The Distance Between Two Points

This lesson is part of the course Bluegrass Banjo with Bill Evans.

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Learn to make your banjo drive the band or play sweet melodies, with solos to well-known songs and tunes, backup techniques, and more.

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Blue Ridge Cabin Home

In this lesson, you’ll start adding roll patterns to the melody of “Blue Ridge Cabin Home.” Every melody has a rhythm and when Earl Scruggs was working out his breaks, he tried to keep the melody’s rhythm intact as he added the roll patterns, letting the melody dictate what kind of roll to use. Bill shows you some ideas for choosing rolls. For example, if you have a melody note that’s held out for a long time you can try a forward roll, and when the melody notes are closer together you can try an alternating thumb roll or a forward reverse roll. Bill walks you through an entire solo here, with embellishments and fill-in licks.

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The Distance Between Two Points

Bill’s original contemporary banjo tune “The Distance Between Two Points” was written with his daughter, Corey, and is featured on his recording In Good Company. “The Distance Between Two Points” is in the key of D, and Bill plays it in G tuning without a capo, but with the fifth string tuned up to A. Before he starts showing you the melody, Bill reminds you of the D major scale, and then he walks you through each of the tune’s three parts. He finishes by playing the whole tune through with guitarist Scott Nygaard and showing you how he improvises on the third part.

"The Distance Between Two Points" (Available to subscribers)

Previous Lesson

← Chord Solos: “Amazing Grace,” Part 2: Embellishing the Melody

Next Lesson

Greensleeves, Part 1: Accompaniment →

Previous Lesson

← Chord Solos: “Amazing Grace,” Part 2: Embellishing the Melody

Next Lesson

Greensleeves, Part 1: Accompaniment →

Previous Lesson

← Chord Solos: “Amazing Grace,” Part 2: Embellishing the Melody

Next Lesson

Greensleeves, Part 1: Accompaniment →

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The Distance Between Two Points

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