StretchLearn Course

Roll Into Bluegrass Banjo

From open G tuning to your first fiddle tunes in the Scruggs three-finger style.

Beginner9 hrSelf PacedRegistered

Course Overview

What this course is designed to develop

This course teaches the three-finger Scruggs picking style that defines bluegrass banjo, built on the standard open G tuning (gDGBD). You move from holding the instrument and reading tablature through forward, backward, and alternating-thumb rolls, the G-C-D chord vocabulary, and left-hand color tools like slides, hammer-ons, pull-offs, and chokes. By the end you can play simple tunes with a clean, driving roll and keep your banjo in tune and in good condition.

Learning Outcomes

What the learner should be able to understand, build, or execute.

Set up and tune a 5-string banjo to open G (gDGBD) by ear and with a clip-on tuner

Execute forward, backward, alternating-thumb, and forward-reverse rolls cleanly with metal fingerpicks

Fret the G, C, and D7 chords and switch between them in time

Read banjo tablature including roll patterns, slides, hammer-ons, pull-offs, and chokes

Play Cripple Creek and Boil Them Cabbage Down at 90-110 BPM with a steady roll

Maintain the instrument by adjusting head tension, bridge placement, and string changes

Curriculum Preview

Inside the curriculum: a structured path from fundamentals to execution.

Preview the course structure, see how the modules build on one another, and understand the path this program is designed to take you through.

Module 1

Module 1: Meet the Banjo and Open G Tuning

Get oriented to the 5-string banjo, set it up correctly, and tune it to the open G chord that bluegrass is built on.

3 lessons

Anatomy of the 5-String and Why the Fifth String MattersContent · 45 min

Preview Enabled

Tuning to Open G (gDGBD)Content · 45 min

LMS Access

Holding the Banjo and Fitting FingerpicksContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Module 2

Module 2: The Foundation Rolls

Build the picking-hand engine of bluegrass: forward, backward, alternating-thumb, and forward-reverse rolls played to a metronome.

3 lessons

The Forward RollContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Backward and Alternating-Thumb RollsContent · 45 min

LMS Access

The Forward-Reverse Roll and Pinch PatternsContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Module 3

Module 3: Chords and Fretting-Hand Technique

Build the G, C, and D7 chord vocabulary and add the slides, hammer-ons, pull-offs, and chokes that bring rolls to life.

3 lessons

The G, C, and D7 ChordsContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Slides, Hammer-Ons, and Pull-OffsContent · 45 min

LMS Access

The Choke and Up-the-Neck Chord ShapesContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Module 4

Module 4: Your First Tunes and Instrument Care

Apply rolls, chords, and ornaments to real bluegrass tunes, learn to read tablature fluently, and keep your banjo in playing condition.

3 lessons

Reading Banjo TablatureContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Playing Cripple Creek and Boil Them Cabbage DownContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Head Care, Bridge Setup, and String ChangesContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Built for Application

A complete learning path, not a one-off inspiration hit.

This program is designed around progression: focused lessons, structured modules, applied resources, assessments, and a course rhythm that turns information into usable capability.

bluegrass banjoScruggs stylethree-finger pickingbanjo rollsopen G tuningfingerpicksbanjo tablatureclawhammer alternative