Course Description

The distinctive sound of the 5-string banjo was first pioneered by the legendary Earl Scruggs (1924-2012), and the instrument remains very popular to this day across many musical styles. Designed for absolute beginners and taught by one of the finest banjo players and teachers in Ireland, Waltons New School of Music’s Introducing 5-String Banjo course provides an extensive introduction to this great instrument, including:

• The basics – holding and playing the instrument, learning to pick the right way.
• Right-hand technique – positioning, ‘roll’ patterns and exercises.
• Left-hand technique – slides, slurs, hammer-ons and pull-offs, all of which give the 5-string banjo its distinctive sound.
• Commonly used chord shapes up and down the neck of the banjo.
• Instrumentals – participants will learn some of the best-known banjo tunes.
• Songs – participants will learn arrangements of well-known songs from both sides of the Atlantic, and they will also be shown how to develop their own arrangements.
• Techniques and licks from the great banjo players.
• Listening to recordings of 5-string banjo in various musical contexts.

Participants in in this course will need to have 5-string or ‘G’ banjos to bring to classes and practice with at home. (See the Recommended Instruments tab on this page for a list of recommended banjos.)

Questions about the course?

CONTACT US

or call us on (01) 478 1884.

Safety & COVID-19

The health and safety of both students and staff at the New School is of the utmost importance to us, and we have made a number of changes to the school, its equipment and our policies to make in-school tuition (tuition taking place on the New School premises) safe during the time of COVID-19. These include:

• Perspex screens in every classroom.
• Installation of HEPA air filtration/purification units where necessary.
• Antiseptic dispensers available throughout the school.
• Cleaning and disinfection of both classroom instruments and furniture between lessons and classes.

See our COVID-19 Safety Policy page for more information on what we have done, as well as the protocols we expect all in-school students and visitors to follow.

This course covers Stage 1 of the New School’s ten-stage system of student progress and assessment, which culminates in a teaching or performing qualification (Stage 10) should the student progress that far. Participants who successfully complete the course can be issued with a certificate of completion of Stage 1. If you are taking the course, please let the school office know if you would like this certificate. See About Our Stage System for more information.

Have you enrolled in this course?

Download our Introductory Handout
for tips on how to get the most from it.

Introducing 5-String Banjo is one of the New School’s group courses. We also offer private 5-String (Bluegrass) Banjo and 4-String (Irish) Banjo lessons for students of all ages and skill levels. See Traditional • Folk • World Instruments Tuition for more information.

Techniques Covered

A video demonstration of some techniques covered in the course:

Patrick Kiernan

One of the finest banjo players and teachers in Ireland, Paddy’s interest in the banjo developed out of his love of Irish traditional music, but later grew to encompass bluegrass, folk, jazz and world music. He was the first 5-string banjo player to undertake the MA program in Irish Traditional Music Performance at the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance at the University of Limerick, where he also studied Irish traditional guitar and song. In addition, he has studied with renowned banjo players Tony Trischka and Noam Pikelny. And he was the lead participant in a 2012 masterclass at the New School taught by Béla Fleck, the world’s preeminent banjo player, for the Waltons World Masters Series. Paddy plays and records with a number of bluegrass, folk and Irish traditional acts in Ireland and the UK, including the progressive folk band Pine Marten, Persian/Irish crossover band Navá, roots/bluegrass band Lands End and the Niall Toner Band. His banjo playing has also been featured in the dance world, in works by Fabulous Beast Dance Theatre and Ballet Ireland. He has taught with the New School since 2011.

Reviews • Testimonials

‘Paddy is an excellent teacher. He explains the lessons clearly and is very friendly.’
– D. Barrett

‘The teacher is knowledgeable, friendly and above all patient.’
– G. Fay

‘I am only sorry that I did not find out about the course sooner at age 61. Better late than never. Paddy is a fantastic teacher, and the course so far is a blast!’
– A. Fry

‘Paddy made every lesson an interesting one. He is a superb teacher.’
– K. Groake

‘Everyone should take Intro Banjo. It’s my new favourite thing to do, and it’s really fun to learn at the same time.’
– T. Hashmi

‘Great intro course. Great teacher, staff and location. Great experience!’
– L. Hudson

‘Introduction to Banjo was an excellent starter course. Our tutor Paddy was very patient and paced the lessons very well.’
– I. Keane

