5-String Bluegrass Banjo Instruction: You Are My Sunshine
Hear this tune played with guitar rhythm backup (slow, medium, fast) starting at 12:50.
This is an instructional tutorial 5-string bluegrass banjo lesson teaching the popular song "You Are My Sunshine," a song "written by Jimmie Davis and Charles Mitchell and first recorded in 1939. It has been declared one of the state songs of Louisiana because of its association with Davis, a country music singer and governor of the state..." (Wikipedia)
On this video I teach my version of the tune lick by lick, phrase by phrase, using on-screen tablature, then I put it together -- slowly at first, then faster toward the end, adding rhythm guitar audio overlay.
I have posted this teaching video for instructional purposes only and, in my opinion, it constitutes fair use:
"The fair use of a copyrighted work, including such use by reproduction in copies or phonorecords or by any other means specified by that section, for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright."
Free tab and play-along tracks at different speeds are available at my website, littlerockbanjo.com.
Hope you enjoy. Any singing I do along the way is for reference only, obviously. This is not a cover video of the song.
Пікірлер: 81
The Best Banjo Teacher on the Internet.
Thank you so much. My wife sings this to me to tell how much she loves me. She loves my guitar playing so she bought me a banjo. I wanted to learn this to thank her. She loved it! Nice composition!
Bill is a fine teacher and he shows the entire tab! I am going to learn to play this thing some with his teachings! Thanks Bill so much.
Had my banjo for a couple years now and it has sat and collected dust. But this is the channel and first song I want to learn from :)
I got my first banjo yesterday, figured this will be something good to start with. Thankfully I have some guitar background, now just wish I had spent time fingerpicking :) Thanks! I'm sure my fiancée and cat are going to grow to hate hearing this hahaha. Time to build some muscle memory.
Thank you for this... truly.... my grandmother passed away back in February and this was her favorite song. I bought a banjo about a month ago and every time I practice this song I feel close to her. Truly thank you sir
@heyburnfrederick2148
6 жыл бұрын
fred heyburn I am 75 and learning wish I had started a long time ago l love the banjo and love to watch you video and it has been a great help many thanks
We enjoy it a lot Bill!
Just learning at age 67. Wonderful method and video!!!
@resources57
4 жыл бұрын
Me too, almost 60 !
@DanaHillsXC
4 жыл бұрын
@@resources57 me too just turned 60
@BillMaloy
3 жыл бұрын
DanaHillsXC : Me too. 60 next month. WTH?
@user-ev4gg8pf4t
3 жыл бұрын
Imagine if you would've started alot earlier you would be like pro level
Thanks Bill, for a beginner this is very good. Nice slow pace to start us off.
Thank you Bill. I appreciate the time and effort you put in to help out those of us trying to learn.
@williamanesbitt
6 жыл бұрын
You should get some folding tip money with this one. :-) Glad you like it.
You don't know how pissed I am right now and your slowly calming me down as I watch this. You truly deserve an award for actually showing what chord your playing. Every single video for beginner doesn't even show or say what string they hit. They just start playing with their hands in the way every time or they go way too fast. Every single one of them. The fact that you only have 8k views makes me wonder what's wrong with society. This is the BEST video for teaching beginners and I'm 2 minutes in. From me. That really means something. Thank you
@williamanesbitt
6 жыл бұрын
Glad you're enjoying it and hope you do well.
@countrookularich4493
6 жыл бұрын
Yes, Bill's lessons are fantastic!!!
Thank you Bill, you explain everything in great detail & that’s exactly the way to go!
You are a brilliant teacher William. bob uk
thanks from French backcountry !
Im so happy I found your site! Im 67 retired and starting to play banjo and your lessons are the best I’ve seen! Gonna start with you are my sunshine. Let you know how it comes out. Thanks!
Great video! Easy to follow, even for a beginner.
I just started playing Banjo a month ago - really glad I found your channel! It is so much fun to learn and play. Really love the way you break things down and the way you teach. Thanks.
he taught me how to play it. wonderful man.
Finally got it down. Fun tune. My mom used to sing the first verse to me, and my wife likes the melody. Thanks for this.
Thank you William for such excellent lessons. I have just taken up learning the banjo & you are the one I always turn to for inspiration. Thank you from the UK.
Thank you for sharing this. One of my favorite songs. First complete song I can play thanks to you.
Thanks Bill, I always learn new ideas watching your videos. Great job 🪕
Been waiting for a decent tutorial on this song for a long time. Thank You.
Thank you so much
Thanks a lot for sharing this for free! Everyone else just start teaching and then send a link so we can pay to learn the rest!! You rock
Love your teaching and imho your singing is great with these songs as it really helps with timing and putting it all into perspective. Very generous Thanks!
So glad to see you are only using your pinky to steady your right hand
Bill i’ve been watching a lot of your videos. They are just great. I love how you teach them, Fantastic. You’re now my my favourite banjo teacher on KZread. Well done Sir.
I am thrilled to learn this song. Thank you!
I think this is the first time I followed along with a video and felt fairly confident that I could pick up the song after watching and trying to follow along.
