Your How To Play 2 Finger Thumb Lead Book

How To Play
2-Finger Thumb Lead Banjo in
7 Essential Steps
(crash course for the total beginner)

a Brainjo Production

fingerstylebanjo.com/twofinger

fingerstylebanjo.com
1
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ABOUT THIS BOOK 3

THE BRAINJO METHOD 4
5 REASONS TO LEARN 2-FINGER THUMB LEAD 5
THE BASIC STRUCTURE OF 2-FINGER THUMB LEAD 8
THE “BEATS FOR BANJO” RHYTHM TRACKS 10
KEY POINTS FROM STEP 1 12
KEY POINTS FROM STEPS 5 & 6 16
NEXT STEPS 19
CLUCK OL’ HEN 21
DARLING COREY 23

2
ABOUT THIS BOOK
This book is a supplement to the How To Play 2-Finger Thumb Lead Banjo
in 7 Essential Steps series of v
ideo lessons.

It contains the exercises, written in tablature, that are “assigned” after each
lesson, in addition to the key diagrams.

It is assumed that you have watched the relevant video for each of the
lessons, all of which can be found at f ingerstylebanjo.com/twofinger.

THE BREAKTHROUGH BANJO COURSE (30 days free)

You can now enroll in the Breakthrough Banjo Course for Fingerstyle Banjo
for 30 days for free.

In addition to the many resources you’ll find inside the course, you’ll also
find the “First Fifteen” - these are 15 songs that are ideal for learning first
after you’ve learned the fundamentals of 2-finger thumb lead.

The “First Fifteen” includes video demonstrations, tablature, and a
step-by-step walk through of the tab for each of the songs in the 15.

CLICK HERE TO GET STARTED

CLICK HERE TO TOUR THE BREAKTHROUGH BANJO COURSE
(or go to fingerstylebanjo.com/coursetour)
3
THE BRAINJO METHOD
This introductory course for banjo is based on The Brainjo Method, a
system of instruction that incorporates the science of learning and
neuroplasticity to create the most efficient and effective path to learning.

You can learn more about the science behind the Brainjo Method in the
book “The Laws of Brainjo: The Art & Science of Molding a Musical Mind”

4
5 REASONS TO LEARN 2-FINGER THUMB LEAD
In my opinion, everyone learning to fingerpick the banjo should start by

learning 2-finger thumb lead. Why? I’ll give you 5 reasons!

REASON #1: I t sounds amazing.
We’ll begin with the best reason of all. Using nothing but your thumb and
forefinger you can create incredible music. Music that you’d be perfectly
happy making for the rest of your life. If you want a perfect example of the
“less is more” principle, look no further than 2-finger thumb lead.

REASON #2: It’s the perfect foundation for 3-finger banjo picking.
So many p eople struggle with 3 finger banjo. They spend months, even
years, learning how to play, only to ultimately come to the realization that
their playing sounds nothing like it’s supposed to. And the reason for that
can be traced back to how 3-finger is commonly learned. So not only will
learning 2-finger thumb lead make it easier for you to learn 3-finger styles,
it’ll also dramatically increase the chances that it’ll sound good, too!

So, you get to learn an amazing sounding way of playing the banjo, and
you’ll be able to easily learn other styles in the future should you choose to
do so. Win-win.

5
REASON #3: It’s the easiest way to sound great on the banjo.
The banjo is known as an instrument that plays a lot of notes beyond just
the melody of a song. And so much of the differences between great and
not-so-great banjo playing is in the timing and emphasis of those notes.

Timing refers to playing the notes in the right spots, on the beat. And
emphasis refers to emphasizing the right notes. Without getting those
things right, banjo playing starts to sound like an incomprehensible mess
of noise in a hurry!

In 2-finger thumb lead, the thumb naturally picks the strings stronger, and
the thumb is responsible for playing melody notes. So the melody is
emphasized naturally. And the way 2-finger is structured makes timing
much easier as well (neither of these things is true with 3-finger bluegrass
style). In 2-finger thumb lead, it’s much easier to get timing and emphasis
right, and build good habits you’ll be able to continue to rely on.

REASON #4: It’s great for solo porch picking.
In my opinion, the two best banjo styles for solo picking are clawhammer
and 2-finger thumb lead. Why? Because both sound great just by
themselves, and both are perfectly suited for vocal backup. In addition, it
also sounds great played at relaxed speeds.

On the other hand, 3-finger style - especially 3-finger bluegrass - sounds
much better when played with a band than it does played solo. Which
should come as no surprise, because it was designed to work in a genre
(e.g. bluegrass) where it’s expected you’ll be playing in a band setting. And
that’s why when you play 3-finger solo, it can feel something is missing.

