Please see link below, and listen to the verse starting at 1:44 where Tony plays harmony backup.
I was wondering if any of you can direct me to one of the BanjoBenClark banjo lessons where learning to hammer out a harmony line is addressed.
And if there is no lesson, is this something worth asking Ben to address on the site?
Thanks,
Nathan Smith
Yes, check out the lesson “How to Play Banjo Harmony”:
https://banjobenclark.com/lessons/how-to-play-banjo-harmony-banjo-advanced
Here are some arrangements that feature harmony:
https://banjobenclark.com/lessons/higher-ground-banjo-lesson-banjo-intermediate
https://banjobenclark.com/lessons/cold-frosty-morning-banjo-advanced
https://banjobenclark.com/lessons/peaches-cream-an-alan-munde-tribute-lesson-banjo-advanced
These lessons are on vocal harmony but they are excellent explanations of how harmony works:
https://banjobenclark.com/lessons/inside-cabin-camp-harmony-singing-workshop-beginner
https://banjobenclark.com/lessons/inside-cabin-camp-exploring-harmony-intermediate
BTW, it’s probably not the best idea to leave your phone number on a public forum, as bots can get it and you can get spam—I went ahead and removed it.
Thanks for the help, Michael_Mark. I’ll check these links out. Have you experimented with banjo harmony?
Not a whole lot on my own time, but I understand how the process works. To come up with it, you basically want to listen for the chord tones that the melody is hitting, and play the next chord tone up from there (for a high [tenor] harmony). For instance, if your melody banjo is playing a regular G lick, which emphasizes the 3 (B) and then the 1 (G), the harmony banjo lick can hit a 5 (D) and then a 3 (B).
