Songs · Banjo · Beginner
Porch Light Waltz
Teddy Rook Book (original) · A slow waltz in G, written for this course in the style of the country waltzes played at Southern dances
Banjo · country waltzthree-finger rollsG major3/4 time16 barsopen G tuning
Arranged: Teddy Rook Book: an original tune in three-finger rolls, six eighth notes to the bar.
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About this piece
Old-time and bluegrass bands slow down for a waltz at the end of the evening, and the banjo rolls along in threes. This one is our own. Each bar is six eighth notes: one roll, with the melody note on the first beat. Most bars use the forward roll from the thumb or the index finger; bar 13 uses the backward roll (M I T). Let the open strings ring, and play the first note of each bar a little louder.
What it practices
- three-finger rolls in 3/4
- forward and backward rolls
- G, C and D7
- a pull-off
- a pinch to end
Chords in this song
Each link opens the chord finder with more ways to play that chord.
Where the notes come from
Original composition by Teddy Rook Book for this course (no source needed); the rolls are the standard three-finger patterns.
How to practice with it
- Listen first. Press Play and follow along. The note being played lights up in the tab, in the notation and on the fretboard, and the chord being played lights up in the row of chord diagrams.
- Learn the chords. Press each diagram to hear it, then practice changing between them slowly.
- Slow it down. Use − and + to set the tempo. 60% is a good place to start; the notes keep their pitch.
- Loop the hard part. Under More…, turn on Loop, pick the bars, and play them a few times in a row. Count-in gives you a bar of clicks before it starts.
Click a bar in the music to start from there. Space plays and pauses. Left-handed? Turn on the left-handed view: the chord diagrams and the fretboard are mirrored to match your instrument. Tab reads the same either way: the top line is always the first (highest) string.