Having a heck of time understanding backup, I understand vamping ok. Ok say for example Cabin In Caroline.
G G G G C C G G Now instead of vampimg one wanted to do a rolling backup in G , fwd roll then fwd Bkward roll. open 3 string, open5 open 3thd open 1st etc. Rolling backup in place of the vamping.
I hope i made some sense. I tried to add some tab photos to show but could not.
Guess at 76 my old mind is just to slow,
Backup
3 Likes
Welcome to the forum, Archie. Ben has some good lessons on banjo backup. I suggest you check out this one for intro into rolling backup.
https://banjobenclark.com/lessons/banjo-chord-walking-backup-banjo
2 Likes
Welcome to @BanjoBen 's Forum Archie. Backup is the one topic I struggled to make any sense with. For years I pestered Ben to create lessons on backup and eventually my persistence paid-off and Ben obliged and has produced some excellent lessons on this topic. Go to the banjo section and type Backup in the search box. Hope this helps
2 Likes
I have done this lesson over and over, what I am lacking is how to apply it to a actual song.
Hey @apwb9usd, you’ve come to the right place!
(For the purpose of my reply, I’m going to assume that you’re comfortable with playing the backup example Ben uses over Unclouded Day in that lesson. If that’s not the case, let us know and we can take it from there.)
Unclouded Day is only one example that Ben used to demonstrate the rolls in a song, and when it comes to actually applying the rolls taught in the lesson, we need to figure out how to slightly modify them to fit a different song. Think of those rolls and walks as puzzle pieces – all you need to do is fit them in the right place. The best part? You can cut 'em up to fit any puzzle.
Cabin in Caroline is a perfect example. What’s nice is that the first half of its verse actually follows the exact same chord progression as Unclouded Day. So, the first half of the verse won’t be much of a struggle if Unclouded Day is the only song you know how to back up.
The last half of the verse differs in that the D chord comes a measure sooner than it does in Unclouded Day. This might seem a turnoff when trying to play behind the song, but once you pinpoint exactly what is stopping you, it becomes a much less discouraging puzzle. In this example, all you really need to do is play the walk to D at the right measure to fit Cabin in Caroline (which coincidentally is one measure before you play it in Unclouded Day).
Of course, this process shouldn’t always revert to “let me compare the song to Unclouded Day”, but this is simply an exercise to help you see the very simple mechanic that comes into play – and become familiar with it.
That chord walk/rolling lesson CAN help you play any song that uses the G, C, and D chords – all we need to do is put the walks in the right place, cut a roll short or play a roll another time here or there. With a curiosity and trial and error, you can make those puzzle pieces fit – and the second song is easier than the first, the third is easier than the second, and the twenty-first is easier than the twentieth. 
5 Likes
Hi Archie, to add to what @Michael_Mark said… A key part of playing backup is LISTENING. Listen to the melody/song and try to predict chord changes and punctuation in the music.
If the tune is in G try playing just a G forward roll all the way through. I bet you get the urge to “change gear” every now and then. So here is the fun part. Do you change up a gear or down? That’s where the anticipation comes in. Hit the rewind button, play the tune again and this time try adding a C chord when you think the music is gonna change. How did that sound? Did it clash? if so repeat the process and try playing a D or D7 chord. No matter what you play chances are your only one note out.
So I hear you ask what about this punctuation. Ok this time when you play the record don’t play anything just listen to the singer and try to anticipate when the singer is going to pause for breath. At that point to fill the empty space, play a G tag lick.
The more you LISTEN and try to anticipate chord changes and punctuation the easier the task becomes. It’s like driving a car with a stick shift if you don’t make the right choice in the gear change you’ll know right away you chose the wrong gear. If you chose the right gear it sounds and feels good.
Now put on the record and just noodle or mess around with the notes till it feels good. Remember the key to success is LISTENING.
4 Likes