Brilliant that just how I want to play it
Thank you SO much for doing this! I am incredibly excited to learn this and share it with my daughter. I really appreciate you taking my request!
One of my favorites I can all most keep up!
Another great lesson..Thanks, Bill.
William your lesson is excellent, thank you very much
many thanks
This is a lesson , Thanks a lot for this good tutorial. It's a great fun to play with.
@joshallen8696
3 жыл бұрын
Mm 0
Thank you so much I was spending a ton of money on banjo lessons online and not feeling like I was getting anywhere and I am learning so much by watching your video lessons. I am seriously thinking about doing skype lessons in the future. You rock
@williamanesbitt
5 жыл бұрын
Hey Vinetta you can find my online schedule here -- www.williamanesbitt.com/music-lessons.htm -- I have other slots that aren't listed that I use for skyping. Just fire me off an email and we can set something up whenever you're ready.
Cool, my first day of banjo and I can sloppily play it and sing along! Well, at least one verse.
Learned this song in just under 1 hour tonight, Thank you for the video very easy to follow along. Love your whole channel! Cheers - C
I enjoyed this video on the 5 string banjo
Thank you so much for taking the time to teach us this beautiful tune!!!
@williamanesbitt
2 жыл бұрын
You're welcome! Glad you're enjoying it.
Thank you
great lesson thank you so much United Kingdom
I am trying to integrate the melody with the complex rolling melody. Your singing really helps! This lesson may be my Rosetta Stone due to your singing.
I absolutely got the melody line buries with Jed. I can play Jed but with You Are My Sunshine lesson I believe I can track the melody line of Jed!
learned this arrangement this week,love this song and teaching was top notch....would love to hear you play and teach classic banjo song ....pony express..noticed u are using metal thumb pick in latest oh brother lesson..I think it gives the sound more edge..cheers bill...
@williamanesbitt
6 жыл бұрын
I don't think I know Pony Express... I"ll look into it. The thumbpick is a Blue Chip that was gifted to me. I love it. Metal band and the blade is whatever polymer they use for their flatpicks, of which I have a couple.
Thanks buddy...
Enjoyed it?? It was brilliant thank you.
Hey man ....you know what .....you are sumpen else brother ... haha huhuhu.. Thank you for taking some time away from days and in your efforts to help me and others better understand in learning,,...,,.,,novice or experienced...... Oh by the way......as far as your singing goes.... like you said .....ya haaa.
@alangoodwin4555
6 жыл бұрын
Eyes jest goin on wicha about your singin ...
Ya know . Umm I’ve been playing Banjo About 10 years altogether now . And uuuhh at times months will go by . Some months more than others and the dust woulda need some knockin off. And a banjo just so happens to one a those things that is practiced. Or A better word used I like is maintenance playing. I forget things sometimes and we all do . Thanks for helping in some things forgetting.
12.26 pm Hi love this tune is there a way to print out the tabs - I’m a beginner and bit slow in following the tabs on screen - great teaching - I’m from Cumbria UK
12:50
Hi Mr Nesbitt. Could you or do you mind showing me us how you play with your added notes in tab the chordal version of You are My Sunshine . This is my favorite song of all time . Although i don’t really believe or I have doubt that Jimmy Davis and Mitchell actually wrote this song and the real truth is we really don’t know . Anyway I love this song and have been singing ,playing or doing something with this song. for a very very long time . As early as the age of four years old I suppose . I remember momma and grandmother rockin my younger sisters to sleep when they were hard to sleep . Also when I was really young it would be hotter than blue blazes in Bama and momma and grandmother and family would sing this song while in the kitchen canning peas and beans in fruit jars . I have fond memories of this song growing up and was the first song I learned on the harmonica . God I was like 6 years old then . I’m old ...ha ha ha thank you I would like to hear a reply from you though either way ..... your the best man .....
Hello Bill, all really great and half way through Sunshine.... if I could humbly ask or suggest something, is it possible to add the lyrics to the PDF, to begin with its reasonably easy to keep track of where the lyrics start or stop for a roll but some of the long drawn out parts I get lost..... I guess your a busy man but just a thought.... Many thanks for all of this, my daughter is well impressed with the stuff I've learnt off your site so far... me too.... haha.
Muy agradable su forma de dar clase tiene algún audio libro o solo por Skype ?
@williamanesbitt
5 жыл бұрын
Only Skype, no books, sorry.
William, what strings do you use in your Banjo? steel or nylon?
Beautiful lesson of You Are my Sunshine!!!,...and Dear friend, if you promise not to laugh you can see in youtube ..."Banjo JL, with my new "Deering Calico", (My 3th Deering). Jimmy Brown and Wreck of Old 97", ...God Bless You and thanks for your time, JL.
Play along starts at 12:47
is there just a tab for this?? love the vid, but need the whole thing togwther
Do you know Jim Nesbitt?
Is there a way to access the tab for this?
5:57
I enjoy these videos but the tab is wonky. Include the entire verse/riff. It makes it harder having individual measures on screen
Your missing the keys before 5 2 1. So I'm missing them. Before the quarter
You take to long on the one part
11:28