The Ron Block Banjo Workshop app is up and running! It has plenty of lessons up for your banjo journey, and more will be continually added. Go to the web app to browse at the Learn tab, or sign up and subscribe at the Discover tab. 

Web app: https://ron-block-banjo-workshop.passion.io/learn/products

After signing up, go to the App Store or Google Play and download the Passion.io app. Search “Ron Block Banjo Workshop” and you can sign in to your account.

Growth
I've spent decades looking into ways to continually improve my own playing by studying other players, reading, watching instructional videos, transcribing, and even taking online lessons myself. I've taught lessons and workshops for years. The Ron Block Banjo Workshop app will be the place I share my years of learning with you.

Community
There's a community tab where I'll come in every week to chat and answer questions. It's also the place to give feedback on your experience, your progress. I've spent a lot of time in online discussion on the Banjo Hangout and other places, but there's no place I'd rather talk about banjo than right here.

Now Available
1. Beginner Banjo. Even for intermediate and advanced players, there are some of these short videos you won't want to miss. No tab, just old-fashioned attention, observation, and imitation.

2. Hogan's House of Music. Audio files of my bluegrass banjo instrumental album, with bluegrass luminaries like Alison Krauss, Jerry Douglas, Dan Tyminski, Barry Bales, Stuart Duncan, Sierra Hull, Clay Hess, Sam Bush, Byron House, Tim Crouch, and Lynn Williams. I'll be breaking these down in the near future - for now, check out the Clinch Mountain Backstep lesson for my first two breaks from the album.

3. Bending Strings in a Bluegrass Context. In which I talk about and demonstrate string bending techniques. With printable tab.

4. Developing New Licks and Ideas. I use a solo by Earl Scruggs, break it down, and then use his licks to create new ones. With printable tab.

5. Mini-Lessons. Short little informative bits on attention to detail, dynamics, transcribing, backup, expression, and more. This section will grow and grow.

6. Lesson: Clinch Mountain Backstep. My version of Clinch as played on Hogan's House of Music, first two breaks, with printable tab.

7. Lesson: Man of Constant Sorrow. My solo from the O Brother Where Art Thou soundtrack, broken down, with printable tab.

8. Lesson: Foggy Mountain Special. My second break from the Earl Scruggs tribute album of the same name, with printable tab.

9. Lesson: The Old Hometown. Earl's original break from the recording, with printable tab.

10. Lesson: You Don't Know My Mind. One of my favorite J.D. Crowe breaks, from a live recording. With printable tab.

11. Banjo Music Videos. Fun videos I've made through the years. This will be another section I’ll be adding to.

12. Short Talks On Music and Life. I did this series of videos after I recorded Hogan's. I'll be adding to these at some point.

6. Live courses! The app can do livestreaming.

7. I'm also open to suggestions!


Now Available
1. Beginner Banjo. Even for intermediate and advanced players, there are some of these short videos you won't want to miss. No tab, just old-fashioned attention, observation, and imitation.

2. Hogan's House of Music. Audio files of my bluegrass banjo instrumental album, with bluegrass luminaries like Alison Krauss, Jerry Douglas, Dan Tyminski, Barry Bales, Stuart Duncan, Sierra Hull, Clay Hess, Sam Bush, Byron House, Tim Crouch, and Lynn Williams. I'll be breaking these down in the near future - for now, check out the Clinch Mountain Backstep lesson for my first two breaks from the album.

3. Bending Strings in a Bluegrass Context. In which I talk about and demonstrate string bending techniques. With printable tab.

4. Developing New Licks and Ideas. I use a solo by Earl Scruggs, break it down, and then use his licks to create new ones. With printable tab.

5. Mini-Lessons. Short little informative bits on attention to detail, dynamics, transcribing, backup, expression, and more. This section will grow and grow.

6. Lesson: Clinch Mountain Backstep. My version of Clinch as played on Hogan's House of Music, first two breaks, with printable tab.

7. Lesson: Man of Constant Sorrow. My solo from the O Brother Where Art Thou soundtrack, broken down, with printable tab.

8. Lesson: Foggy Mountain Special. My second break from the Earl Scruggs tribute album of the same name, with printable tab.

9. Lesson: The Old Hometown. Earl's original break from the recording, with printable tab.

10. Lesson: You Don't Know My Mind. One of my favorite J.D. Crowe breaks, from a live recording. With printable tab.

11. Banjo Music Videos. Fun videos I've made through the years. This will be another section I’ll be adding to.

12. Short Talks On Music and Life. I did this series of videos after I recorded Hogan's. I'll be adding to these at some point.

For those who like my AKUS songs like "A Living Prayer," "There is a Reason," "Jesus Help Me to Stand," "In the Palm of Your Hand," and are interested in Christian spirituality, I've got a book coming out on Moody Publications called Abiding Dependence. It's a 40-day devotional-style book, beginning with days the life of Jesus as the Son of God and Son of Man, and then moving into our identity as sons and daughters of God. 

Abiding Dependence releases October 4th - you can order it here:  Order Abiding Dependence

I'll be playing in Ireland and Northern Ireland on the last leg of the 2022 Banjophonics Tour with Damien O'Kane and the boys, several shows with Mike McGoldrick and one with John-Joe Kelly. Aoife Scott and Andy Meaney will also be co-billing with us, and I'll play with them, plus I've got three extra shows with them. Check my Tour page here: IRISH BANJOPHONICS TOUR DATES

HELLO GUITARISTS!

I've got an Online Guitar Workshop (click here!) available now!

LEVEL: Intermediate to advanced

OBJECTIVE: To help guitarists see new ways to move forward - to give you the tools and ideas that I've used to create my style of playing with Alison Krauss & Union Station so that you can take those tools and more fully develop your own styles of playing. Order link is here: Guitar Workshop

TOPICS: Roots and Inflluences - George Shuffler, Larry Sparks, and Clarence White to blues and country players. We'll move on into some of my solos with Alison throughout the course, but at the front end we'll look into some of the players that helped create the guitar style I use with AKUS, and how I change my playing for other situations. 

The Psychology of Playing Well (this is incredibly important) 

Right and Left Hand Technique 

Tone - Timing - Taste 

Rhythm Playing 

How I Learned and Continue to Learn the Neck 

Make Solos More Moving with Expression 

Make Solos More Engaging with Intervals ("doublestops") 

Playing the Melody: The Many Ways to Vary a Solo. 

Crosspicking 

And I'll add more before the starting date. 

Plus these freebies and more: Downloads of A Light So Fair: Peaceful Guitar Instrumentals; my Hogan's House of Music bluegrass instrumental record (I took quite a few guitar breaks on it); a pdf of my Traditional Guitar Workbook with my personal tabs of George Shuffler, Larry Sparks, Bill Napier, Don Reno, Clarence White, and Junior Blankenship. These freebies alone are worth about $47. 

The Workshop will be held on these days at 7pm Central in 2020: Nov 12, 19, 27, Dec 3. (Nov 26 is Thanksgiving, so that day will be done on Friday, Nov 27). 

When signing up, you'll get a download link for Hogan's House of Music. I'll be putting all email addresses into a file, and in the next week or so when I get everything into Dropbox I'll be sending out the Zoom link, passwords I'll use for the videos, and the Dropbox link with the outlines, tabs, and freebies. 

I'm looking forward to it!

(Photo by Russ Carson)