Clawhammer Banjo with Allison De Groot

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4.2/5 from 6 reviews

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Get custom video lessons from your instructor by sending a video of your playing.

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How It Works?

1. Submit Your Video - Record and upload directly through our platform. No technical skills required.
1. Submit Your Video

Record and upload directly through our platform. No technical skills required.

2. Get Expert Feedback - Receive personal video responses from Allison de Groot with tips to improve!
2. Get Expert Feedback

Receive personal video responses from Allison de Groot with tips to improve!

3. Learn from Community - Browse exchanges from other students to learn from their questions.
3. Learn from Community

Browse exchanges from other students to learn from their questions.

Course Structure Clawhammer Banjo with Allison De Groot

Each lesson builds on the last, taking you from zero to hero!

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Master clawhammer banjo with Allison de Groot. Over 100 lessons covering rhythm techniques, alternate tunings, accompanying a fiddle, and traditional old-time repertoire.

9 sections within this school

Section 1

Learn clawhammer basics: tuning, bum-ditty rhythm, chords, and lively old-time tunes. Explore essential clawhammer skills including rhythm patterns, chords, and classic songs. Build your clawhammer foundation with tunings, rhythms, and simple melodic pieces.

20 lessons

Section 2

Explore G and Double C tunings, slides, and double thumbing to deepen your clawhammer skills. Build your clawhammer skills with new tunings, essential techniques, and traditional tunes. Learn advanced clawhammer tools like slides, double thumbing, and alternate tunings.

15 lessons

Section 3

Explore more tunings, new keys, and roll patterns to prepare for playing in old-time jam sessions. Build confidence with new tunings, rhythm tools, and chords for playing in different keys. Learn to use a capo, expand tunings, and play rolls to join old-time jam circles.

14 lessons

Section 4

Explore D and G modal tunings while learning thumb-led melodies and old-time favorites. Learn alternate tunings and expand your old-time repertoire with new melody styles. Build confidence in modal tunings and thumb-led phrasing through classic old-time tunes.

9 lessons

Section 5

Explore F tuning, the Galax Lick, and ghost notes to deepen your old-time banjo style. Build expressive rhythm with F tuning, the Galax Lick, and subtle ghost note techniques. Learn to shape your old-time sound with F tuning, melodic tools, and nuanced phrasing

11 lessons

Section 6

Explore roots tunes, tunings, slides & style in fiddle-driven old-time favorites. Learn classic fiddle tunes, creative slides, and key changes to elevate your playing. Master rich old-time tunes with tuning tricks, subtle slides, and special variations.

8 lessons

Section 7

Explore classic fiddle tunes in D, with stylistic touches and rhythmic variation. Build your repertoire with D key favorites, rhythm ideas, and creative phrasing tools. Learn festival-ready tunes with fresh variations and thoughtful right-hand approaches.

9 lessons

Section 8

Explore X shapes, inversions, and smooth chord transitions in the keys of G and A. Build fretboard confidence with movable shapes, mapping techniques, and key changes. Learn to navigate the fretboard using chord shapes, inversions, and rich voicings.

11 lessons

Section 9

10 lessons

About Clawhammer Banjo with Allison De Groot

C

Allison de Groot has created a definitive video library that includes hundreds of online banjo lessons. Students have unlimited access to Allison's entire banjo method, plus banjo tablature, play-along tracks, and other study materials. What ultimately sets these banjo lessons apart from other online offerings is the ability to submit a video for review using the ArtistWorks Video Exchange learning platform. Allison reviews each submission and records a video response, offering tips about how to progress. All students can access the Video Exchange library, which is constantly expanding and may contain the key to unlock your playing.

About Allison de Groot

A

On clawhammer banjo, Allison de Groot has become a significant voice in the North American traditional, Americana, and roots music scenes. Her style is adventurous and grounded, and No Depression writes it “transports the listener to a different plane". Starting out on banjo in her hometown of Winnipeg, MB, Allison’s grown into a career of exciting collaborations and continued musical exploration. She has performed and recorded alongside some of the most renowned traditional musicians in North America and Europe and was nominated by the Americana Music Association for 2023 “Instrumentalist of the Year". Collaboration is at the center of Allison's music. Bandcamp Daily has described her duo with fiddler Tatiana Hargreaves as “one living, breathing organism". Allison and Tatiana create an adventurous, masterful, and original sound. They expand on the eccentricities of old songs, while never losing sight of what makes them endure. Their latest release “Hurricane Clarice" won two Canadian Folk Music Awards and was nominated for “Traditional Album of the Year" at the Juno Awards. Alongside bandmates Tatiana Hargreaves, percussive dancer Nic Gareiss, and legendary fiddler Bruce Molsky, Allison has performed at festivals such as Newport Folk Festival, Pickathon, Red Wing Roots, Winnipeg Folk Festival, Hardly Strictly and Celtic Connections. For a second year in a row, Allison and Tatiana are working in the Celtic Connections Transatlantic Sessions house band led by Jerry Douglas. Allison has taught at ArtistWorks since November 2024.

What students are saying!

4.2
6 reviews
February 9, 2025
An exemplary banjo course

I'm very pleased with this course, Alison's teaching and video responses are well thought out and she has a great attitude/personality. I started as a complete beginner with no mus...

B
Brendan
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December 28, 2024
Clawhammer Banjo with Allison de Groot

I find Allison very easy to learn from. Allison explains all aspects of Clawhammer Banjo in a very easy to understand way, in a clear and friendly manner. I feel that Allison genui...

P
Peter G.
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April 7, 2025
Not as good as hoped for

I’ve subscribed to several Artist works classes, including banjo classes by Tony Trischka and Noem Pikelny. They both teach bluegrass banjo, while this course is clawhammer. I pref...

M
Martin K.
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March 20, 2025
Clawhammer Banjo with Allison de Groot

Amazing to have this talented musician’s time, attention and ear. The opportunity to submit a video and her response takes this to the next level……like having the instructor sittin...

M
Mark H.
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April 19, 2025
I am really looking forward

I am really looking forward to having Allison as my teacher! I have just started the lessons and this looks like it is going to be a great course.

D
David P.
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February 11, 2025
Missed the window to use it

I did enjoy the first 2 or 3 lessons and thought it was available for the online classes but when I went back after a couple weeks I was unable to access the lessons so, it really ...

S
Sarah s.
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4.2 (6)

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