6
So if you’re looking for a style that’s great for just sitting around on your
sofa or back porch, and picking the banjo nice and easy, look no further!

REASON #5: It’s surprisingly versatile!
I’ll be honest, when I first started dabbling in this style, I figured I’d be
pretty limited in the kind of material I could play using this technique.

I stand corrected!

One thing I’ve learned in this life is that having constraints can sometimes
be the best way to unlock creativity. I think that maxim certainly applies
here.

7
THE BASIC STRUCTURE OF 2-FINGER THUMB LEAD
The notes played on the banjo can be divided into 3 kinds:

1. Melody notes.
2. Harmony notes.
3. Drones.

In many cases, a song on the banjo will have more harmony and drone
notes, or “decorations,” than melody notes. To adapt a song for the banjo,
we begin with the melody and then add in our harmony and drone notes.

THE FUNDAMENTAL UNIT

Much of the music that’s played on the banjo can be divided into a
recurring rhythmic structure that we can divide into 4 parts - a down beat,
an off beat, an up beat, and an off beat (then it begins anew with the next
down beat).

There are different ways you can count this rhythm - “one ee and uh two
ee and uh one ee and uh two ee….” OR “boom uh chuck uh boom uh chuck
uh…” (or anything else you desire, as the possibilities are endless!)

BEATS: DOWN OFF UP OFF DOWN OFF UP OFF
COUNTS: “One ee and uh two ee and uh”
“Boom uh chuck uh boom uh chuck uh”

8
Here it is visually, superimposed on a measure of tablature (in the tab,
there are two down beats in a measure).

In 2 finger thumb lead (and in fingerpicking banjo in general), there are a
set of “rules” that define how we play the different kinds of notes (melody,
harmony, drones) and where those notes typically fall in our repeating
structure. It is these “rules,” and the sounds and patterns that it reliably
creates, that give the style its characteristic (and awesome) sound.

And that’s precisely what we’re covering in this series of lessons!

9
THE “BEATS FOR BANJO” RHYTHM TRACKS
As I’ve mentioned, good timing is essential for making great banjo music.
And the best way to develop good timing is to practice along with a
timekeeping device of some kind, right from the very start of your learning
journey.

The classic tool for doing so is the metronome. However, these days there
are many options available that are a bit more exciting.

One of those more exciting options is Beats for Banjo, a backing drum
track that provides the “boom-uh-chuck-uh” beat structure that’s the
foundation of so much music on the banjo. I think you’ll find that playing
along with these tracks is not only an extremely valuable tool for practicing
timing but is actually a lot of fun.

You’ll find all of the tracks, along with a video discussing the various ways
to use them to enhance your practice, by going to
fingerstylebanjo.com/beats.

THE EXERCISES

There is an exercise for you to practice at the end of each lesson (each an
arrangement of the song “Pretty Polly”) prior to moving on to the next
lesson, and the tabs for these are given in this book. Again, It is highly
recommended that you practice these along with the “Beats for Banjo”
backup tracks.

10

READING BANJO TABLATURE

The exercises are presented in banjo tablature, a system of notation used
for stringed instruments.

If you need a refresher on how to read banjo tabs, head to
https://fingerstylebanjo.com/how-to-read-the-banjo-tabs/

11
KEY POINTS FROM STEP 1

1. Learning any new song begins with knowing the primary melody.
2. In 2 finger thumb lead, the melody is primarily played with the thumb
on strings 2 through 4.
3. The thumb plays on the down and up beats.

STEP 1 EXERCISE

12

1. The thumb also can play a drone note on the 5th string (it is the only
finger that picks the 5th string) - usually on the up beat.
2. There may be instances where we drop an up beat melody note in
favor of playing a drone.
3. These kinds of decisions about what notes to include and what notes
to keep out are one of the key components of musical styles
(individual and regional).

STEP 2 EXERCISE

13

1. The index finger (or 2nd finger in “2” finger) only plays the open 1st
string in this style. Here it functions as a drone.
2. We can play it on the off beats, while simultaneously striking the 5th
string with our thumb, in a technique known as a “pinch.”

STEP 3 EXERCISE

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1. We can also play the open 1st string with our index on the off beats.
2. This technique creates the “rolling” sound that many associate with
the banjo.

STEP 4 EXERCISE

15
KEY POINTS FROM STEPS 5 & 6

1. We can also play melody notes with our fretting hands.
2. These notes will fall on the off-beats.
3. This allows us to play more of the melody notes in songs that have
notes on the off beats.
4. This also allows us to shift melody notes that fall on the down and up
beats to an offbeat, which creates syncopation.
5. Hammer-ons and pull-offs can be played on any string (not just the
one we’ve just struck with our picking hand).

