I am going to start immersing myself into learning backup (and fixing my G lick 
). Backup is what we have to play for 70% or more of the time in a jam session. Playing in jams is something I feel I need to do in order to progress as a banjo player.
I have been through the backup lessons in the Beginner section and started the ones in Intermediate section. BTW, I really like the Banjo Utility Rolls lesson. I listen to that MP3 all the time. Anyway, one request I have is that sample backup tabs could be added to some of the songs. Even though the backup lessons show you how to do this generically, I think some examples added to the songs would be really helpful. I just picked up the Janet Davis book on backup. I like the method she uses for progressing the student through the different styles of backup for different songs. I think something similar would be a great addition to the lessons here.
Archie's Favorite Topic - Backup :) & Suggestion for Ben
Hi Joe… I think its more like %90.
Banjo Backup TABs to accompany, Guitar & Mandolin I have been requesting this for years. 
That’s why there are now so many great lessons on backup. Before I started requesting them there were none. I am sure @BanjoBen will concur it was through my constant nagging that persuaded him to start producing lessons on this topic,
You may not have noticed but every Banjo Mandolin and Flat Pick/ Fingerstyle Guitar Lesson has a Rhythm Guitar accompanying TAB. Guitar Players get a lesson every week. I am not complaining I am just pointing out the obvious. This website really should be called Guitar Ben but it just doesn’t have the same ring to it. 
I have the Janet Davis books and I have to say I am not a big fan of her teaching approach. You will see what I mean when you get more deeply into the book.
Archie, oh really? I never really knew that those “backup” tabs existed for Guitar. The walking bass parts are there. cool. This will help understand some bass. May the Guitar Ben increase!!
Yes John every solo TAB Ben produces has an associated rhythm guitar TAB accompanying the .tef file. So you can read the TAB as you play along with any banjo, mandolin or guitar solo. That’s probably why Ben has more guitar students than he has banjo students. For the most part it’s just basic rhythm but every now and then he sneaks in a walking bass or a fancy riff to spice up the arrangement. Just one more reason that banjobenclark.com is by far the best place to learn to play guitar, mandolin and banjo.
I’m willing to make an offer toward this endeavor that would produce almost zero extra work for Ben. If Ben will send me the isolated banjo backing track to future lessons (and any past lessons he may still have individual tracks to) I’ll be happy to tab it out and share with the group. Maybe Ben could even include them on the lessons pages.
Can you imagine a complete tab with lead and backup and lead again? You could play along to a backing track and feel just like being in a real jam session. 
Great sentiments @JoeB and I second them. I am noticing that some of Ben’s lessons do have backup tabs included and/or a video section on rhythm and chords with suggestions on how to do back up. On my to do list is to play some of the backing tracks or the solo tracks for the other instruments for the songs I know and just tinker around and try to come up with my own backup ideas, which ultimately is what we need to do anyway.
It seems apparent to me that another major task to successful backup is knowing the chord progressions. I’ve heard that term over the years but never really knew what that was until just recently. Man O man, it’s more memorization. You have to know the chord progressions for the song being played and there’s hundreds of jam songs that people know and play that they learned over the years. There are books or collections of songs with just the chord progressions in them, some include lyrics. But jeepers, as if all the stuff we’re learning how to do and the breaks we’re learning wasn’t enough…
I have seen and heard accomplished players play back up and hold their own, only to find out later that they had never heard, or heard of, that tune before. Now, that’s magic I’m thinking. I saw something on Youtube recently though by a music teacher about common chord progressions for certain genres and determining what key players are in and predicting when and what the next chord is. I guess certain chords naturally go to certain other chords… under certain conditions… I dunno.
That could be the subject for another @BanjoBen backup lesson. Advanced most likely.
@Maggie, I know what you mean. There are so many songs and many of them do not have a chord progression that I can distinguish. In order to figure out this vamping backup stuff, I started with something simple that I hear at most jam sessions - You are my Sunshine. I have played that song so many times, I know it very well. I was able to figure out the chord progressions to it without having to constantly look at the tab. I bet you could figure it out also if you close your eyes and listen. Then it tried John Henry and was completely lost. LOL I looked at the tab and did not realize there is a quick D change for half a measure two times in the song. It was not apparent to me from playing the lead to it all this time. I like the idea of playing to different song tracks - Mandolin or Guitar. I have to find ones in G or A, because I have not learned how to play backup in other keys yet.
Joe,
It’s all about taking the key you’re in, and using the chords that fit within that key. (Though there are occasional exceptions).
I know that’s clear as mud, but let’s say the song you’re playing is in the key of C.
The chords that fit in the key of C are C, Dmin, Emin, F, G, Amin, and Bdiminished. (This same pattern works for every other key).
So, for the key of G, the chords that fit are G, Amin, Bmin, C, D, Emin, and F#diminished. See the similar pattern, in the C and G keys?
The really great musicians only need to know the key, and maybe be a bit familiar with the song, and they’ll know the chords and where the chord changes are, more or less by instinct.
Think on this as you play, and more and more this pattern will slowly start taking shape.
