https://banjobenclark.com/lessons/pro-picker-case-study-banjo-with-jim-britton-banjo-intermediate
From Larry Sparks to Jim & Jesse & more, banjo slinger Jim Britton has played the 5 with the best of them! In this lesson, we’ll learn several of Jim’s favorite licks and also study his approach to playing hymns on banjo. Don’t forget to download the tabs!
Aw yeah! So glad to see Jim in the Cabin!!
I knew you would be!
@BanjoBen I am stoked - I have been hinting to you for years that you teach this hymn but never in my wildest dreams did I think you would invite Mr Jim Briton along to the cabin to share his knowledge and expertise with us.
You are so full of surprises Ben and that is why I love banjobenclark.com more than all other teaching websites combined. I’ve signed up to quite a few of these websites over the years just out of curiosity and some are even purty good but none match the quality and amount of top class easy to follow lessons that are available here.
You would think after all these years I would get bored visiting this site daily. On the contrary it’s been fantastic and an honour to experience this website grow from it’s humble beginnings, many sites like to add the title Academy to their name to draw in students. If I was asked what title best describes banjobenclack.com I would have to say it’s The Banjo Ben University of Bluegrass and I am confident other students from around the world would agree.
Thank you Ben and a special thank you to you Jim. Perhaps you’ll come back and teach "In the Garden " next time.
Hi @BanjoBen Is this a TYPO in the TAB? last note in measures 8 & 24 of the UTN break. It’s down as fretting the 1st string at the 9th fret, but it sounds way off to my ear. It’s a C lick. I changed it to 10 and it sounds better. But I am wondering if this was intentional
In measures 44 - 45 you created a Bend & Release in TablEdit. How did you do this ? I can’t seem to get the Bend to go up a full tone all I get is a ( ? ) I have tried using Shift + < > but nothing happens. I should add I am still using an older version of Tabledit because there are a few issues with the new version I don’t like.
Great question, but he actually does catch that 9th fret as he’s moving TO the G position in the next measure. Earl would often do this. It’s not that he’s trying to, but it’s part of the style and Jim picked it up from him, I bet. It would be totally fine to play a 10 there, though. However, this did cause me to look more closely and I’ve fixed how he gets the E note in measures 9 and 25.
After you click bend on the note you want to bend, you have to advance an eighth note and enter the note you want it to bend to. For a whole note bend I had to enter the 3, then a 5 (the target note), then release bend it. It is a bit complicated. Then to get it to not show up in the pdf, I have to make those target notes ppp in volume, though it does still show in the .tef file below.
I love the bedpan resonator on your music stick! Maybe a YouTube demo some time?
Thanks @BanjoBen these bracketed 5 ghost notes are not displayed on the PDF I can follow this no problems.
Much appreciated you taking the time to explain this.
Great lesson - right where I am in my learning curve and revealed some cool licks I can use in a jam. I might just get the hang of this banjo thing yet!
Jim said he didn’t consider his goto banjo the best banjo.
What aspects of other banjos did he prefer?
All banjos have certain characteristics about them, some of which are detrimental and some of which are positive. For instance, I played one of the banjos that Jim had come through (I think it was a prewar TB-2 conversion with a Burlyle tone ring) and in my opinion, it had considerably more “crack” or “bite” to the sound than a typical maple banjo. However, Jim’s surely gotten used to the characteristics of his specific Scruggs model, and is accustomed to playing in a way that brings out the best while downplaying less desirable traits of the banjo. My banjo (which is also a Scruggs model) can sound quite harsh if it’s played too hard, so I have to remind myself to try to take some of the edge off of it when I play. Some banjos sound better when you’re just bearing down, though. So you have to learn what makes your banjo sound its best.
(And if you don’t like that, you can always spend lots and lots trying out different parts!) 
Michael_Mark, thanks for commenting on your banjos 
Jim and BanjoBen sure make the banjo infectious !
No Vaccine needed !
Hi @BanjoBen I am having a hard time trying to get the timing right on the bend & release lick - measures 44 - 45 of the Chorus TAG in the last couple of bars of the UTN TAB. Could you please do a short video to help me grasp what’s going on.
Also how would you fret and pick this lick.
I am using a three finger F chord ( over the C chord position ) - Index, Middle & Pinkie using the Ring to bend + release the second string.
I am undecided on the picking - I have been using the thumb since these are all quarter notes up to the point when the roll begins but I am wondering if there is a better way.
Thanks in advance
Jim frets the bend and release with his ring finger and uses his index to pick it. He picks the 5th with the thumb for a drone note, so I wouldn’t use the thumb to pick the bend and release:
Here’s a video that shows his picking hand from a different angle; maybe slowing this down will help?
Hi @Michael_Mark much appreciated, I have tried several approaches and I am not making much headway on this so I would like @BanjoBen to do a short close up video. In this video Jim does a double bend just adding a little more difficulty.
Thanks Ben! Thanks Jim! I’ll use this song on Sunday!
Soli Deo Gloria!
