Fully Guided Tutorial Courses
What to expect from this 9 hour banjo course:
From mastering essential techniques like alternate picking, triplets, and double stops to refining critical musical elements such as rhythm, timing, and dynamics, Enda Scahill expertly guides you through every stage of your learning journey. With his approachable and thorough instruction, you’ll build a strong technical foundation while developing the confidence to play with authenticity and expression.
This course literally begins by taking your banjo out of its case, and learning how to tune it and change a string. The most essential fundamentals are covered in minute detail using multiple camera angles and over head point of view shots. You will learn exactly how to hold the pick, position the banjo for maximum economy of motion, and of course, the precise elements of picking theory and picking patterns.
A highlight of this course is the seamless integration of the Soundslice platform, an innovative tool that transforms your practice sessions. You can slow down the music to focus on tricky sections, follow scrolling notation with full tablature, loop specific measures, and adjust video or notation sizes to suit your needs—all designed to support your progress at every step.
Beyond the structured lessons, you’ll join a vibrant community of Irish banjo enthusiasts on Discord. This collaborative space allows you to connect with fellow students, share your progress, ask questions, and exchange ideas. You'll also have direct access to feedback and encouragement from Enda himself, creating a supportive environment that motivates and inspires you throughout your journey.
With the flexibility to learn at your own pace and the convenience of accessing course materials anytime, this online Irish banjo course is ideal for beginners looking to develop a deep connection to the music.
Don’t miss this unique opportunity to learn from one of the leading Irish banjo players and teachers of our time. Enroll today and begin a transformative journey into the rich world of Irish tenor banjo. Start building your skills, honing your sound, and discovering your passion for one of the most iconic instruments in Irish music.
Curriculum
- Learn all the parts of the banjo
- How to tune the banjo & change a string
- Holding the banjo
- Holding the pick
- Picking theory and technique
- Left hand technique
- Picking exercises
- 10 reels
- 10 jigs
- 5 hornpipes
- 5 polkas
- 10 tunes for challenging figuring positions
- Mindfulness and self compassion
- Breathing and relaxation
- How to practice
- How to memorise tunes
- Explanation of key signatures
- Explanation of all ornaments
Mastering Rhythm & Flow Elaine Reilly
Join acclaimed banjo player Elaine Reilly for an in-depth course exploring the driving rhythm, crisp technique, and rich tradition of Irish tenor banjo playing. As one of Ireland’s most exciting banjo players, Elaine has made waves in the trad scene with her impeccable picking style and deep musicality —as heard on her stunning debut album, *Epiphany* [Listen here]
What You’ll Learn:
✅ Essential techniques for clean, powerful playing
✅ Ornamentation: triplets, pull offs, and variations
✅ Groove, rhythm, and phrasing in Irish traditional music
✅ Play-along practice with Elaine’s expert guidance
This course is perfect for all levels of players looking to refine their skills, build confidence, and develop an authentic Irish banjo sound.
Brian McGrath is one of Ireland’s foremost tenor banjo players, celebrated for his fluid technique and deep musicality. From County Mayo, he first came to prominence as a founding member of Four Men and a Dog, whose groundbreaking fusion of traditional and contemporary styles brought Irish music to international audiences. Over his distinguished career, Brian has toured and recorded with many of Ireland’s top traditional musicians and released his acclaimed solo album Pure Banjo, which showcases his masterful touch and deep respect for the tradition.
Tunes in the course
The Wandering Minstrel
Willie Coleman's Jig
Get ready for your first old-time jam with confidence and ease.
In this course, you’ll learn 10 of the most loved and widely played fiddle tunes—the essential repertoire you’ll hear at nearly every jam. I’ll guide you through the simple, core melody of each tune so you can build a strong, reliable foundation.
Once you’ve learned the melody, you can practice along with custom backing tracks recorded at two different tempos, helping you transition smoothly from learning to real playing.
By the end, you’ll have the tunes, timing, and confidence you need to walk into your first old-time jam and feel right at home.
TUNES IN THE COURSE
Old Joe Clark
Cluck Old Hen
Angeline The Baker
Big Sciota
Salt River
Sandy River Belle
June Apple
Over The Waterfall
The Chicken Reel
Shove The Pig's Foot
Take your banjo playing to the next level with Perfect Your Picking, a comprehensive course designed to strengthen and refine your right-hand technique. Featuring 101 expertly crafted exercises, this course targets every essential aspect of picking, from precision and speed to tone control and rhythm. Whether you're striving for fluidity in your reels, clarity in your jigs, or dynamic expression in your hornpipes, this course offers the tools to unlock your full potential.
Each exercise is thoughtfully explained and demonstrated, ensuring you understand the mechanics and musical purpose behind every motion. You’ll work progressively, starting with foundational drills and advancing to intricate patterns that challenge your coordination and dexterity.
The course is hosted on the innovative Soundslice platform, allowing you to slow down demonstrations, loop tricky sections, and view scrolling tablature alongside the videos. This intuitive learning system ensures that players at every level can master the exercises at their own pace.
