There is a great crosspicking variation called a backward roll that I stole from my dad, Ben Eldridge, who plays banjo. Banjo typically is played using a forward roll, where you use thumb, index, middle, thumb, index, middle, etc with the notes going low to high. The backward roll just flips the forward roll around to middle, index, thumb, middle, index, thumb, etc.
The backward roll has a great sound, that pitch-wise tends to move from high to low. A great example can be heard in the Earl Scruggs tune Home Sweet Home. Of course, we're using a flatpick but the basic high to low pattern of the backward roll stays intact.
We're going to use it this week to play a variation on the melody of Banks of the Ohio. I think this is a very pretty variation and I hope you enjoy playing it!
Chris
Topics and/or subjects covered in this lesson:
standards
Chris Eldridge
Bill Monroe
Banks of the Ohio
Doc Watson
Joan Baez
Crosspicking
Print Chords & Tab
Loop 0:00 Introduction to the Backward Roll
Loop 2:34 How To Use the Backward Roll to Play the Melody of Banks of the Ohio
Loop 17:52 Slow Practice Loop
Loop 18:34 Closing Thoughts and Outro
Comments
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Here is banks of ohio, thanks for a beautiful crosspicking arrangement.
Torgeir
Beautiful, Torgeir! That guitar of yours keep sounding better and better! Happy new year!
Totally agree with Enslah here...beautifully played, and that guitar of yours has wonderful tone!
Thank you Bryn and Enslah!
Beautiful! Sounding absolutely beautiful Torgeir! 👏
Beaufitul picking Torgeir!
Hi Chris, I've been working hard on this and I'm still struggling a bit, but here's what I've got. There's a little bit of everything--forward roll, backward roll, and Carter-style. Just a forewarning--I play an Ab instead of a low C in the 3rd phrase. I'm at the tail end of my Spring Break and one of the things on my list has been to upload something since I haven't done it in so long.
James, great to see you on here! This rendition is great and very musical! I really appreciate how over the course of the tune it was slowly building dynamically until the last Carter-style version which was so open and big. Really nice. I also dug your embellishments.
The main thing I would work on here is execution, and I think you can already do it. Here's what I would suggest: try slowing it down a bit, maybe 10-20 bpms. You'll notice that I took it a bit slower on the intro for the backwards roll lesson. Go even slower than that. Then at the slower tempo, really commit to playing it with much musicality and nuance as you can. You don't have to find new nuances to put in, but really make sure that you are getting in everything that you were going for in terms of musicality and nuance in the video that you submitted above. Imagine that you are performing it for people. Once you can do it to your satisfaction that way, keep playing it like that at the slower tempo every day for a week. Then bring it back up to tempo slowly, always keeping the focus on the musicality and not the technique.
Can I go off topic for a second - not sure its appropriate but I just watched a video on Youtube where Chris is picking a song that I think is called Let Him Go On Mama? Anway, the first half is picking - no singing - is that part of the song that he sings in the 2nd half of the video? I really don't think it is but cool deal all the way around.
Too thick to navigate - too thin to plow.
Hey Kip, I believe the video in question was a medley of a fiddle tune called "Whistlin' Rufus" into a John Hartford song called "Let Him Go On, Mama."