Banjo | Mark Delaney | Beginning/Intermediate | Period 1 | Week 5 (August 3-7. 2026)
Though all are welcome, this class will assume that you have spent at least some time getting to know your banjo a little bit. I will help you get to know your instrument and the basic ideas behind playing bluegrass-style banjo. My goal for this class is to take as much of the mystery out of this as I can in the time we have.
We’ll cover different right-hand positions and techniques, shed some light on “the roll” and learn how to play the basics of a new song by ear. We will spend time on the left hand and its various positions along the neck. We’ll cover the three main chord positions and where they fall in the structure of a given song, using the dots/inlays along the neck as a guideline. We’ll even spend a little time dissecting various pieces and parts to give you an understanding of what makes a banjo tick. (Why are the strings all different thicknesses? What do I do if I break a string? Why are there so many different types of finger and thumb picks?)
I will provide handouts, tablature and photos of various hand positions for reference. I will also video-record the main points of what we will cover beforehand so you will have them at your disposal after the camp. Please feel free to bring any and all tools that can help you. Sample Tunes: Boil Them Cabbage Down, Cripple Creek, My Home’s Across the Blue Ridge Mountains, She’ll Be Coming Round the Mountain and You Are My Sunshine
About the Instructor
Mark Delaney is a native of Maryland and began playing the banjo seriously at the age of eleven under the tutelage of his Kentucky born grandfather. Not long after, he was playing professionally in regional bands in the Washington, D.C. area including many years with Arnold Hobbs and Partners at Partners Two club in Centreville, Va. Mark’s inventive approach to Scruggs style playing made him a favorite with bluegrass audiences in the Washington-Baltimore area.
Mark is currently a member of Danny Paisley & the Southern Grass. He has worked with Randy Waller & the Country Gentlemen, Norman Wright and The Travelers, Wayne Tayloe, Badly Bent, The Patuxent Partners, and The Good Deal Bluegrass Band. In addition to performing and recording Mark teaches banjo and mandolin. Highlights in Mark’s career include appearances with bluegrass legends Charlie Waller and Buzz Busby, as well as recording with Mike Auldridge and Frank Wakefield.