More than just a practice regimen, this course builds the muscle memory and nuanced control needed to transform your playing. Whether you’re preparing for high-speed session tunes, exploring solo performance, or simply aiming for effortless playing, Perfect Your Picking is your essential guide to mastering right-hand technique.
Join today and develop the precision, strength, and musicality that define great banjo players!
This course explores the rich, bouncy character of hornpipes and how mastering their distinctive swing can elevate your overall Irish banjo playing—especially your reels. Through a carefully chosen set of hornpipes, we’ll focus on phrasing, right-hand articulation, and rhythmic control, helping you fully internalize the lift and groove that make hornpipes so satisfying to play and hear. By paying close attention to the bounce that defines this tune type, you'll not only improve your hornpipe technique but also deepen your sense of timing, pulse, and rhythmic nuance across all tune types. Many great players use hornpipes as a training ground for building stronger, more expressive reel playing, and this course is designed to help you do exactly that. Whether you're working on your pick direction, accents, or just getting more grounded in rhythm, this focused dive into hornpipes will strengthen your overall playing from the ground up.
This is my original banjo tutor first published in 2008.
You can use the attached PDF of the tutorial book to read all about the techniques, ornamentation, variations and chords. Once you click on the title of each tune lesson or exercise, it will bring you directly to the Soundslice video lesson here on the website.
There are 40 tune included in the course:
Crowley's Reel
The Humours of Tulla
The Clumsy Lover Reel
Johnny Will You Marry Me
Ms Galvin's Hornpipe
Soldier's Joy
The Congress
Lady Ann Montgomery
The Concertina Reel
Mulqueen's Reel
Boil The Breakfast Early
The Doon
Toss The Feathers
The Templehouse
The Moneymusk
Miss Thornton's
The Crooked Road
Cronin's Hornpipe
Back in the Garden
Maude Millar's
The Coast of Austria
Sean Hayes' Barndance
The Woman of the House
Miss Monaghon's
The Merry Blacksmith
Rolling in the Ryegrass
The Green Groves of Erin
JIGS
Sackow's Jig
The Cat That Ate The Candle
Shandon Bells
The Mouse in the Cupboard
The Woods of Old Limerick
The Rose in the Heather
Boys on the Town
Rosemary Lane
The Black Frog
The Sanctuary
Dancing Eyes
Paddy from Portlaw
ADVANCED TUNES
Tom Ward's Downfall
Mrs Kenny's Barndance
Grainne's Welcome Home
The Ashgrove Waltz
Dinny O'Brien's
Fergal O'Gara
Carmel Mahoney Mulhaire's
The Coalminer
Colonel Fraser
This comprehensive course showcases 80 expertly arranged reels, jigs, and hornpipes, performed by some of Ireland’s most highly respected and accomplished traditional musicians. Each tune has been thoughtfully crafted to highlight the precision, lift, and stylistic nuance required in top-level Irish traditional music.
Every arrangement is built with clarity of technique, stylistic authenticity, and competitive performance standards at its core. Phrasing, ornamentation, rhythm, and lift are demonstrated with exceptional attention to detail, giving young banjo players a clear and reliable blueprint for learning tunes the right way.
Beyond simply teaching melodies, this course provides the exact musical tools demanded in high-level solo competitions—from controlled ornamentation to dynamic variation and polished performance refinement. Students will gain not only a deep repertoire but also the skill, confidence, and artistry needed to stand out on a competition stage.
EVERYTHING you want to know about ornamentation but were afraid to ask!
This course takes you on a deep dive into the world of banjo ornaments:
All about triplets
Slides, Hammer Ons, Pulls Offs
How, Why, Where and When to use Ornaments
I will be adding tune lessons to this course to expand your ornamentation knowledge and ability.
Ultimately YOU will decide how to ornament a tune, my job is to show you all the ways you can!
One of the most famous sets of reels in the Irish canon of music perhaps, these 3 reels, collectively known as The Tarbolton set will almost certainly always be played together.
Here you will find lessons for the 3 tunes - The Tarbolton, The Longford Collector and The Sailor's Bonnet
Each tune will have a series of graduated video lessons beginning with beginner level melody tutorials and progressing to fully ornamented versions.
Each lesson video on the Soundslice player gives you the choice of 5 different videos - Full frame video, Right Hand Focus, Left Hand Focus, Over Head Camera and a Multi Camera view. You can choose these on the video menu at the bottom of the Soundslice player
New Courses
5 Tunes /11 Video Lessons
5 Tunes / 21 Video Lessons
2 Tunes / 8 Video Lessons
10 Tunes / 17 Video Lessons
My lesson library is a vast collection of graduated lessons for every imaginable level of ability and experience.
There are simple Irish tunes, complicated old time and bluegrass rhythms, songs, waltzes and many more.
Explore over 1200 lesson videos and a treasure trove of material