Hooks & Nuts - Deering Banjos Blog

Scruggs Style Banjo Lesson With Tray Wellington

Written by Tray Wellington | Aug 7, 2019 5:29:33 PM

Tray Wellington runs through some of the right hand roll patterns that make up the foundation for playing the banjo in the style of Earl Scruggs. Something that made Earl's style so unique for the time was the amount of drive he got, and the way he achieved that drive was by really emphasizing the right hand rolls and combining the right hand rolls. Some of the rolls he would use would be a forward roll, alternating thumb roll, and a backward roll. 

Listen and watch Tray give examples on his Deering Tenbrooks Saratoga Star banjo of some of these roll pattern and the way Earl combined these rolls. Tray plays through Cumberland Gap, Foggy Mountain Breakdown, and Shucking The Corn.