jussikosse
Verified buyer
02/24/26
Very, very good!
Just Good Course to Learn Backing with Banjo!!
Bluegrass Banjo Backup
Vamping and Backup Approaches for Banjo Players
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About this course
Bluegrass banjo players love to jam and live for their break, but in reality, you spend 90% of your time playing back up. Earl Scruggs, JD Crowe, and Sonny Osborne are all known as much for their backup playing as they are for their soloing. Being a great backup player makes you more valuable in any jam and it’s absolutely essential in a band. Your one-stop-shop for becoming that great backup player is Ned Luberecki's Bluegrass Banjo Backup!
"In this Bluegrass Banjo Backup course, we'll work on approaches for basic vamping, syncopated vamping, and rolling backup. I'll show you a few of my favorite chord fills and licks. We'll work on up-the-neck moves, using passing chords, and backup styles you can use for slow songs and waltzes. We'll apply these backup approaches to some of the most common chord changes in bluegrass!"
Ned organized the course into 7 sections covering all of the nuts and bolts of playing backup in a band or at the jam. Ned demonstrates all of the lessons and then guides you through playalongs so that you can put your backup skills to work in a real musical context.
You'll get standard notation and tabs for all of the key examples and performances. Plus, you'll be able to use TrueFire's online learning tools or desktop and mobile apps to sync the tab and notation to the video and loop or slow down the videos so you can work with the banjo lessons at your own pace. All of the backing tracks are included to work with on your own as well.
Grab your banjo and let's get to playing some backup with Ned Luberecki!
"In this Bluegrass Banjo Backup course, we'll work on approaches for basic vamping, syncopated vamping, and rolling backup. I'll show you a few of my favorite chord fills and licks. We'll work on up-the-neck moves, using passing chords, and backup styles you can use for slow songs and waltzes. We'll apply these backup approaches to some of the most common chord changes in bluegrass!"
Ned organized the course into 7 sections covering all of the nuts and bolts of playing backup in a band or at the jam. Ned demonstrates all of the lessons and then guides you through playalongs so that you can put your backup skills to work in a real musical context.
You'll get standard notation and tabs for all of the key examples and performances. Plus, you'll be able to use TrueFire's online learning tools or desktop and mobile apps to sync the tab and notation to the video and loop or slow down the videos so you can work with the banjo lessons at your own pace. All of the backing tracks are included to work with on your own as well.
Grab your banjo and let's get to playing some backup with Ned Luberecki!
What you'll learn
- Apply passing seventh chords to song progressions like Faded Love
- Apply fill-in lick concepts in rhythm guitar contexts
- Understand the purpose and placement of fill-in licks in accompaniment
- Learn when to insert fills during vocal breaks
- Develop awareness of musical space in ensemble playing
Release date: 07/29/2019 • 2h 11m runtime
Sample lessons
Syncopated Two Position Vamping
Demonstration
Syncopated Two Position Vamping
Playalong
6th and 7th Chord Fill
Demonstration
6th and 7th Chord Fill
Playalong
What's included
44 lessons • 35 charts • 6 Jam Tracks
Bluegrass Banjo Backup
Hey, I'm Ned Luberecki and welcome to Bluegrass Banjo Backup!
Bluegrass banjo players love to jam and live for their break, but in reality, you spend 90% of your time playing back up. Earl Scruggs, JD Crowe, and Sonny Osborne are all known as much for their back up playing as they are for their soloing. Being a great back-up player makes you more valuable in any jam and its absolutely essential in a band.
In this course, we'll work on approaches for basic vamping, syncopated vamping, and rolling backup. I'll show you a few of my favorite chord fills and licks. We'll work on up-the-neck moves, using passing chords, and backup styles you can use for slow songs and waltzes. We'll apply these backup approaches to some of the most common chord changes in bluegrass!
All of the key examples are tabbed and you'll have a variety of jam tracks to work with on your own. You can loop and slow down the videos to work with the lessons at your own pace.
Grab your banjer and let's get to playing some backup!
Bluegrass banjo players love to jam and live for their break, but in reality, you spend 90% of your time playing back up. Earl Scruggs, JD Crowe, and Sonny Osborne are all known as much for their back up playing as they are for their soloing. Being a great back-up player makes you more valuable in any jam and its absolutely essential in a band.
In this course, we'll work on approaches for basic vamping, syncopated vamping, and rolling backup. I'll show you a few of my favorite chord fills and licks. We'll work on up-the-neck moves, using passing chords, and backup styles you can use for slow songs and waltzes. We'll apply these backup approaches to some of the most common chord changes in bluegrass!
All of the key examples are tabbed and you'll have a variety of jam tracks to work with on your own. You can loop and slow down the videos to work with the lessons at your own pace.
Grab your banjer and let's get to playing some backup!
SECTION 1: Vamping
Earl Scruggs called this kind of backup "vamping". In other musical genres, vamping means to hold on one chord, or repeat a simple chord turn-around, but in bluegrass banjo playing it refers to this style of rhythm playing.
Basic Vamping
Here's how to do the basic vamp over the F chord shape. We'll practice it over G, C and D chords.
Basic Vamping
Now let's practice the basic vamp over a standard G, C and D chord progression.
Two Position Vamping
For this vamping backup style, you'll alternate between the F shape and D shape of the same chord. It gives the vamping an alternating bass pattern similar to what the bass player or the guitar player might do.
Two Position Vamping
Now we'll practice the two position vamp along with a standard G, C and D chord progression.
Syncopated Two Position Vamping
In this style of vamping, you'll sycopate the rhythm of the second chord position. This creates a more complex rhythm lick and keeps the banjo from playing exactly the same thing as the mandolin in a jam or band setting.
+ 37 more lessons
Reviews
15 results
BanjoRobb
Verified buyer
12/28/25
Bluegrass Banjo Backup
Great course with easy to follow lesson plans.
dflath
Verified buyer
09/07/25
Turefire is making me better
I have found drills I now practice every day. I actually now like practicing back-up.
mgregory55
Verified buyer
12/08/22
Easy to Understand
These courses are easy to follow and understand, taught by accomplished musicians. I expect them to really improve my playing. Affordable too.
Galcorn55
Verified buyer
07/12/22
Great
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