song to learn for a newbie, but you made it easy, Bill.

Thank you so much for this video. The way you broke it down is awesome. I have improved in the last couple of weeks listening to this video, more than I had in the last two months. Once again Thank You!!!!!

Your teaching videos are great! Thank you so much!

BRILLIANT!!! You gave me the answer to one of my bucket list songs to learn thank you!!!

Another great lesson. My next song to learn!

Absolutely great lesson!!!! Thank you so much for sharing!

Best FMB instruction out there. Nice work Bill.

After 20 yrs time out from my banjo, I'm back on the track again, what you've done here is amazing and very helpful for me, thanks

Thank you so much. You are a great teacher!

AAAHH this is great! Thank you! I'm chomping at the bit to get started (have someone in the apartment who still needs to wake up:). Your teaching style is super. And I took that as a "Dang, that was fun!" vs. a "Dang, blew the lick"!

fantastic tutorial thanks for taking the time to make the video and lesson best wishes from Liverpool uk

I never comment on videos and I never subscribe, but this and your channel is just too good to not. Thank you so much for this tutorial! I am new to banjo and you had me playing this full song in one day. Really wonderful teaching style, thank you!!

I am totally blown away, thank you Bill!

I could not wrap my head around the end part and you helped me crack the code! Thank you!!!!

Absolutely amazing way to break this tune down. I’ve loved this song and you’ve really made it easy to learn

Awesome Genius‘ Lessons, hi from Munich, Germany

FINALLY!! a video w/ tab, lick by lick, that i can actually follow! :) Thank you so much!! looking forward to your other vids. There's hope for me yet!

u r the best instructer thank you

thanks for your efforts Ken Tasmania ,Australia

Learned this right after your Cripple Creek video. More challenging. I can play it but not fast. Great videos!

Hi, I'm a beginner banjo player and your teaching video is amazing! Congrats!

Great lesson and your playing at the end was amazing .. made me smile 😁😁

Great teaching! I like that you keep things simple and that your video is all about content.

Thank you Thank you Thank you. Great lesson.

Right to the point and easy to follow instructional video, William. Thank you for sharing!

Hi William: It is a pleasure to greet you and congratulate you for this video, is extraordinary !!! And I want mine is the first comment you receive from the other side of our common home, America, lol! I was very happy that you have uploaded a new video and in particular one quite didactic, thanks for doing it. I send to you a big hug, and if you have a minute to look like I am progressing with the banjo on youtube, " Joy Riverbank's Bluegrass Band ensayando What a Friend We have in Jesus," and not much laugh at my English, hahaha! God Bless you and your family always, José Luis. (The gaucho banjo player).

Haaa... great...! What a superb ending and build up to some really impressive playing. I was loving it.

thank zoo thank you thank you thank you!!! just in time for summer camp

Thanks man. I have been woodshedding on my wife's, now former, banjo since i first ran across this on you tube. There are other more "highly produced" tutorials out there, but the way you show the tab while playing lick by lick through the song isn't being done nearly as well as you are doing it and it is awesome. Thank you for your effort. I will be checking out the website asap.

AWESOME.....!!!!! you are a GREAT Teacher!!!!! thanks sooooooo much..!!!!

William, this is the first real banjo tune I have learned thanks to you, your instructional videos are brilliant. now to keep practicing to build up speed thanks