Tunefox
The Clever Way to Learn & Practice Bluegrass Music
Scott Vestal is a true modern master of the 5 string banjo. He expertly blends Scruggs, melodic and single string styles. There are so many great ideas to learn from his take on Paddy on the Turnpike. The double stop lick on the F chord in measure 10 is especially cool. The chromatic device that's used over the G and F chord in measures 13 and 14 is also something to take note of. The idea is simple but so effective. It's not that easy to play unless your'e used to single string style. The constant chromatic walking into the major third while varying the note that follows yields a very complex and interesting sound. This is definitely a trick to remember.
There's a lot of repeating melodic scale patterns that follow the contour of the melody and just the right amount of variation. Notice that a lot of variations aren't just a one measure lick. Scott is a virtuosic instrumentalist that is able to think, compose and improvise in long extended phrases.