To see and hear

Banjo rolls and strums

The rolls of five-string banjo, the forward roll, the alternating thumb roll and clawhammer, and two strums. Each is shown as a bar of counts with the finger for every note: T the thumb, I the index, M the middle. Press Play to hear it over a few chords, and play along.

How to read the patterns

A roll is eight notes to the bar, two to each beat: count “1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and”. The letter under each count is the finger that picks: T the thumb, I the index, M the middle (R, in clawhammer, is the fingernail striking down). Most banjo players wear a thumb pick and two finger picks for rolls. Which string each finger takes depends on the chord: in G the thumb plays the 5th and 3rd strings, the index the 2nd, the middle the 1st.

For the strums, count each bar out loud: “1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and”. Down-strums fall on the numbers and up-strums on the “and”s. The strumming hand keeps moving down and up the whole time, even where there is no arrow: it just misses the strings. That steady motion keeps you in time.

Tempo80
1

Forward roll

4/4

The roll of bluegrass banjo: thumb, index, middle, over and over, eight notes to the bar. Start on the G chord and keep every note even.

2

Alternating thumb roll

4/4

The thumb between every finger note: thumb, index, thumb, middle. It keeps a steady bass under the melody.

3

Clawhammer

4/4

Old-time banjo, “bum-ditty”: the back of a fingernail strikes a string down, brushes across the strings, then the thumb picks the short fifth string.

4

Down on every beat

4/4

For strumming songs: one down-strum on each beat, with the thumb or a finger.

5

Old faithful

4/4

Down, down-up, up-down-up: the strum most songs can use.

Practising a pattern

  • Start slow. Play along at 60 or 70 beats a minute, and only go faster when the pattern feels easy for a whole minute.
  • One chord first. Learn the pattern on one chord, then on two, changing on beat 1. If the change is late, leave out the last up-strum of the bar to give the fretting hand time.
  • Keep the hand moving. Most mistakes come from stopping the hand for a missing strum. Move it anyway, just above the strings.
  • With a click. The metronome keeps a steady beat to strum against.

Where next

Learn the chords to strum on the beginner chords page, practise the changes with the chord change trainer, or strum along with any chord progression: every progression plays with the pattern you choose.

Questions

What is the first banjo roll to learn?

The forward roll: thumb, index, middle, repeated, on a G chord. Then the alternating thumb roll, then rolls with chord changes.

What is the difference between bluegrass rolls and clawhammer?

Bluegrass (Scruggs-style) banjo picks upwards with the thumb and two fingers, usually with picks. Clawhammer strikes down with the back of a fingernail and brushes, with the thumb on the fifth string: the older style of old-time music.

Do I need finger picks?

For bluegrass rolls most players use a plastic thumb pick and two metal finger picks: they are louder and brighter. Clawhammer is played with bare fingers.

How fast should a roll be?

Slowly and evenly first, at 60 to 80 beats a minute. Bluegrass speeds come later; an even roll at a slow tempo sounds better than an uneven fast one.