Into the World of Banjo with Willow Osborne
About Into the World of Banjo with Willow Osborne
Dive into the world of banjo with guidance from Willow Osborne in this eight-session class. Join the first class on June 15 totally free, or use the drop down menu above the enroll button to sign up for the complete series.
Class 1. Reviewing our knowledge of chords, rolls and G-run + how we use these in application
Class is back in session! In this lesson, we will work on reviewing our basic chords, rolls and the famous G-run. Next, we will dive into practical application of these concepts. You might be thinking… “well… I know how to play a D chord and do a reverse roll but now what?”. We’re going to answer that question in this lesson!
Class 2. Learning how to jam with someone + sing alongside your banjo (Jesse Eads will be joining me for this lesson!)
Ok, so we’ve got solo-ing and backup down at home but what happens when we go to a jam?! Jesse Blue Eads will be joining me for this lesson so we can show you exactly how to solo and play backup with someone! We’ll be going over tips, tricks and some cool backup techniques in this lesson. We will also be working on how to backup yourself while singing if you so choose to!
Class 3. Major, Minor and a G scale
In this lesson, we’ll be diving into the world of minor chords and working on more major chords (as well as taking our major chords up the neck to different positions). From there, we will work on getting our open G-scale down and naming all the notes.
Class 4. Learning Old Joe Clark (lead & backup)
We will be working on the classic Old Joe Clark in this lesson. I decided on this song because while it is famous, it often gets overlooked when we’re first learning the banjo. It’s a great one to practice hammer-ons, pull-offs and pinches. We will also be learning how to play the backup for this tune for when we are jamming or playing with other people.
Class 5. Learning Bugle Call Rag + harmonics (lead & backup)
We’ll be tackling one of my favorite classic tunes… Bugle Call Rag! It has the coolest technique in it which involves the use of harmonics (or chimes as we say in the South). Fun fact, I thought that everybody said chimes but Jesse informed me that only in my neck of the woods do people say that!
Class 6. Banjo maintenance (changing strings, picking out new picks, etc.)
In this lesson, we’re going to be going over some basic banjo upkeep tips! We’ll be working on how to know when our strings are worn out from pickin’ and how to change them, how to know when our picks are working with us and against us and when they need to be replaced and what happens when our bridge position needs to be changed. We’ll also be talking through some of the common issues that arise with our banjos and what to do when this happens.
Class 7. To go where no banjo has gone before… a key other than G!
Moving away from our home of G is always a scary experience but you need not worry! Because we’re going to work on what to do if somebody calls a song in A, B, etc… or even E flat (ah!). We will learn how to use our regular capo & fifth-string capo (or railroad spikes) and even how to play in open G if we choose to not capo (or we forget ours at home… speaking from personal experience).
Class 8. Let’s write a song together!
Ok… I know this idea sounds crazy but hear me out… it’s going to be fun! In this lesson, we will work together by using all skills we’ve acquired so far to write a song and by the end of the lesson, be able to perform it. We will learn the skills to ready us for writing any tune that pops into our head at the spur of the moment!
When
The class will meet for eight weekly 45-min live online sessions on Wednesdays at 7 pm ET | 4 pm PT | 23:00 UTC on the schedule below. The class started on June 15. Get immediate access to the recording of the first session after enrolling.
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Enrolled students receive lifetime access to the video recordings of the classes.
How It Works
Enroll above to save your spot in the class. Lessonface will send you a confirmation right away, and a Zoom link 24 hours before the class start time. You can log into your Lessonface dashboard to access class materials, communicate with your instructor, join the live Zoom session, and access the class recordings and chat transcript afterward. This class, and all lessons and classes on Lessonface, are covered by the Lessonface Guarantee.
Students Say
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Colby W. on February 17, 2022
Class: Fundamentals of Banjo with Willow Osborne
The class taught me several items to begin working on with my banjo. Willow taught the class several progressions that are used in popular banjo tunes. Thanks!
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Meredith B. on May 18, 2022
Class: Fundamentals of Banjo with Willow Osborne
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Wes L. on June 16, 2022
Awesome!
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Sebastian B. on June 16, 2022
The class was awesome, I learned a lot of basics in the first class that are going to be a great help. Great teacher.
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David C. on June 16, 2022
Willow did an excellent job with the first class session of this course. When faced with an online "room" of several people who you do not know anything about, it would be a challenge to know where to begin. It would be safe to assume that we were all rank beginners compared to her, but there are various levels within the beginner stage. I think her choice to jump right into basic music theory was smart. I don't really know if some of it might have gone right over the heads of some people. Perhaps it might have, particularly if it was somebody who had never played an instrument before, and had never learned anything at all about theory. The minimal music theory foundation I have was plenty to understand what she was talking about, though, and I think her point about the importance of really internalizing basic theory in relation to playing banjo sounds correct. She is giving us the theory and the basic techniques with which to become proficient players. It may be a more ambitious path than a lot of teachers would be starting us out on, but as Willow said, it's never too early to learn the things that are really going to matter. I think she will give us more in eight lessons than most teachers would.
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Bob on June 16, 2022
Completely Awesome
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Amitit D. on June 20, 2022
Awesome!
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Amitit D. on June 23, 2022
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David W. on August 6, 2022
This was an excellent class, exceeding my expectations. In my view, Willow did two things which took the class to another level. The first was that she encouraged us to incorporate an awareness of basic music theory into our banjo playing. This is something which is often absent in bluegrass circles, but it can be a powerful tool for thinking about musical possibilities. It has already changed my approach to playing, and I believe will continue to benefit me as I move forward. The second big thing that Willow gave us was a sense of possibility, a feeling that with practice and attention we can do anything she or anybody else can do. She has so much playing experience and has been a working professional banjo player for years, yet she made us feel like we were all, including her, working together to learn to play banjo better, and that we would all improve if we stayed with it. She believed in us and did not treat us like beginning players (which we were and are) who she could outplay any day of the week with the banjo behind her back (which she could). In addition to these two big things which were unexpected, on a practical level she gave us lots of little useful tips. This was the main thing I had actually been expecting from the class, and she definitely did not disappoint in that area, although, as I said before, the unexpected elements that she incorporated into the class were probably even more valuable. I am very glad to have been able to be a part of this memorable class.
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Willow Osborne
Willow Osborne picked up her first banjo at the age of four. She was taught by her friend & mentor, Gary "Biscuit" Davis, the only 5-time International Banjo Champion. She is endorsed by Deering banjos and plays their Calico model. Willow is also endorsed by Neat banjos, GHS Strings, Black Mountain Picks & BlueChip Picks.
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