Ceonaight
Verified buyer
01/23/26
Highly recommended
Love her approach - laid back but full of valuable info. . . I took this as a review to get basics brushed up again and I shall jump into other courses as I can!
Clawhammer Banjo: Beginner Module 2
A Comprehensive Method Series For Clawhammer Banjo: Beginner Module 2
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About this course
In Beginner Module 2, Cathy steps up your clawhammer banjo game with more cool tunings, chords, scales, insight and of course more songs for your repertoire, each filled with additional key techniques that you can use in hundreds and hundreds of songs. You'll learn Coming Round the Mountain, Careless Love, Walkin' in the Parlor, Needlecase, Mississippi Sawyer, Angeline the Baker, Soldier's Joy, and Get Along Home Cindy. Completing this module rounds out your clawhammer banjo chops with enough skills to take on virtually any song or standard banjo tune and lays a solid foundation for an advanced learning study program (coming soon from Cathy!) and a lifetime of enjoyment.
Everything is demonstrated and broken down note-by-note in full living color. The interactive lesson player equips you with handy tools for zooming, looping and for calling up charts, tab and notation with a single click. Slow and at tempo playalongs get you in the clawhammer groove quickly and accelerate the learning process. You will play your way through the course - no tedious theory or boring exercise to struggle through!
Skip the time travel and genetic splicing -- pick up Cathy Fink's Clawhammer Banjo series and treat yourself to one of the most enjoyable and musical learning experiences you will ever encounter. Oh, and start thinking about that cool stage name!
Everything is demonstrated and broken down note-by-note in full living color. The interactive lesson player equips you with handy tools for zooming, looping and for calling up charts, tab and notation with a single click. Slow and at tempo playalongs get you in the clawhammer groove quickly and accelerate the learning process. You will play your way through the course - no tedious theory or boring exercise to struggle through!
Skip the time travel and genetic splicing -- pick up Cathy Fink's Clawhammer Banjo series and treat yourself to one of the most enjoyable and musical learning experiences you will ever encounter. Oh, and start thinking about that cool stage name!
What you'll learn
- Play complete fiddle tunes at performance tempo
- Maintain steady rhythm throughout entire arrangements
- Learn the complete arrangement of 'Get Along Home, Cindy'
- Understand traditional folk song structure and form
- Develop ability to accompany vocals with guitar
Release date: 06/02/2012 • 2h 54m runtime
Sample lessons
Banjo Setup and Selection
Proper setup and options
Mississippi Sawyer
Performance
Chord Breakdown
Mississippi Sawyer
A-Part Breakdown
Mississippi Sawyer
What's included
54 lessons • 9 charts
Clawhammer Banjo
Welcome to the second module of the beginning clawhammer banjo course. I have been playing old-time banjo since 1974. I have listened, watched, listened, practiced, watched, jammed, listened over and over again. The old time music repertoire has been a constant sound track in my head.
My playing style is influenced by so many banjo players and recordings that I can not honestly say that it emulates any one player. In face, it is my own way of playing with lots of influences starting with my first banjo teacher, Barry Luft of Calgary Alberta, to the many years I was able to hear and watch great players at festivals and concerts such as Mike Seeger, Tommy Thompson, Tommy Jarrell, Lily Mae Ledford, Ola Belle Reed, Reed Martin, Bob Carlin, Pete Seeger, Hedy West, and many, many more.
That said, I am not teaching here the "Tommy Jarrell" or the "Don Stover" or any specific version of any tune or song. I instead have chosen to teach relatively generic versions that are true to the musical form, but do not quote directly from any musical source. As you listen to contemporary and traditional players of clawhammer banjo, you will develop your own tastes and from there can shoose to study more detail of specific regional or personal styles. My hope is that with this and my other courses, I’ve prepared you to do that, and to play along in jam sessions, and to learn to work out banjo tunes and arrangements on your own,
Every teacher has their own way of teaching and every player has nuances to their own playing. Whatever works and makes the music you want to make, go for it!
Enjoy the banjo-the practice time, the jamming time and the adventure of taking up this amazing instrument. And thanks for studying with me.
A special note to guitar players expanding your horizons at the banjo: Guitar playing, especially fingerpicking, uses the same left hand techniques as clawhammer banjo. That part will come easily to you. But the right hand will be a challenge, using completely different techniques and creating all new muscle memory. Try to spend enough time on the drills and early exercises so your right hand will be solid before you start adding your "guitar" knowledge to the left hand. Think of banjo as a completely different instrument instead of "another fretted instrument". There is crossover in left hand technique, but the right hand will take some time to get comfortable and accurate. Once you get it, it’s like riding a bike, it’ll be with you forever.