‘I had no expectations going to my first class, but when it was over, I knew I was in the right place and was going to love it! Paddy is such an affable man, blessed with great patience, who made learning such a pleasure. The class was just so engrossing that the hour seemed to fly by. Prior to my tuition, I was a complete novice musically. And although I’m still very much in the embryonic stage of my musical journey, after my tuition with Paddy I feel that I’ve come such a long way already. I simply can’t stress enough how much enjoyment and knowledge I derive from my class every week.’
– R. Monaghan

‘[A] really fun course, and you learn a lot over the span of 10 weeks! There was a great choice of music, the techniques were well explained and there was a good atmosphere in class in general.’
– F. Vleeshouwer

‘Very relaxed, friendly approach. Paddy encourages everyone to ask questions and is great at demonstrating.’
– P. Whyte

Have you taken – or are you taking – this course? We would appreciate it if you could take a few moments to give us your feedback in a brief online questionnaire about it.

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2023-2024 Third Term
Course Schedule & Fee

10 weeks, 17 April – 19 June 2024
Wednesdays 6.30 – 7.30 pm
Course Type: In-School

Tuition Fee: €210

Enrolment

Enrolment for this course requires a completed Enrolment Form and full payment of the tuition fee. Places are limited to eight and are available on a first-come, first-served basis, based on the date of enrolment. Many of our group courses fill in advance of their start dates, and early enrolment is recommended.

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Purchasing this course as a gift?
Please complete a Gift Certificate Booking Form.

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Questions about the course?

CONTACT US

or call us on (01) 478 1884.

Recommended Instruments

There are many 5-string or ‘G’ banjos available, but the following instruments are recommended for their quality and affordability:

• McBrides ST215 G Banjo & Hard Case • €349
• Epiphone MB-200 Banjo
• Fender Concert Tone 54 Banjo

The McBrides ST215 can be purchased from Waltons Music at a 10% discount for students enrolled in the course. If you would like to obtain a discount, please contact Waltons and include a scan or photo of your course payment receipt.

CONTACT WALTONS

What happens after the course?

Two weeks before the end of each Introducing course, participants will be given options for continuing their tuition with the New School if they would like to do so. Although an ‘improvers’ or continuation course cannot be scheduled on the same day/time as the Introducing course, one can be arranged if enough course participants would like to continue and the teacher has timetable availability or there is timetable availability with another teacher. Participants can also continue their tuition with private (one-to-one) lessons or ‘partner’ lessons with another class member. (See Tuition Options – Private • Partner • Small Group Lessons.) We are happy to discuss these options with you.

Tuning Your Banjo

Tuning your banjo – and keeping it in tune – is an essential first step to playing it. Here are some simple instructions for tuning your banjo, as well as a video on tuning with an electronic tuner and a useful smartphone tuning app.

Strings

The open strings of a banjo in standard ‘G’ tuning, from the top ‘half’ string to the bottom, are:

• G, the fifth and highest sounding string (an octave higher than the third string)
• D, the fourth and lowest sounding string (an octave lower than the first string at the bottom)
• G, the third string (an octave lower than the fifth string at the top)
• B, the second string
• D, the first string (an octave higher than the fourth string)

Tuning

1. Find the third, centre string. This is the first one to tune. If you don’t have a tuner at hand then a piano, pitch-pipe, or any other fixed pitch instrument will do. All you need is a constant, even pitch.
2. Follow this middle string to the ‘head’ of the banjo, and find its corresponding tuning knob. Keep plucking the string and turn the knob until it is tuned perfectly to a G below middle C.
3. Use the same method to tune the adjacent, slightly thinner string to a B (below middle C).
4. The next and last string in that direction is thinner still; tune it to a D.
5. Go back to that first half-length string. Tune this to a G, a full octave above the first G you tuned.
6. Finally, tune the adjacent, thickest string to a low D.

Tuning Video

This video provides simple instructions on tuning your banjo using an electronic tuner.

Tuning App

Yousician’s popular GuitarTuna app can also tune fifteen other instruments and is widely used by banjo players:

GuitarTuna

Android:

iOS:

A wide range of clip-on electronic tuners, which are inexpensive and easy to use, are also available.

5-String Banjo on YouTube