Colorado banjo player Chris Elliott is one of many bluegrass educators offering video lessons online. But he has come up with a different way to market them which should be of interest to budget-conscious students.
Elliott’s Banjo School was launched a few years ago after Chris had spent five years studying banjo with Alan Munde at South Plains College in Levelland, TX. Widely recognized as among the finest banjo instructors of his generation, Munde passed along not only his skill at banjo playing to Elliott, but his method of teaching as well.
Since returning to Colorado, he also worked closely with Pete Wernick as a jam camp assistant, picking up a great deal from Dr. Banjo as well, another of our most heralded banjo instructors.
Chris isn’t one of those guys who can teach, but can’t play. He has won the banjo competitions at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival and at RockyGrass, as well as the Colorado state banjo championship, all in 2007. He has been a part of several touring groups, among them The Blue Canyon Boys, Ragged Union, Spring Creek, Chain Station, and these days, the Foggy Mountain Spaceship Group.
For the Banjo School, Elliott has prepared hours of video lessons, professionally prepared with multiple camera angles, in three categories (beginner, intermediate, advanced), meant to allow you to progress from the day you bring your first banjo home until you are jamming with others and playing in a group.
The difference is that instead of charging monthly for as long as you are registered, the Elliott Banjo School asks $99 for lifetime access to everything he has prepared, including whatever he may add over time. That includes the video lessons, downloadable tabs, and play along jam tracks for each lesson.
A student would spend that for just a few months with a traditional in-person or online teacher. Chris even offers a number of sample lessons on his YouTube channel so you can see the quality of the videos he produces, and how he functions as an instructor.
Full details are available at the Elliott School of Banjo web site.
