Texas Banjo Cabin Camp: October 2026!

[BanjoBen]

Registration opens July 1! You can see the camp registration page HERE

Date: October 15-17, 2026

Location: Banjo Ben’s farm outside of Kilgore, Texas!

Instructors: Alan Munde, Bill Evans, Katy Lou Clark, Dave Dillard (Clawhammer), and Banjo Ben!

Skill levels:
Beginner
Intermediate
Advanced
(Clawhammer is combined into one class)

Instead of a Cabin Camp song list, I’ve curated some lessons for each skill level to review. It’s not mandatory that you learn all of this. However, if you are familiar with the content, you will be most prepared to reap your investment at Cabin Camp!

Beginners :

Banjo Boot Camp

Tuning Your Banjo

Hand Positions

Intro to Major Chords

Roll Studies Course

Intro to Minor Chords

Basic Banjo Backup

G Major Scale Study

Nashville Number System

Sight Training

So, You’re About to Jam

Jam Survival with KSB

Fretboard Geography with Alan Munde

6th Interval Banjo Backup

Banjo Make-a-Break

Intermediate
Everything above, plus:

Intro to Melodics

Minor Shapes & Drill

Waypoints Course

Banjo Solo Anatomy

Unlock Banjo Neck with Patterns

How to Play in D

Banjo Waltz Backup

Advanced
Everything above, plus:

Boogie Woogie Backup

Using Counterpoints

Melodic Segways

Intro to Minor Blues Scale

Pushing Banjo Licks

Pick a Lick- Foggy Mountain

[BanjoBen]

This goes on sale tomorrow, y’all! Woohoo!

[mundew]

Hey
Who is anyone coming to this? I am looking forward camp and made my reservations to stay at holiday Inn Express for the discounted cabin camp group rate. I have been to a few camps in the past and enjoy meeting people, jamming and learning a few things. Also, the food is not too bad, actually kidding the food is delicious and I really enjoy that part as well. I will be flying in from Dublin, Ohio for this.
Mike

[Mark_Rocka]

Hey Mike! I’ll be there. Looking forward to it.

[rspillers]

I’m in! Can’t wait!

[Mark_Rocka]

OK, this was really wild. I’ve been mildly thinking about buying a reso guitar ever since Ben hosted dobro master Jacob Metz on a YouTube Live a while back. Not really seriously, because I don’t even have enough time for banjo right now with the app and all.

This morning I got an email from Guitar Center with a half off a Recording King Phil Leadbetter Signature model. Normally $899 on sale for $450. I bit my lip and closed the email. Not an hour later, I get the notice from Ben that he’s having the first ever Dobro class at the October camp with Jacob Metz teaching.

That was it. Ben was telling me I needed to buy that RK. So I did. And before someone tries to roast me, the General Store was out of stock.

[FIrebelly]

When the student is ready, the instrument will appear.

[Mark_Rocka]

Dude that’s hilarious!

[BanjoBen]

That’s an incredible buy b/c they’re not made anymore and the Phil model was their best. I have one too–it’s a legit guitar! See you in October, lil’ Jerry!

[Archie]

The good Lord works in mysterious ways. I was tempted too, but I resisted. This old dog already has too many bones to chew on another would just be greed.

[Brent.H]

I’ll be there. @Mark_Rocka good to hear you’ll be there, looking forward to finally meeting you face to face after all these years.

[Mark_Rocka]

Y’all, if you’re even thinking of coming to the Fall Camp for dobro, get on it. I just got my new RK Reso and sat down with it for the first time this morning. If you’re a banjo player, it just feels right. I was making music with it in just a few minutes. Now I’m watching Ben and Jacob’s Youtube Live video and I’m already playing some decent sounding backup and even a little lead.

The tuning is just the 1st, 2nd, & 3rd strings of a banjo twice, so you already know where all the chords are. The thing I’m finding most difficult is muting the strings I don’t want to hear, but it seems to be coming pretty quickly.

It’s pretty cool to sit down to an instrument I’ve never even held before and be able to make it sound half way decent. My very first banjo teacher put the banjo aside when he picked up his first dobro. Not saying I’m going to do that, but at least I get it now.

[Mark_Rocka]

I consider this kind of a promotional video for Jacob at the Fall Camp. I practiced with the YouTube live he and Ben did and then watched about 20 minutes of a couple of other dobro videos on YouTube and that was enough to get me here.

Mind you, I’d never even touched a dobro until yesterday, so if Jacob can teach this in one YouTube live, imagine what he’s going to do with 3 days of in person instruction!

https://youtu.be/FiSYfxJ5Nvk

[rspillers]

Nice! What app were you using for the backing track?

[Mark_Rocka]

[drakjin3280]

Hello everyone I’m Allan and it will be my first time going to the camp I’m super excited to meet all of you and I’ll be coming from Oregon

[Mark_Rocka]

Hey Allan! There’s nothing quite like your first camp. You’re going to have a blast! Looking forward to meeting you.

[drakjin3280]

Thanks Mark I’m looking forward to it and I’m just a beginner so I hope I come home playing like a pro lol.

[rspillers]

Welcome to the board, @drakjin3280! You’ll certainly go home from camp playing better that you did when you arrived. And you’ll go home with some tools, and more importantly, some inspiration, to help you get better. Camp is an absolute blast. (And the food is great, too!)