Learn How to Play - Rainbow Connection on Banjo

In this video from Jim Pankey, we show you how to play Rainbow Connection on the Banjo.

“Rainbow Connection” was first release in 1979 as the opening track from the film ‘The Muppet Movie’. Written by Paul Williams and Kenneth Ascher, it was performed by Jim Henson, playing the character of Kermit the Frog.

Video Text:

0:00:00.9 –>
hello in there so a good friend of mine you need to check out his channel Jody Hughes you can find him here on YouTube suggested that hard to do this song he says hey you want to do Rainbow Connection I said yeah I think I can do that but if you’re looking for something a little more than what I’m offering check out Jody use and you can find a mirror on YouTube you can just type in Jody Hughes banjo and you can find him so but anyway I was going to go through Rainbow Connection it’s it’s real simple keep in mind it’s a singing song it’s a song and the main thing the main thing for me that went out when I first started playing this was just the right hand getting a new pattern it’s a 3/4 song but this may be a little different right hand pattern for you and I know all you’ve read the rules it’s like you

0:01:00.5 –>
know don’t use the same finger twice in a row yadda yadda well we’re going to throw a lot of that out the window today because we’re going to use we’re going to use our thumb twice in a row and some of you may have already done that some of you haven’t but the songs slow enough so it really doesn’t matter whole lot so we’ll show you the right hand pattern and then I’m going to spin around here and try to get get all of me in the picture at least least the banjo part and but I’m just going to walk you through that new right hand pattern and then show you how that pattern you can take it and just play the whole song with just that one pattern so the pattern is going to be thumb on the four so the thumb thumb on the third you’re going to pinch one and two with your fingers and then thumb on the third so and then you’re going to hit your index on the third so thumb from patch

0:02:02.3 –>
from each index so that’s the pattern we’re going to use [Music] now you can do it you can do it with just you can do it with just your thumb you can thumb [Music] I just find it easier if I use my my index finger for that last little note so the first time so that’s your pattern Oh all right so to apply that we’re going

0:03:01. –>
to need me to move back just enough there we go oh I can see my face that’s different so we’re going to do go and do our pattern one time and then you’re gonna hold the C chord and just that first so it’s going to be fun and so that gives you your riff the thing that everybody I know you can do that much and everybody huh Rainbow Connection so here it is and that’s your riff for Rainbow Connection and then it’s just a matter of figuring out the courts now you can look online and find so I did I went out online look know said here are some chord changes for give me a chord changes for Rainbow Connection I just wanted to see what I was doing was right

0:04:01.8 –>
and you’ll get a half a dozen or more different ways of doing this song so I just I’m just going to play it like I play it and you can play it like you play it but so or you can pick any of the chord changes recommendations online that you want but I’ll walk you through the chords and they’re super simple they can have fancy names and you know chord names but we’re just going to use basic shapes so [Music] now instead of holding that whole C chord you can hold it with your index finger up so they usually and so our pattern is going to be G E minor C chord d7 so that’s our walk it’s one six minor

0:05:04.6 –>
[Music] now that’s six that for you could also play an a minor there so you can play a two minor that either will work the six on the banjo if you play or or so you play a minor you can play that see it’s an a minor 7 we just don’t have enough strings to so it could be whatever you want it to be so so that’s our pattern for the bulk of the song all right so that’s what we’re going to do so I’ll go through it god bless me I’m going to sing so

0:06:05.3 –>
[Music] Oh [Music] and now for the course is going to go to a minor now goes to a B minor so we’re going to slide up the 4th fret index here the middle finger there and then I

0:07:00.9 –>
actually hold the 3rd and the 4th together so it’s over 4 3 4 and then I go to a d7 chord but I stretch it out so so it hold your regular d7 chord and I’m going to take my pinky and put it on 4th fret I know that might be a stretch but it’s worth doing and then C chord D chord B minor E chord so far a minor d7 [Music]

0:10:01.7 –>
there you go good luck with it see you next time

Learn How to Play – Rainbow Connection on Banjo

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