2 picking patterns per measure, measures with one chord play twice Intro: G , C | Verse: G , Em | C , D7 | G , Em | C | Chorus: Em | Em | Bm | D7aug | C, D | Bm, E | Am, D7| This is for self reference, please notify me of any revisions. thanks for the tutorial! I'm having a great time
Hey Jim, great video as always. Let me relate a short story about this: a couple of years back, I was attending a banjo camp being held in a hotel conference room. During a break, everyone left the room but me. As I sat there noodling on my banjo, a hotel staff member saw me and approached. She asked if I knew "that frog song". I said, "you mean Rainbow Connection"? She said, "that's it". So I began playing the version from your video, and she started singing along, then I started singing along. It was great fun and made my day, maybe hers too. And it was all because of your video. Without that, Rainbow Connection would never have come across my banjo radar screen. You are a true asset to the banjo community. Keep up the good work.
This is the song that made me want to learn the banjo. When I saw Kermit D. Frog play, I thought it was best thing I had seen or heard. Thank you so much!!
I love your demeaner, you voice, accent, and patient teaching style. I love that it is your own. So, if you don't mind, I think I'll name my banjo after my new favorite teacher. Thinking June Pankey, or Hanky Pankey (Hanky Pank, for short - sounds like the sound the banjo makes). I'm not much for naming instruments, but there is something about my experience with this video that was really positive, so I feel like doing it this time. Thank you for your videos!
thank you so much Jim. As a guitarist i thought i was never going to figure out this banjo thing. now i can play Cripple Creek and rainbow connection all thanks to you. I'm a 67 yr old lady and I'm enjoying every minute. oh and I'm a little in love with those baby browns you keep flashing at the camera 😊😉
First song I learned on my banjo! It's a family heirloom and I told myself that rainbow connection had to be the first thing I played on it! Thank you for your video!!
I got a banjo for Christmas this year at 49… have wanted to learn my whole life because of this song specifically… so magical. Thank you so much for a great lesson… life goal ;)
I’m 68, and have been playing guitar (acoustic and classical) since I was a tweener (over 50 years). Just bought a fretless banjo from John Peterson (on RU-vid) and figured I’d try to learn Rainbow Connection. The banjo has gut-like strings, with moderate action, and I like the way it sounds and feels. Not heavy at all. Thanks for this video! I learned to play uke then guitar from playing songs, and feel confident your other videos are going to give me a leg up as far as leaning and enjoying playing the banjo. Takes me back to my baritone ukulele days when I played so much my fingertips bled, and I drove my sister nuts in the next bedroom leaning Peter, Paul and Mary tunes and Ricky Nelson songs. I’ve always 5-finger picked, and hope I can transition to more traditions banjo picking styles before I make that final climb over the hill.
I started teaching myself guitar 9 years ago using online resources and friends. Somewhere during quarantine Ive gained a fresh appreciation for the banjo and am beginning that same road of self discovery agai; and its videos like yours that makes my journey possible. I love your videos! ...and the Muppets :)
Jim, kinda like Shorty, I am 65 and just purchased a banjo, could not make it without ya. Keep it coming, your break downs are the best taught on the web for me. Thank you so much, if you're ever in NC give me a call and i'll take you out to dinner. Thanks again!!
Got myself a 5string about 25 years ago with the greatest of intentions. Sadly, work and life hassles got in the way. Now at 68 I've finally made a concerted effort thanks to your lessons Jim. After only a month of playing every day (it's slow but getting there), I'm so pleased at achieving what I thought would be impossible. This little song when I finally get it right will be the icing on the cake as I intend to surprise my youngest granddaughter with it. She loves Kermit songs and I can't wait to see her eyes light up! Thanks a million Jim. You're the only one on here who tries to make it easy for the likes of me!
Beautiful voice! I was thinking to myself the other day while practicing your cripple creek intro lesson "Why am I so enamored by the banjo to begin with?" Then it occurred to me that it i's because of Kermit the Frog singing rainbow connection. Such a classic! Thanks for sharing!
OH Jim, you did it again. I didn't know the song by name and it sounded familiar after the first few chords but as soon as you started singing I knew it. I was smiling from ear to ear through the rest of the video. you were trying to hold back a smile the whole time too, lol. That was great !! I could almost picture Kermit the Frog beside you. Heck, I'm still smiling and probably will every time I play it once I learn it. Who da Man ? -- You da Man !!!!
Oh my gosh, thank you so much for this! I've played guitar since I was a kid and kinda got out of it, but recently decided to buy a banjo for the heck of it. Still getting used to the differences, but this video has helped me get the basic chords and structures down in a quick weekend! Thanks again!
Thank you for simplifying this for me. It IS a "singing song." So the chords are all I really need at this stage in my playing. Love you for taking this seriously and giving us something removed from your tradition. Though, since you described the pattern as "ragtime," maybe it's not _that_ far removed after all.
The official muppet album plays at a higher key. If you out a capo on the 2nd fret, you can match their version. The chords Jim laid out here: G, C intro x2 Verse: G-Em-C-D7 (x4) Chorus: Em-Em-Em-Em Bm-Bm-D7-D7 (with the pinky) C-D-Bm-E Am-D7 (G-C intro x2) Thanks Jim!