STEP 5 & 6 EXERCISES

HAMMER-ONS

16

PULL-OFFS

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1. As you continue to learn new songs, remember to stay mindful of
this basic structure of
a. Melody notes played with the thumb on the down and up
beats.
b. Drone notes played on the down and up beats on the 5th string
with the thumb, or on any beat with the index finger on the
open 1st string.
c. Melody notes played with the fretting hand (either as a
hammer-on or pull-off) on the off beats.

18
NEXT STEPS
So what next?!

The good news is you’ve now created a solid technical foundation that will
allow you to make incredible music on the banjo, and that will also be the
ideal foundation for learning other styles of fingerpicking, should you
choose to do so.

Solidify the Foundation
For the immediate future, I’d suggest continuing to cement the 2-finger
technical foundation with the exercises from this course.

Beyond that, the ideal next step is to learn new songs t hat sound great
and that are right for your current level.

To that end, inside the Breakthrough Banjo course you’ll now find the “First
Fifteen” - 15 songs that are perfect for learning first after you’ve learned
the fundamentals of 2-finger thumb lead.

And you can now enroll in the Breakthrough Banjo Course for Fingerstyle
Banjo for 30 days for free.

The “First Fifteen” includes video demonstrations, tablature, and a
step-by-step walk through of the tab for each of the songs in the 15.

CLICK HERE TO GET STARTED

CLICK HERE TO TOUR THE BREAKTHROUGH BANJO COURSE
(or go to fingerstylebanjo.com/coursetour)
19

The Breakthrough Banjo course for fingerstyle banjo builds on the
techniques taught in this introductory course, including more advanced 2
finger techniques, along with lessons on singing and playing, playing by
ear, playing in a jam, backup techniques, playing fiddle tunes, playing up
the neck, and more

It also contains The Vault, which is an expanding library of tab
arrangements and video tutorials, including many for 2 finger thumb lead.

(RELATED: C lick here to view the songs and tabs currently in The Vault).

20
BONUS SONGS!
Lastly, I’m going to leave you with a couple of bonus songs. One murder
ballad, and one chicken songs. Every self-respecting banjo player must
have an ample collection of both of these song categories, so this will get
you off to an excellent start.

The first one, Cluck Ol’ Hen, is in the same tuning as Pretty Polly (gDGCD).

The second, Darling Corey, is in a different tuning (gCGCC) that again
showcases the special qualities of the banjo and this particular style of
picking. To get into that tuning from gDGCD, tune the 1st string to the
same pitch as the 2nd string (a “C”), and then tune the 4th string down
from D to C (which puts it an octave below the 1st and 2nd strings).

You’ll find tutorials for these songs, including instructions on changing
tunings, on the “7 Steps” course home page at
fingerstylebanjo.com/twofinger.
21
CLUCK OL’ HEN
gDGCD tuning

22
LYRICS

I had an old hen she had a wooden leg
Best old hen that never laid an egg
Laid more eggs than any hen around the barn
Another drink of whiskey wouldn't do me any harm

Cluck old hen cluck and sing
Ain't seen an egg since way last Spring
Cluck old hen cluck and squall,
Ain't laid an egg since way last fall

My old hen's a good old hen
She lays eggs for the railroad men
Sometimes one sometimes two
Sometimes enough for the whole damn crew

Cluck old hen cluck and sing
Ain't seen an egg since way last Spring
Cluck old hen cluck and squall,
Ain't laid an egg since way last fall

Cluck old hen, cluck in the lot
Next time you cackle you'll cackle in the pot

23
DARLING COREY
gCGCC tuning

24
LYRICS

Wake up wake up darling Corey
What makes you sleep so sound
The revenue officers are coming
They're gonna tear your still house down

Well the first time I saw darling Corey
She was sitting on the banks of the sea
Had a forty-four around her body
And a banjo on her knee

Go away go away darling Corey
Quit hanging around my bed
Your liquor has ruined my body
Pretty women gone to my head

Dig a hole dig a hole in the meadow
Dig a hole in the cold cold ground
Dig a hole dig a hole in the meadow
Gonna lay darling Corey down

Can't you hear those bluebirds singing
Can’t you hear their mournful sound
They're preaching darling Corey's funeral
In some lonesome graveyard ground

25
Wake up wake up Darlin Corey
And go get me my gun
I ain't no man for fightin'
But I'll die before I run
26

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ABOUT THIS BOOK 3

THE BREAKTHROUGH BANJO COURSE (30 days free)

In my opinion, everyone learning to fingerpick the banjo should start by

THE FUNDAMENTAL UNIT

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