Forwards and Backwards Rolls

Exploring More Rolls on the Banjo

So now let's learn some more rolls. More rolls are really important to the banjo.

Simple Rolls

The rolls we've played so far are what I like to call simple rolls. They fit into a measure, which consists of eight notes:

1. 1
2. 2
3. 4
4. 5
5. 6
6. 7
7. 8

Both of those rolls fit right into a measure.

The Forward Roll

One of the most important rolls on the banjo, though, is the forward roll. It doesn't fit evenly in the measure because it's just playing the three notes of your three fingers in a row and then repeating it.

Let's play a forward roll on:

• The fifth string
• The third string

The Backward Roll

The backward roll is the same strings, but we're going to play the same fingers in the opposite direction:

• Instead of thumb 1, 2, thumb 1, 2 (which is a forward roll), the backward roll is 2, 1, thumb, 2, 1, thumb.

Starting on Different Fingers

It doesn't matter what finger you start on.

• We can start on the thumb and still go backward.
• We can start on the middle finger of the first string and go forward.

Exercise for Finger Control

I'm going to give you an exercise to try.

It's really a triplet exercise designed to get your fingers used to and gain control over your rolls.

Instructions for the Exercise

1. We're going to play a forward roll.
2. Make the first note louder and the second two quieter.
3. We will start on each finger.

We can also do this with the backward rolls.

Challenge

The hard part actually isn't to play the loud one louder. It's to play the two quiet ones evenly and equally quiet.

So that's a little something to try!