Second time here, relearning. I love how the banjo has all these rules! To heck with rules! Let us all use our thumbs twice and make music however our poor fingers can manage 😁. Thanks for the lesson.
Sir...I'm trying to learn how to play the banjo. It's hard to play when you are doing such an amazing job teaching that tears are stuck in my eyes and preventing me from learning. All jokes aside, I appreciate your channel and I am having fun with your lessons.
So is there only 16 chords on the banjo? Cause if so I can almost play them all pretty well, I just need practice switching in between them, but I expect there to be more chords.
This video has been so helpful. I'm almost finished learning it all and I only just picked up the banjo a few weeks ago. There's just one part I wonder if you might be able to tell me the chords for so I can do the whole song: "All of us under its spell, we know that its probably magic". If you could do that for me it would be amazing, if not, it's totally fine, you've already done so much! Thanks again!
Hey Jim, thank you for all the great work you do. I appreciate all you have done to help us mortals learn the banjo. I have one question about the modified D7 chord. I am having a hard time getting my pinky finger on the first string at the fourth fret. Any ideas for a stretching exercise? I keep trying to do the stretch when I practice with no success so far. Thank you!!! Bob
Lisa Flores and I did a series of Live Streams where we talk about hands and stretches, and she made some videos based on those exercises that are really helpful. You can find them here: ru-vid.com/show-UCSbPYuteKqs57F5GzTa-cqQvideos
This is great, been trying to learn this one but most of the tabs I’ve found have been kind of complicated, this is much more straightforward to learn! Question about tuning, though; are you sticking to standard tuning or doing the ADGBD I’ve seen on the others? Most of them also recommend a capo and I see you’re not using one, any pluses or minuses to using it or not?
I typically select tunings that make the tune easier to play. As for a capo, you'll need that if you ever play with other people, or need to play along with recordings.
Mr Pankey sir do you have any tab on your wild jim site for this please? Now playing cripple creek and man of constant sorrow and would love to learn to play this for my sister who loves this song. Thanks sir these lessons have really helped me not a day goes by where I don't play now and still love it.
I don’t have a tab for this, and I really can’t recommend learning from tab. It’s worth the effort to figure it out by ear - especially since the video is right there.
Hey Jim, thanks for all of these videos, I'm having a bit of a learning block on my end with a certain part. Any chance you have plans to tab this one out like you have for previous videos for purchase on your site?
Hi Jim, at about 5:00 you start calling off numbers... "Thats' our walk ... 1, 6 minor, 4, 5" I guess these are like Nashville numbers. I don't understand what to do with these numbers. Thanks!
Three “gotta’ learn the banjo” moments in history, in no particular order: 1. The Beverly Hillbillies theme 2. Dueling Banjos (Deliverance movie) 3. Rainbow Connection (the Muppet Movie)
Hey Jimbo, I was taking Banjo lessons from you for a while but it seems that cancer has raised its ugly head again, hence I stopped taking lessons on both Banjo and Guitar. I have given my Gibson guitar to my youngest Grandson and I bequeathed my Banjo to my Son. I am basically going to introduce him to you and you two can take it from there. My son's name is Ryan Paul Matthews, he will be contacting to here sooner or later after they get back from their Easter vacation with us. I truly hope you can help him out, this is the first song that he wants to learn on it. Dale Radeleff
Hey Jim! In b minor, my finger is too small to cover the d and g string at the same time… should I lift up my finger each time or use middle, ring and pinky to cover those ?( although it feels a bit jammed ) Or any other tricks would be helpful! Thanks for being my virtual teacher!!
Thankes for teaching us.Please,may you please add some melodic scales to this wonderful song.So that this song is spiced up,like you with other songs did.Josef Detzer
I love watching your videos. I am struggling with the c chord finger placement to get a clean 3rd string plucked (my pointer finger on the 4th string is the culprit). Any suggestions? Maybe the neck of my cheapo banjo is not wide enough?
Do you have any suggestions for the bridge and outro part? I ignore the key change but the last chord to the bridge part ("probably magic...") and then the outro doesn't sound quite right.
I like the way you play, but it's hard to follow along and I can't read cords or music sheet so I do play by ear, I just can't really see your finger placement too well but i like the video very much
You can pause... you can also slow down the video. I'm shooting these videos with a phone... the real goal for you is to continue to work with your ears. You can do it.
Replace the word banjo with piano. Would you be asking this question? No one goes into playing piano thinking that they'll need a special piano since they're left handed. You use both hands...
My opinion. I think if people want to learn how to pick a recognizable style. This is too kid friendly. Learn from Sruggs , Reno, Fairchild, and other greats. Sorry but that's not bluegrass I'm use to. Thanks anyway Jim. I Know some people want to play that Kermit the Frog anthem.
Like I said before, I will always give Jim Pankey half the credit for what I've learned. I just meant that I like learning bluegrass banjo. But, I did learn Rainbow Connection. Maybe someday I will be able to play it with a guitarist or group. Thanks again for all your teachings. God Bless 🙏
