Joff Lowson’s Banjo Blog

Radio 5 Live

by Jonathan Lowson
on March 6, 2025 at 9:01 pm

Banjo Backup workshop – Didmarton 2024

by Jonathan Lowson
on September 6, 2024 at 4:41 pm

Bear In The Trash – Kyle O’ Brien Band

by Jonathan Lowson
on March 26, 2024 at 6:45 pm

A new song with an animated video from Kyle O'Brien of Colorado.

Foggy Mountain Breakdown – new video lessons

by Jonathan Lowson
on February 12, 2024 at 9:20 am

One of the most enduringly popular recordings ever played on the 5-string banjo. Featured in the film 'Bonnie and Clyde,' it was originally written and played by Earl Scruggs. The original version is lightning fast, but it's a lot easier to play than you might think...

Qui Vive – My Personal Mount Everest

by Jonathan Lowson
on October 4, 2023 at 5:52 pm
updated November 16, 2023 at 3:36 pm

This Victorian showpiece is fiendishly difficult to play on the banjo. I've been working on it for around 9 years now, and finally pulled off a great performance of it in front of a full house at Priston Festival. We got it on film too, check it out!

Joff performing live in South West England

by Jonathan Lowson
on August 10, 2023 at 3:37 pm

Joff and his excellent trio with Mike Pryor and Dave Brown are doing two concerts you might be interested in. The first one is at Didmarton Bluegrass Festival in Kemble, Gloucestershire.  They are playing the main stage at 1pm on Saturday 2nd September.  If you’ve never been to Didmarton before, this is the UK’s premier […]

How to read banjo tablature

by Jonathan Lowson
on June 27, 2023 at 3:58 pm
updated November 16, 2023 at 4:41 pm

Reading TAB will help you learn banjo more easily. There are five lines representing the strings, and numbers to say which frets you finger. There's a ton of information on the page, and a great video to watch as well. Reading TAB made easy!

How to Play Banjo Fast

by Jonathan Lowson
on May 21, 2023 at 2:51 pm

How to build speed playing the banjo. Hearing a banjo played fast, Bluegrass style, is one of the most exciting sounds in all of music. There’s just so many notes pouring out of the instrument, it’s dazzling. Many people who start learning to play the banjo aspire to play like this. You might think it’s […]

Buying your first banjo

by Jonathan Lowson
on December 3, 2018 at 5:58 pm

How much does a banjo cost? There are lots of things to consider when buying your first banjo. Cost is going to be important to most people and you can get a new banjo which will sound good and be easy to play for less than $300 if you look around. There are plenty of […]

Do I need picks to play the banjo?

by Jonathan Lowson
on December 3, 2018 at 5:17 pm

What are picks? Picks are little metal or plastic things you wear on the tips of your fingers and thumbs to help you play the banjo more easily. There’s a lot of good reasons to wear picks. You will get more power and a better sound. It’s also easier to play fast whilst wearing picks. […]