One last point, to try to clarify. Lets say you’re trying to figure out the chords for a song in C. Try figuring it out using those chords listed above that fit with the key of C.
I really hope that was helpful.
Jack
By the way, the above is for songs that are written in a major key.
@Mark_Rocka I would be more than happy to collaborate on tabbing these out if I could figure out from the isolated banjo backup mp3 what licks and roll patterns Ben employs. It think it would be a great exercise in listening (learning by ear) to the isolated backup tracks and in the long term help with improvisation. What do you think @BanjoBen is this possible ?
Thank you Jack. I actually understand the music theory for other major keys, I just don’t know how to apply them to the fret board for the vamping style where you go 1st inversion, 2nd inversion for 1, 4, and 5. I know the same pattern will work for G - C, but then I run out of fret board because the 2nd inversion for C puts you at fret 21. I guess for the other keys, you could go back up the fret board. I am just used to chord 4 and 5 being higher pitched than 1.
Alan Munde Fretboard Geography 
I simply don’t have time to listen back to what I play on backup and try to tab it out. There are lessons here on the site (amongst the hundreds) that do have the rolling banjo tabbed out, especially the duets. I can send the mp3 to Mark if he wants. However, I don’t play hardly anything that I haven’t already taught how to do on the site, but I do see the value in seeing it in action.
[quote=“BanjoBen, post:14, topic:8030, full:true”]
but I do see the value in seeing it in action.
[/quote]
@BanjoBen This is the definitely the key to learning backup. On the few bits of TAB and books on back up I have worked through I have learned quite a bit. I just started working my way through Eddie Collins and Bill Knopf 's back up books and these have been a great eye opener but their style of playing is altogether different.
I learned a lot by finding a simple backup method and using tefedit to apply it to you are my sunshine. Now I can practice by playing along with the tef file. I plan to do this to others until it becomes second nature to do on the fly.
I’m game. You guys pick 2 or 3 songs that have a good banjo backup. Hopefully Ben still has the isolated banjo tracks and I’ll tab them out.
I’ll get back to you on that @Mark_Rocka once I have had a chance to listen to some guitar & mandolin solos to see/hear what some of the banjo backup sounds like
Hi @Mark_Rocka & @BanjoBen
Sorry for the delay in getting back to you guy’s. I’ve spent the last couple of days going through pretty much every Guitar and Mandolin lesson save for the Christmas ones. Listening for Banjo Backup and here is the complete list. Well I may have let one or two slip by me.
What surprised me as I listened through these lessons was how few guitar & mandolin solos actually had banjo backup whilst pretty much all had either mandolin or guitar or both providing backup. Some of those solos that didn’t have banjo backup I really would have liked to have heard some banjo and been able to play along with.
Rather than picking out a few of my favourites I have decided to include the full list to help ascertain which if any isolated banjo backing tracks mp3 files from past lessons Ben still retains and we can begin to work things out from there.
In the list the follows the * denotes a multi instrument lesson
Guitar
Beginner Track
Buffalo Girls (B)
You are my Sunshine (B)
Intermediate Track
Cherokee Shuffle (I)
I decided to follow Jesus (I)*
Keep on the sunny side (I)*
Lifes Railway to Heaven (I)*
Red River Valley(I)* C
St Annes Reel (I)*
Under the Double Eagle (I)*
Advanced Track
Battle Hymn of the Republic (A)*
Beaumont Rag (A)*
The Big Sciota (A)*
Black Mountain Rag Key of A (A)*
Eighth of January (A)*
The Entertainer (A)*
I am a Pilgrim (A)*
John Henry (A)*
Leaning On The Everlasting Arms (A)*
Leather Britches (A)*
Lifes Railway to Heaven (A)*
Man of Constant Sorrow (A)*
Red Wing (A)*
Sailors Hornpipe (A)*
Turkey In The Straw(A)*
Will the Circle Be Unbroken (A)*
The Wray Wrhythm Wrun “Circle” (A)*
Mandolin
Beginner Track
Cripple Creek(B)
Wreck of the Old 97(B)
You Are my Sunshine (B)
Buffalo Girls (B)
Intermediate Track
Keep on the sunny side (I)*
Grandfathers Clock(I)
Leather Britches (I)*
Red River Valley(I)* C
Sailors Hornpipe (I)*
Soldiers Joy (I)
Under the Double Eagle (I)*
Wabash Cannonball(I)
Advanced Track
Angeline the Baker(A)
Battle Hymn of the Republic (A)*
Beaumont Rag (A)*
The Big Sciota (A)*
Eighth of January (A)*
The Entertainer (A)*
I decided to follow Jesus (A)*
John Hardy (A)*
John Henry (A)*
Leaning On The Everlasting Arms (A)*
Lifes Railway to Heaven (A)*
Man of Constant Sorrow (A)*
Old Joe Clark(A)
Red Wing (A)*
Turkey In The Straw(A)*
Will the Circle Be Unbroken (A)*
Wow Archie, that’s quite a bit of work. Thanks for that. 