Learn Roots Music
Ross Nickerson
Essential Banjo Licks
This series of instructional DVDs from Learnrootsmusic.com are professionally done, well lighted and well-recorded, and, most importantly, offer the student accessible and valuable ways to improve one's playing. The two banjo DVDs approach banjo from tow different perspectives, both valid and both rewarding.
"Essential Banjo Techniques By Ross Nickerson" is a virtual encyclopedia of over a hundred banjo licks, doled out in digestible video bits. They range from beginning G licks to Scruggs, backup, single string, up the neck, blues, slow stuff, and then progresses toward more advanced hot licks. Nickerson plays each lick twice, once at medium tempo and the second time slowed down (not just played slowly) for easy viewing. As Ross states in the introduction, you might have to stop and start your DVD to learn them, but that's expected in any instructional video. If you need a lot of explanation, this is not the video for you, but if you're looking to fill your "bag of licks" as Nickerson says, this is just the thing.
- review from Bluegrass Unlimited magazine June 2008
"Ross Nickerson is one of North America's finest contemporary banjo players and his teaching abilities are tremendous!"
Students who are well versed in banjo studies are very likely aware of the great teaching styles of Ross Nickerson. In this collection of Essential Banjo Licks, Ross teaches;
- Tips on Left Hand Techniques (sliding, hammer ons , pull offs, bending)
- Song or Solo Beginnings in the Keys of G, C, D
- Song or Solo Endings in the Keys of G, C, D
- Turnarounds in G, C and D
- Scruggs Licks in G, C and D
- Melodic Banjo Style Licks
- Single String Licks
- Backup Licks
- Up The Neck Licks
- Triplets
- Blues Licks
- Slow Stuff
- Hot Licks
- And more!
Each lick is played up to speed and then slowed down for easy studying