Murphy Method Archives - Bluegrass Today

Murphy Method offers subscription plans

Murphy Henry has spent most of the past four decades teaching people who never thought they could learn a musical instrument, to play bluegrass well enough to start jamming with others. All across the US, and all over the world, she has delivered specialized instructional videos that take new players step-by-step though the basics of playing banjo, guitar, mandolin, fiddle, bass, or reso-guitar, all without the need to learn how to read music.

She started out using cassette tapes, and gradually moved to VHS video and formed her own company, The Murphy Method. A true family business, Murphy appears in a great many of their programs as the instructor, while her husband, Red, films the productions and does the video editing. As they grew up, their two adult children, Casey and Chris, have also gotten involved, appearing as teachers in a number of titles.

Over the years, they switched from VHS to DVD, and now to online delivery of their dozens of instructional videos. But the Method has remained unchanged, teaching people to play through repetition and memorization – with no tablature.

Now Murphy has announced a new offering from The Murphy Method – subscription plans. By paying a low monthly fee of $29, subscribers will have access to the entire Murphy Method catalog, which is especially rich with content for banjo players. Video presentations are available for beginners, intermediate, and advanced players on all the bluegrass instruments, plus for jamming with others and singing.

New students can especially benefit from subscriptions, as they offer access to this complete catalog of videos for less than monthly private lessons in person. Plus, discounts are offered when you pay for multiple months in advance.

Henry has wisely introduced her subscription offers just ahead of Christmas time, knowing that a great many banjos, mandolins, and fiddles will be showing up under the tree in coming weeks.

Visit the Murphy Method web site to see the many titles in the catalog for the various bluegrass instruments, and check out the subscription plans, which can easily be given as a gift.

Minor Chords – new banjo DVD from The Murphy Method

The Murphy Method, the brainchild of long time banjo teacher Murphy Henry, has released a new banjo DVD on Minor Chords. Like many of her video instructional materials, this one is designed for new players without much familiarity with the instrument.

As a private instructor of long standing, Murphy has a close relationship with many beginning pickers, and a keen insight into the sorts of issues that confuse or confound students as the get started. And for decades she has created lessons that teach tunes, songs, and concepts without using tablature or any sort of printed music. Everything is taught and demonstrated using the watch, listen, and play method – the Murphy Method!

Over the years Henry has taught many thousands of banjo players, at camps, with lessons, and through the reach of her dozens of DVD titles. She has also developed the reputation as a legitimate bluegrass personality, with a presence and a vibe all her own.

The Minor Chords DVD shows new players what minor chords are, how to find them on the fingerboard, and how to use them in songs. Using four familiar jam standards, Amazing Grace, Sitting on Top of the World, Ride Me High, and It’s a Lonesome Feeling, Murphy demonstrates how to hear and incorporate minor chords in the keys of G and C.

Here is a teaser from the DVD.

Minor Chords is available for $29.95 from The Murphy Method web site, either as a DVD or a download.

Second volume of Casey’s Custom Christmas Collection for banjo DVD

The Murphy Method has released a second volume of Christmas songs for banjo, in time for five stringers to gear up for Christmas jams with some of their favorite holiday tunes.

Casey’s Custom Christmas Collection, Vol. 2, features Casey Henry, daughter of Murphy Method founders Murphy and Red Henry, teaching six holiday classics for banjo. Like all the DVDs from these folks, the songs are taught line-by-line, entirely with a watch and learn pedagogy. No printed music or tablature is used, relying on the student to learn these pieces by watching and listening.

In fact The Murphy Method was designed initially for banjo players who had difficulty learning from tab, and they have been so successful with pickers that they now catalog dozens of DVDs by a number of instructors for banjo, guitar, mandolin, fiddle, bass, dobro, and now, jamming. But even those who can and do read music can learn quickly using Murphy’s watch and do philosophy.

In Vol. 2, Casey demonstrates these songs:

Away In A Manger
Hark The Herald Angels Sing
Greensleeves
Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer
Frosty The Snowman

These start out with quite simple arrangements that a relative beginner could learn, advancing into more complicated arrangements as they go along. All are played within the Scruggs three-finger style, or some semblance of that approach.

Here is a video from the DVD, of Casey going over Away In A Manger.

Casey’s Custom Christmas Collection, Vol. 2 can be ordered on DVD or for digital download from The Murphy Method web site online, as can Casey’s first volume of Christmas classics, which teaches Joy to the World, Silent Night, Christmas Time’s a Comin’, Jingle Bells, Deck the Halls, and another version of Greensleeves.

Each course sells for $30.

New from The Murphy Method – Improvising in 3/4 time

The Murphy Method has a long history of teaching folks to play the banjo, demonstrating songs and techniques without using printed music of any kind. Before you start thinking that it’s an anti-intellectual approach, consider that this is simply bringing the folk tradition into the age of technology. For centuries music was conveyed from a master to a pupil, face-to-face, one-on-one.

The Murphy in The Murphy Method is Murphy Henry, a life-long banjo player and one of the most celebrated instructors our music has ever seen. She has legions of loyal fans who love her many DVDs on banjo music, especially those who had been unable to achieve success using books or tablature. Her method consists of teaching students to learn songs piece by piece, strictly by watching and listening – and then doing.

Her company also offers instruction in other bluegrass instruments, but she has always had a five string focus.

As does her latest release, Improvising in 3/4 Time (Waltz Time). It’s all about helping banjo pickers feel more comfortable playing in waltz time. Using familiar songs (Amazing Grace, Angel Band, White Dove), Murphy demonstrates both simple and more advanced solos, and discusses how you can use three chords and a roll to “fake” your way through anything else you might encounter.

Here’s a sample from the presentation…

DVDs can be purchased now for Improvising in 3/4 Time (Waltz Time) from The Murphy Method web site, and downloads will be available shortly.

Old Favorites – new from The Murphy Method

Old Favorites is the latest release from The Murphy Method, which finds Casey Henry teaching you how to play a half dozen familiar songs on the banjo.

The Murphy Method is a system of teaching by watching and memorizing, designed and facilitated specifically to avoid the use of printed music. As their company motto puts it, “Can’t learn from tablature? You’re not alone!”

All of their DVDs have instructors carefully repeating the elements of a song or solo, at a slow speed, so that you can see and hear it before you try to play it. Students who had experienced difficulty learning from sheet music or tablature report tremendous success using this method, on banjo, guitar, mandolin, or fiddle.

On Old Favorites, Casey demonstrates simple melody breaks on banjo, both to allow you to add them to you jamming repertoire, and to show how easily a basic melody can turn into a solo by adding rolls and familiar licks you already know. Pieces progress in difficulty throughout the video, but you should be ready for the last few by the time you work through the first ones.

Songs taught include:

You Are My Sunshine
Rocky Road Blues (Boogie-Woogie) in G
Rocky Road Blues (Boogie-Woogie) in C
Uncloudy Day
Wildwood Flower (in G)
Love Come Home

Here is a trailer from the full lesson.

You can order the full DVD online for $29.95. A downloaded version of Old Favorites will be available soon.