Description

The Licks That Make Backup Sound Like Music, Not Just Chords.

You know your chord shapes. You can play basic backup behind other musicians. But something’s missing — your backup sounds flat, repetitive, the same handful of patterns over and over. Meanwhile, the banjo players you admire make their backup sound alive. Interesting. Musical. That’s not because they know more chords. It’s because they know more licks.

The Banjo Backup Licks & Rolls course is designed to fill your backup vocabulary with the specific lick and roll combinations that the masters use. This is the style of Earl Scruggs and J.D. Crowe — two of the most imitated backup players in bluegrass history — broken down into pieces you can learn, practice, and start using at your next jam.

What You’ll Learn

Geoff Hohwald teaches you a library of backup tools that go well beyond basic chord strumming:

• Backup licks in the style of Earl Scruggs and J.D. Crowe
• Right-hand roll patterns designed specifically for rhythm and backup
• How to combine licks and rolls into musical backup phrases
• When to use which lick — reading the song and responding musically
• How to make your backup sound full and interesting without stepping on the lead player

The difference between a banjo player who just strums chords behind a singer and one who plays real backup is exactly what this book teaches. It’s the vocabulary that turns rhythm playing from a chore into something you actually enjoy.

How the Course Works

• 1. Watch Geoff demonstrate each lick. Nearly 2 hours of detailed video instruction with close-up views so you can see exactly what both hands are doing.
• 2. Read the tab. Full tablature for every lick, roll, and pattern in the book.
• 3. Play along with the rhythm tracks. Audio tracks let you practice each lick in context with a band, so you learn how the lick fits into real music — not just how to play it in isolation.

Who This Book Is For

This is Book 2 in Geoff’s three-part Rhythm & Backup series. If you’ve worked through Intro to Banjo Rhythm & Backup and you’re comfortable with basic chord shapes and backup patterns, you’re ready for this. The Intro book taught you the foundation — this book gives you the vocabulary to make that foundation sound good.

This book is also a solid fit for intermediate players who already know their way around the fretboard but want to specifically improve their backup playing. If you’ve been soloing for years but your backup sounds basic, this is the fix.

Who Geoff Is, and Why That Matters

Geoff Hohwald has been playing banjo since 1964 — back when Columbus, Ohio was a genuine bluegrass hot spot — and studied under John Hickman. He’s performed with two of Bill Monroe’s guitar players, shared stages with Red Allen, Frank Wakefield, and Hylo Brown, played with the Atlanta Pops Orchestra, and co-founded the Greater Atlanta Bluegrass Band. Six decades of playing in real bands with real musicians means Geoff has played thousands of hours of backup — and he knows exactly which licks work and why.

Geoff also runs Banjo Warehouse, our sister shop in Yellow Springs, Ohio and Atlanta, Georgia, where he’s been buying, selling, and setting up banjos since 1980.

Buy Direct. Skip the Warehouse.

When you order from GeoffHohwald.com, you’re buying directly from us — a small family business in Yellow Springs, Ohio. Your book is packed and shipped by people who actually play banjo, and if you have a question about a lesson, Geoff is the one who answers the email.

• ✔ Signed by Geoff on request — add a note at checkout
• ✔ Direct access to the author if you get stuck on a lesson
• ✔ Your purchase supports a small family business, not a warehouse
• ✔ Ships from Yellow Springs, Ohio, usually within one business day

Product Details

• Format: Paperback, 51 pages
• Includes: Free online video and audio access (nearly 2 hours of video, plus rhythm tracks)
• Focus: Backup licks, rolls, and right-hand patterns in the Scruggs/Crowe style
• Level: Beginner to Intermediate
• Style: 5-string Scruggs-style bluegrass banjo
• ISBN: 978-1980476047
• Ships from: Yellow Springs, Ohio, USA

Where This Fits in the Rhythm & Backup Series

• Book 1: Intro to Banjo Rhythm & Backup — learn major and minor chord shapes and basic backup technique.
• → You are here: Book 2: Banjo Backup Licks & Rolls — expand your backup vocabulary with licks and roll patterns in the Scruggs/Crowe style.
• Book 3: Classic Banjo Backup — advanced backup techniques for performance-level playing.