Secrets of the Right Hand - Bluegrass Banjo 

Thanks once again Jim having started 3 years ago at 73 and chose to follow you bit by bit is helping me become a credible player. I love the way you pick up stuff that I can go back on and correct unfortunate habits and enjoy correcting happy accidents. Kind regards Tim

Thanks Jim always a pleasure getting tips from you. Your down to earth and a great communicator 🙏🏻 God bless

This was great! Exactly what I was looking for. Thought I had it figured out, but still learned some good nuances here. Thanks Jim!

Thank you my friend always enjoy your lessons this is one of the most important ones it has been 5 months of learning banjo and without your great lessons i would have put the banjo in the closet and never made any progress. I think back on the first week and it just was so hard two get my fingers to work the strings but sing along going up cripple creek going on a run going up cripple creek going have some fun and boy did that help looking back I am just so glad I just kept trying every day and that is so good today I just can not stop enjoying have my Banjo on my lap and making it sound like it should. Jim Thank YOU.

GOD made a few special people - IMHO, you happen to be one of those! Thanks for the contributions you have made to learning this special instrument. At age 79 I have actually gotten a few compliments on my playing - all of which came from my wife (but I will take it) For the most part the songs I know I got from your tutorials! U DA MAN !

Great video Jim! Very good stuff and thanks for the shout out !

Awesome and a huge help on my banjo adventure through this deployment! Thanks Jim! 🙌🏼

Thank you, Jim, you have helped me . I've gone through the beginner lessons. And that's where I'm at now. But I'm coming along. And I want to get a lot better.

I just discovered your cripple creek lessons. Best instruction ever. I am actually playing it now. Definitely sticking with you for lessons. Thank you!!

Thank you Jim. As an absolute beginner, this is exactly the stuff i need to be learning! Appreciate it

Yes, yes, and yes!

Thank you, Jim! You always have good advice.

Thank you for the tips/reminders! Hope all is well.

Thanks Jim .. being a new banjo player, any type of technique tips you post, are really valuable .. please continue. bad habits are sometimes very hard to break... BTW .. you have the best banjo learning site on RU-vid..IMHO

Perfect...this is what i needed to see. Thank you

Thanks Jim really appreciate the help

Thank you Jim for your videos!! I’m just starting playing the banjo. I played drums when I was I school. I’m 68 now and looking forward to retirement and playing the banjo more then. I have all kinds of confidence after watching and playing what you’re teaching!! You’re doing a great job!! Thank you so much!

Thanks for your videos just learning

Great Video Jim Thank you

Hey Jim. I like to watch your videos. I used to compete with you at Praters Mill a looooong time ago. We both have gray hair now. That's what a banjo will do to ya. Keep up the videos.

Great tips I’m ready to get back to work!,

Great advice Jin.

Hey Jim, great video. I'm just picking my banjo up after a 5 month break (major heart surgery). Thanks for the tips, I've decided to try to iron out all the bad habits I've picked up as the muscle memory will be pretty shot after a long break.

Thank you Jim 🎼🎵🎶✌️🌄

Hi, just subbed on your channel. I'm a beginner, so I will have to hunt back through some of your playlists. Happy thanksgiving!

Cheers JP great tips, I've found my natural pinky anchored place is a tad different as I have very small hands! 🪕🎶🤪

Great tips as always Jim! I always have the issue of striking my thumb pick on the head of the banjo which irritates me. I think it’s just something I have to keep aware of but I dont seem to have much control over it. Work in progress! Your videos and tips are so helpful - thank you!

Thank you for making these videos I’ve learnt a lot from watching ‘em. I was wonderin if you could play the tune Dixie or maybe the Arkansas traveler I’d love to hear how you’d play em. Thanks once again

That’s the technique I finally relaxed into, I had a couple bad habits but finally got over them. I always wondered about if I should bend the pic tips or not, I actually started learning Cumberland Gap today and already have most of it, I know you prob cut your teeth on that one didn’t you, 😊😊😊

Would you please do a video similar to this but covering clawhammer? I've been trying to learn clawhammer and get a pov looking down at the right hand.

