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.
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.
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
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.
New Courses
5 Tunes /11 Video Lessons
5 Tunes / 21 Video Lessons
2 Tunes / 8 Video Lessons
10 Tunes / 17 Video Lessons
Banjo Spring Clean
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