I thought it would be fun to collect together a batch of our old workshops focusing on the basic frailing strum. This is by no means a complete list – we have hundreds of workshops in the archives – but this should give anybody just starting on the banjo enough material to get good grip on the basics. 

-Patrick

Basic Frailing -from our Basic Frailing Techniques DVD
watch on Youtube or buy the DVD

Basic Frailing – posted June 4, 2008

Basic Frailing Practice Track – posted September 23, 2008

Red River Valley & Basic Frailing – posted June 20, 2007

Frailing Banjo Lesson One – 2006
Order the DVD or watch on archive.org

Virtual Frailing Banjo Podcast- 2005
Lesson One:

Three Basic Frailing Text Files – from between 2000 & 2003

• Basic Frailing Banjo
• Calloused Ears
• Frailing Banjo Backup

Old Time Banjo with Pat & Patrick – 2001
Lesson One:

Jesse James was a lad who killed many a man
He robbed the Glendale train
And with his brother Frank he robbed the Chicago bank
He’d a heart and a hand and a brain

Chorus:
Jesse had a wife to mourn for his life
Three Children they were brave
But that dirty little coward who shot Mr. Howard
Has laid poor Jessie in his grave

It was Robert Ford, that dirty little coward
I wonder how he does feel
For he ate of Jesse’s bread and slept in Jessie’s bed
And he laid poor Jesse in his grave

It was on a Wednesday night and
the moon was shining bright
They robbed the Glendale train
And the people they did say for many miles away
It was robbed by Frank and Jesse James

Jesse James was a man, a friend to the poor
He’d never see a man suffer pain
And with his brother Frank, he robbed the Chicago bank
And stopped the Glendale train

It was his brother Frank who robbed the Gallatin bank
And carried the money from the town
It was in this very place they had a little race
For they shot Captain Sheets to the ground

It was on a Sunday night and Jesse was at home
Talking with his family brave
Robert Ford came along like a thief in the night
And laid poor Jessie in his grave

The people held their breaths when they heard of Jesse’s death
And wondered how he came to die
It was one of his gang called Little Robert Ford
He shot poor Jesse on the sly

This song was made by Billy Gashade
As soon as news did arrive
He said there was no man with the law in his hand
Who could take Jesse James when alive