Hi Jim, I would love to learn to play the song rye whiskey in a bluegrass style, the version I've heard was performed by Pete Seeger, can only find claw hammer and Seeger style tutorials , just a shot in the dark, thank you for all the lessons ✌️

How dare you not insist on planting both fingers like Earl!😆

Thanks for this - I've been playing for 4 years and still struggle with my picks at times...getting caught on strings, "slicing" - I wonder about rotating my picks to be more perpendicular to the strings. It's also interesting to see how narrow your picks are!

That IS a cool shirt! I'm reminded by your video that I tend to drop my wrist and therefore extend my fingers. Little things to practice and ingrain. Do you suggest just doing roles as a beginner as part of my practice?

Jim, was wondering if you could do a video on this neat banjo tune I found. Something called "banjo hello" by like Billy cheatwood on spotify

I don't see anything wrong with showing us how not to do it so long as you're telling us "don't do this". If you show us, it's easy to understand what you're talking about. Thank you for the tips!

you say exceptions, what/who counts as an exception? for the pick shapes i use my picky picks basically how they come or a bit straighter i like having them as an extension the question is if its a bad practice or not😅😂Great video!

Would the picks paticularly the thumb one be better as a hybrid plastic for the wrap part and metal where it strikes the string

Jim, I’m cursed with small hands, so I found when using both ring and pinky fingers, it brought my social finger too close for my comfort. My question is, and maybe there’s not an answer, but how much pressure should your finger put on the head? After 14 months, I’ve smoothed down the matt finish, but still very clean. As always, thanks for your dedication to the art of banjo playing.

I have a question: What fingerpicks would you recommend? I got a $160 banjo for Amazon and it’s amazing it comes with a strap a adjuster a tuner and finger picks and resonator which makes it so sustianed and loud you can make it sound like a sitar. But the finger picks were for absolute giants I could fit two fingers in them and the thumps is was a inch and a half long for some reason so it was impossible to use, so I bought a $8 bungle of 4 sets of finger picks on Amazon which as way better and that’s what I use, but they are hard to adjust, even though they say adjust able. Maybe I’m just trying to adjust them wrong.

i can anchor my pinkie, but my ring finger wants to do whatever my middle finger does. even though it isn’t playing any strings, it goes thru the motions so i just let it.

Hey Jim. I’m looking to purchase an RK-36 and was wondering what frets do you recommend for 5th string spikes (for bluegrass).

Hey Jim my son in law plays in church i would like to learn some banjo back up other than vamping I tried to my fingers are fat I keep muting the strings is there anything else i can do so I can play along with him

Where do u live?

What song is Jim playing in this video?

Jim, I know this isn't the ideal way to communicate with you but I don't know of another way. I'm vary interested in getting into playing the banjo and have never touched one to date. I'm a life long guitarist who has used hybrid picking for years. I have a dobro which I put lighter gauge strings on and tuned it to open G with the 6th string removed. I'm going through your lessons and having good time doing so. So my question is as someone who plays for his own enjoyment only now which banjo should I get. I like bluegrass and I know a reso banjo is the norm but would an open back sound the same in my music room? I don't need a lot of volume and would like to save a few bucks too. Thank you for any and all feedback

Thanks for this video Jim! Seems like I spend more time watching tutorial videos than actually practicing on my banjo. I need to figure out how to change that. :( I also need to look into getting those EB Picky Picks. Peace and love.

I need a lesson in person

I hope your hand position correction works .

Hi Jim , I'm about to be 61 years old, do you think I'm too old to learn to play, i want banjo to be my full time hobby wnen i retire, thanks for the great video 🇺🇸👍🏆.

This is all helpful. I'm working on finding basic stuff like this and how it works for me. My hands are very small and my arms are short, so I just keep trying different things.

It’s pronounced “Straangs” not “Strings” if you want to play bluegrass. 😉