A new way to learn banjo.
Your house is only as strong as its foundation.
What is “Banjo Quest”?
Banjo Quest is a Patreon-powered learning journey for clawhammer banjo players who want to go deeper than just memorizing tunes.
Instead of cramming song after song, we focus on the core techniques that actually make you a better player through creative études, live boot camps, deep dives into historic recordings and rich explorations of variations.
It’s about building a strong foundation, so every tune you do learn has life and soul. As Tommy Jarrell said, “I knew a guy who knew a thousand tunes and couldn’t play a single one.” Banjo Quest is here to make sure that’s not you!
Let’s Build a Foundation.
The primary focus of Banjo Quest is to help you master the foundational concepts of what makes clawhammer banjo special.
I see clawhammer as a collection of building blocks. These core patterns must become automatic so that your hands can execute them without your mind getting in the way.
Once you’ve built a vocabulary of core patterns, you will be free to focus on the high level elements of music: self expression, emotion and story telling.
Two help you build a bulletproof clawhammer foundation, I create loopable exercises that get at the heart of what banjo is all about. We use these simple phrases to prep for tunes and to learn tunings.
Sometimes these skill builders are one-off drill sheets directly related to the tune we’re working. They’re fun, self-contained vocabulary romps that fit like a puzzle piece into a tune.
Several times a year though, I host a live-streamed 7 day online “Banjo Boot Camps” where I coach you through carefully assembled études that I write from scratch to help you achieve deep mastery of the instrument.
Custom art work by real artists accompanies my banjo boot camps.
Tablature:
Done right
One of the cornerstones of Banjo Quest is my exquisitely detailed tab painstakingly transcribed from notable banjo recordings. I have spent 25 years refining the way my tablature looks and feels. It’s designed to be easy to read, consistent across tunes and beautiful to look at.
Every song I teach on Banjo Quest has companion tab that will help you learn quickly, reveal rhythmic and melodic nuances that are easy to miss, and allow you to have instant recall on tunes you haven’t played for while.