How to play this

[Austin]

I was learning Skeleton dance by Norton Greenop and I've come across this section. I don't know how to play it. Is it basically a strum or is it actually a very fast roll?

[Jody Stecher]

It is an open bass string followed by a  repeated C major chord played as a rapid arpeggio. String 3,2, 1 at fret 5. Thumb, index, middle. That's how I'd do it anyway. There are a number of banjo YouTube videos of this Banjo Solo. You can slow them down and see what the various players are doing. 

[Austin]

Thank you! I could read it I just Don't know because I watched a bunch of videos on it and from what I remember, most of them just strum it. I also don't know if notation for banjo back then used the arpeggio symbol.

[Jody Stecher]

To strum usually means to sweep the thumb or plectrum across several strings at once.  I haven't seen any banjo player do this anywhere in Skeleton Dance. My point was that there was one finger per string, that it was not a strum. Your question was about how it should be played. I took it literally: "How" meaning "what technique", not "how should it sound".  At full speed it is hard to hear the chords as arpeggiated but Youtube allows one to slow down to half or even quarter speed and you can then hear what is happening. Check out the 3 banjo video and 4 banjo video in which Eric Stefanelli is playing first banjo. He doesn't go to the 5th fret btw. You can access them through the music library on this site.

[Joel Hooks]

You have a dotted 8th followed by two 32nd notes.

I'm sorry to be that guy again (not really sorry), but you need to practice counting. 1- 2- 3- 4

A measure is a math puzzle of time.

The dotted 8th note will take three quarts of the beat.  If you are playing all of the other dotted 8th-16th note phrases, then this is the same but there are now two 32nd notes instead of one 16th. (16x2= 32).

Rhythm and counting can be tricky.  Keep focused on Bradbury and walk, don't run.  Perhaps you might want to keep a list of questions and find some kind of musical (who can read) locally that could work with you on counting. 

You could also put this phrase into Musescore and listen to it slowly (while counting).

[Austin]

I'm sure Clarke will help me. I can almost play through the piece. It doesn't feel above my level even though I'm a beginner. I have a harder time playing through banjo oddity than this. I did put the phrase into Musescore it just seems a little fast for my fingers. I learned some of Farland's etudes and I think they've definitely bolstered my ability as a banjoist just due to their difficulty and relentlessness for a beginner lol. Don't worry. I'm still working My way through Bradbury very slowly. Clarke and I are working on it.