Your Banjo Roadmap: What to Learn on the Banjo in Order

Learning to play the banjo from YouTube can be a crapshoot. There's a ton of great material out there, but there's not much of a structured path to follow. And if you want to make real progress with the banjo, you need a plan. 

So that's what we're talking about here. If I were to start over from day one, this is the order I would learn in. For my goals of sounding good with other people, arranging songs and having maximum fun, these are the skills I would build and the order I would put them in. A banjo roadmap, if you will! 

And, if you're not the reading type, check out the video on the topic!

 This roadmap has 5 stages. Start from clueless beginner and end up like the kid from Deliverance. I’ll explain:

•  The technical and musical skills to learn at each level
•  Example songs to learn
•  What you should be able to accomplish when you complete each stage

The path is for any banjo style, but I’ll share some clawhammer-specific tips too. And you can stop anywhere on this path! Think about your own personal goals - do you want to be a banjo master, or do you want to have fun and sing a few songs? 

Alright, let's start from square one!

Stage 1: Clueless Beginner

How do I even hold this thing? 

You don't know your bum from a bum-ditty at this stage. So work on getting those simple, foundational skills and building good habits. You're not going to be playing any songs just yet. But you are going to learn the basics and start figuring out what you like and you don't like. 

Stage 1 Technical Skills

•  How to properly hold a banjo
• Tuning your banjo
•  Learning the open string names
•  Learning the basic parts of the banjo
•  Changing strings
•  Fretting single notes cleanly

Music Theory 

•  Pick a style to focus on (clawhammer, 3-finger, etc.)
•  Learn the most basic strum/picking pattern for your chosen style
•  Music theory basics: reading tabs, time signatures, notes, keys, etc. You don't need to master music theory yet, just familiarize yourself with core concepts.

Once you have these basics solidly under your belt, you'll be ready to play your first real songs!

By the end of this stage you should be able to:

•  Strum a bit, in tune and have the basic building blocks of your chosen stye. 
•  Understand very basic music theory terms

Stage 2: Beginner

Now we get to the fun part - actually playing music! In this stage you'll learn your first chords and songs. They might not sound perfect yet, but you’re on your way to sharing your new skills with an audience.

Here's what to focus on: 

Technical Skills

• Learn G, C, and D chords and smoothly transition between them
•  Develop rhythm by practicing with a metronome
•  Improve right hand accuracy to clearly play melody notes
•  Learn simple versions of beginner songs like "Cripple Creek", "Boil Them Cabbage Down", and "You Are My Sunshine"

Music Theory

•  Actively listen to songs you're learning and music in the genre you want to play
•  Be able to hum/sing tunes you’re learning
•  Identify specific things you like/dislike about songs to shape your personal style

By the end of this stage you should be able to:

•  Comfortably play a few beginner songs from memory, without relying on tabs

Trust me, playing real songs feels incredibly rewarding compared to just drilling techniques. And active listening is equally important - it trains your ear so you can learn songs just by hearing them.

If you want a structured beginner learning program, check out my free 90 minute video course that covers stages 1 and 2. 

Stage 3: Life of the Party

At this point you have a couple tunes that will impress your friends at parties - if you're the type to go to parties and play the banjo. You might not fully understand the music theory behind them yet, but your technical skills are developing nicely. 

Now let’s expand your repertoire and start applying some music theory:

Technical Skills 

•  Hammer-ons, pull-offs, slides
•  Double thumbing
• Drop thumbing
•  Play more advanced songs by following tabs
• Learn G, C, and F chords in "double C" tuning

Music Theory  

•  Nashville number system
•  Find the 1, 4, and 5 chords in any key
•  Use a capo to play in different keys like G, A, C, and D.

Great stage 3 songs are "Soldier’s Joy", "Black Eyed Susie", and "Barlow Knife".

By the end of this stage you should be able to:

•  Fluidly play various intermediate songs by following tab
•  Understand how to use chord numbers and a capo to easily transpose songs into new keys

Stage 4: Banjo Professor

 You can now casually pick up a banjo and impress people by playing entire songs from memory. But most players eventually hit a wall here, unable to break through to an advanced level.  

That’s because this stage is when you need to focus less on learning more songs, and more on developing your unique style and “ear” for music.

The technical skills below will continue expanding your repertoire, but pay special attention to listening skills and exploring new styles.

Technical Skills  

•  Alternate string pull-offs
•  Expand chord vocabulary beyond basic 1, 4, and 5 chords
•  Explore alternate tunings like Cumberland Gap and Sawmill
•  Start attending jams or playing with friends

Musicality 

•  Recognize chord changes by ear
•  Create simple arrangements by ear
•  Improvise backup parts to other musicians
•  Explore new genres beyond your core style
•  Study players you wish to emulate
•  Develop arrangements of songs you can play from memory

By the end of this stage you should be able to:

•  Quickly arrange simple versions of songs by ear
•  Sit down and make more complex arrangements in your own style
• Feel comfortable playing with others

Stage 5: Banjo God

Let's just take a minute to admire what AI outputs if you tell it to give you a picture of a banjo god shooting lasers out of his eyes. 

Got it? Ok, moving on. 

At the highest level, you may not be shooting lasers out of your eyes, but you're a damn good banjo player. Reading tabs feels restrictive - you’d rather develop original arrangements. Your versatility allows you to fluidly switch between styles and improvise with other musicians.

Technical Skills

•  Build arrangements in real-time based on what you hear
•  Explore genres beyond bluegrass/old-time
•  Arrange pop/rock songs into your unique style

You now have a solid technical foundation, versatile repertoire, and intuitive musical ear. With some dedicated practice, your custom banjo arrangements could even become signature pieces in your local music community.

But remember, you don’t need virtuoso-level skills to have fun playing banjo. Making music is about the journey, not the destination. With this 5 stage roadmap, I hope you now have a framework to chart your own fulfilling banjo path at your own pace.

Now grab your banjo and get to work! I can’t wait to hear where this journey takes you.