Cathy Fink
My playing style is influenced by so many banjo players and recordings that I can not honestly say that it emulates any one player. In face, it is my own way of playing with lots of influences starting with my first banjo teacher, Barry Luft of Calgary Alberta, to the many years I was able to hear and watch great players at festivals and concerts such as Mike Seeger, Tommy Thompson, Tommy Jarrell, Lily Mae Ledford, Ola Belle Reed, Reed Martin, Bob Carlin, Pete Seeger, Hedy West, and many, many more.
That said, I am not teaching here the "Tommy Jarrell" or the "Don Stover" or any specific version of any tune or song. I instead have chosen to teach relatively generic versions that are true to the musical form, but do not quote directly from any musical source. As you listen to contemporary and traditional players of clawhammer banjo, you will develop your own tastes and from there can shoose to study more detail of specific regional or personal styles. My hope is that with this and my other courses, I’ve prepared you to do that, and to play along in jam sessions, and to learn to work out banjo tunes and arrangements on your own,
Every teacher has their own way of teaching and every player has nuances to their own playing. Whatever works and makes the music you want to make, go for it!
Enjoy the banjo-the practice time, the jamming time and the adventure of taking up this amazing instrument. And thanks for studying with me.
A special note to guitar players expanding your horizons at the banjo: Guitar playing, especially fingerpicking, uses the same left hand techniques as clawhammer banjo. That part will come easily to you. But the right hand will be a challenge, using completely different techniques and creating all new muscle memory. Try to spend enough time on the drills and early exercises so your right hand will be solid before you start adding your "guitar" knowledge to the left hand. Think of banjo as a completely different instrument instead of "another fretted instrument". There is crossover in left hand technique, but the right hand will take some time to get comfortable and accurate. Once you get it, it’s like riding a bike, it’ll be with you forever.
Cathy Fink
Section 1: Fundamentals
We will be building on the fundamentals that we developed in the first module of the Clawhammer Banjo lessons. It may be helpful from time to time to refer to module 1 and review some of the drills and fundamentals. Thre are pdfs of the exercises as well.
Fundamental Review
Here's a quick review of the fundamentals of clawhammer banjo. If you need more detail, please refer to the first module, where they are taught in detail. Practicing fundamentals continues to be worthy, even as you progress.
Banjo Setup and Selection
I'll discuss the tone and physical playability of your banjo. How high should the strings be at the bridge, at the neck? What will make my banjo sound great and be most comfortable to play? Are my tuning pegs good enough? Does my banjo easily stay in tune? These are the kinds of things we'll talk about in banjo setup.
If you don't have any experience with banjo setup, you might want to find a good banjo repairperson/builder to help you. And it may take a few tries-different strings, different bridge heights, neck adjustment. It's a process that will eventually lead to banjo happiness!
If you don't have any experience with banjo setup, you might want to find a good banjo repairperson/builder to help you. And it may take a few tries-different strings, different bridge heights, neck adjustment. It's a process that will eventually lead to banjo happiness!
Section 2: Songs in A
I play banjo and fiddle tunes on the banjo, but also enjoy singing with banjo. I like to start with very familiar songs so you are learning your banjo techniques on music you already know.
I also mention Grandpa Jones and Lily May Ledrod, two banjo players that had a big, full, song accompaniment style. You can find their recordings and some youtube links.
I also mention Grandpa Jones and Lily May Ledrod, two banjo players that had a big, full, song accompaniment style. You can find their recordings and some youtube links.
Coming 'Round the Mountain
I'm in the key of A, tuned in G tuning with a capo on the 2nd fret and the 5th string under my first 5th string railroad tie, so it is also tuned to an A, matching the 1st string, 5th fret, when the capo is on.
Song Breakdown
This song has identical verse and chorus melody so there is not "A" part and "B" part. I go over the basic strum that I sing with as well as embellishments and "holding" patterns that make the song accompaniment more interesting.
+ 47 more lessons
Reviews
13 results
MargieD
Verified buyer
12/11/25
Cathy Fink's Clawhammer banjo
Clear, efficient and encouraging instruction.
WeirdEric
Verified buyer
04/28/25
buy it
No better teacher than Cathy Fink
jussikosse
Verified buyer
01/25/25
Good banjo course
Good Course!
2canoe
Verified buyer
11/18/23
Up to Tempo
Cathy Fink's Clawhammer Banjo Beginner Banjo is great course for getting into playing the tunes. Standard bluegrass songs and other styles. Cathy also introduces various banjo tunings. You don't just learn the songs but you also get help getting them up to tempo (still working on that) Thanks Cathy.
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