Description

Learn to Play Backup — From First Chord Shape to Classic Bluegrass Songs.

Most banjo books teach you to solo. That’s great until you show up to a jam and realize you’re playing backup 80% of the time — and you don’t know how. The Complete Rhythm & Backup Special gives you the entire three-book series in one package, taking you from basic chord shapes and backup patterns all the way through Scruggs-style licks applied to classic bluegrass songs.

This is the same progression Geoff Hohwald uses to teach backup in his private lessons. The books are designed to be worked through in order, and each one builds on what came before. By the time you finish all three, you won’t just be the player who solos and then sits there — you’ll be the player everyone wants at their jam because you make the whole band sound better.

What’s Included

Book 1: Intro to Banjo Rhythm & Backup

The foundation. You’ll learn major and minor chord shapes, how to move them up the neck, right-hand backup patterns, and the core concepts that let you back up songs you’ve never rehearsed before. Once you understand moveable chord shapes and backup patterns, you can walk into any jam, hear someone call a song, and play along. Includes 2.5 hours of video instruction and audio rhythm tracks.

• ✔ Major and minor chord shapes
• ✔ Right and left hand backup technique
• ✔ 2.5 hours of video plus audio rhythm tracks

Book 2: Banjo Backup Licks & Rolls

The vocabulary. This course teaches you the specific licks, right-hand patterns, and roll combinations that Earl Scruggs and J.D. Crowe used to play backup. You’ll learn each lick in detail, then practice it along with rhythm tracks so you hear how it fits into real music. This is what turns basic backup into something that actually sounds good. Includes nearly 2 hours of video instruction.

• ✔ Backup licks in the Scruggs/Crowe style
• ✔ Right-hand roll patterns for rhythm playing
• ✔ Nearly 2 hours of video plus rhythm tracks

Book 3: Classic Banjo Backup

The application. You’ll learn a set of Scruggs-style backup licks and then apply them to eight classic bluegrass songs — New River Train, Banks of the Ohio, Salty Dog, More Pretty Girls Than One, and more. This is where everything comes together: chord shapes from Book 1, licks from Book 2, now used inside real songs the way you’d play them at a jam. Includes over 2 hours of video instruction and full notation.

• ✔ 8 classic bluegrass songs with backup arrangements
• ✔ Scruggs-style licks applied in song context
• ✔ Over 2 hours of video plus full notation

Why Buy the Package

All three books purchased individually would cost $59.85. The Complete Rhythm & Backup Special gives you the entire series for $54.95 — a savings of $4.90 — and you get the complete backup education from day one. No wondering which book to buy next, no gaps between chord shapes and real-song application. Start with Book 1 and work your way through. By the time you finish Book 3, you’ll be the backup player every jam session needs.

Want Geoff to sign each book? Just add a note at checkout and he’ll personally sign all three before they ship.

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 backup behind singers and lead players in real bands is exactly the kind of experience that makes this series worth learning from.

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 books are 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 and he’ll personally sign each book in the package
• ✔ 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

Package Details

• Includes: 3 paperback books with free online video and audio access
• Total video: 6.5+ hours of instruction across all three books
• Songs: 8 classic bluegrass songs with full backup arrangements
• Level: Beginner to Intermediate
• Style: 5-string Scruggs-style bluegrass banjo
• Ships from: Yellow Springs, Ohio, USA

Or Buy Each Book Individually

• Intro to Banjo Rhythm & Backup — $19.95
• Banjo Backup Licks & Rolls — $19.95
• Classic Banjo Backup — $19.95