How to Play the Banjo: Cumberland Gap

Let’s learn some variations to Cumberland Gap. That’s a tune that’s short so there not that much to it, but there is few different ways that is played (Demonstration). I’m gonna play through the whole thing with the variations (Demonstration). There, notice it went up the neck so we’ll be learning a high break to this song.

First, lets learn that funny little (Demonstration) thing I did down there. Third time through (Demonstration) we did a brush right there (Demonstration) and that’s how we shift up ahead in that fifth string (Demonstration). We go to the eight fret there’s gonna be a little—this little triangular shape here. The chord that is in this area looks like this full shape this is the D shape of a G chord up the neck (Demonstration). But we’re gonna use just the upper notes of it with our index and ring (Demonstration) in a middle getting the third string ninth fret in (Demonstration). Notice that that note is not in the chord, but it gets playing a lot out of this shape. Here’s the high break (Demonstration). Let me do that slowly (Demonstration) and a shift back down (Demonstration) we just play a little forward roll through that, so that we end up with an open string next in with the high frets.

Also notice in this tune there was a little bit of a foggy mountain roll (Demonstration) right here, that volume on concept in going one, two, thumb, two (Demonstration) and then into that. So, there that’s the high break to Cumberland Gap.


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