Mike Moxcey ©2005

Instruments & Techniques

Specific Techniques for Specific Instruments

This page is arranged sort of like music (and many other things) are understood.

General Instrumental Techniques are the knowledge and skills applicable to any instrument, or at least many of them, skills such as plucking, fretting, and tuning. It's kind of how the Nashville Numbering System (for chords) applies to any specific key.
Basics for Specific Instruments contains the Tunings, certain Basics, and Chords for several different stringed instruments. This is getting more specific, kind of like how sheet music sets up a single, exact view of one way to play a song.
Specific Techniques for Specific Instruments is written for definite instruments. It is as specific as tablature so it can be hard to extrapolate the info to new instruments, but it is very handy for getting started.

This sort of goes along with the Learning to Play Music part of this site. It has specfic techniques for various instruments and styles, and guidelines for using techniques from other instruments.

Each set of pages is written as a tutorial so you can go page to page but I didn't want to mess with all the navigation stuff either at the bottom or as a frame. After going to any page, hit the back button on your browser (Alt-Left Arrow works on most, too) or just click the Techniques Index link at the bottom to get back to this page.

Basics for Any Instrument

Plucking (Right Hand Techniques): Plucking Utensils; Strumming Styles: Vamping : Flatpicking; Fingerpicking; Frailing : Make Up Your Own Style
Fretting (Left Hand Techniques): Pull-offs : Hammer-ons
Slides : Chokes : Combinations : Chimes
Other Noises : Animal Sounds : Using a Slide
Tuning and Chords: Tuning Hints; Tuning Styles : Pitch Pipes, Forks, Electronic Tuners; Fine Tuning (Don’t Trust the Electronic Tuner); Tuning and Chords : Reading a Chord Picture

Basics for Specific Instruments

Guitar:	Tuning	Chords for G	Chords for D	General Chords

5-String Banjo (G Tuning):	Tuning	Chords for G	Chords for D	General Chords

Tenor (4-String) Banjo:	Tuning	Chords for G	Chords for D	General Chords

Plectrum (4-String) Banjo:	Tuning	Chords for C	Chords for G	General Chords

Mandolin:	Tuning	Chords for G	Chords for D	General Chords

Ukulele:	Tuning	Chords for D	Chords for G	General Chords

Dobro:	Tuning	Approach to Playing

Autoharp:	Basics	Playing Melody	America the Beautiful	Star Spangled Banner

Specific Techniques for Specific Instruments

Frailing The 5-String Banjo G-Tuning	The Basic Frail	Modifications Good Night Ladies Bile Dem Cabbage Down Little Brown Jug	LeftHand Effects This Old Man Mama Don’t Allow Roll in Baby’s Arms	Playing with Effects

Autoharp	Playing Melody	America the Beautiful	Star Spangled Banner

Ukuleles and Guitars	How Guitarists Can Easily Play the Ukulele

Harmonica (pdf files) because of the arrow font	How to Play Harp 18 page booklet (155K)	Pop Goes the Weasel (20K)	You Are My Sunshine (20K)	Battle Hymn of the Republic (20K)	Yankee Doodle (20K)

Bluegrass Rolls 5-String Banjo G-Tuning	Basic Forward Roll Bile Dem Cabbage Down	Mama Don't Allow Modifications to the Roll	The Pinch Crawdad Song	Thinking About the Forward Roll Grandfather's Clock w/Chimes
	Special Effects Tuning Notes	Rolls with Scales Roll Modification	Intro to Licks Mountain Dew	Forward Roll Variations TM/TI Variations
	The Square Roll Bile Dem Cabbage	Skip to My Lou/ Square Roll	The Reverse Roll Bile w/Full Chords	Mixing It Up Bile w/Full Chords

Chord Lead Tab for 5-String Banjo G Tuning	Go Tell It On the Mountain Mostly open strings, key of G	Oh Come All Ye Faithful "standard" chords, key of G	Joy to the World key of D
	Away in a Manger key of F	Angels We Have heard On High Key of F
	Silent Night key of Bb	Up On the Housetop Key of F

Folk Songs

Original Songs

Learning to Play Music

Reading Music

School Shows

Moxcey's Main Music Page