Tips For Learning By Ear From A Lesson Video By Casey Henry

Go here for a downloadable/printable PDF of these tips. Before sitting down to learn a song, listen to it a minimum of five times. (It is typically played through at the beginning and the end of the lesson.) Listening to it every day for a week is even better. You should aim to be able…

Blast From The Past: Mac and Me By Murphy Henry

Here’s an article Murphy wrote long ago for the Winchester Star’s “Slice of Life” column. It was published on April 15, 1991. As the song goes “that has been some time ago!” Mac And Me When I heard that Mac Wiseman was going to be playing at the Apple Blossom Bluegrass Festival this year my…

Murphy Featured on Picky Fingers Banjo Podcast

Murphy was interviewed by Kieth Billik of the Picky Fingers Banjo Podcast last month and her episode has just been released on all your favorite podcast platforms, as well as over on the Picky Fingers website. They chat about all aspects of playing, learning, and teaching the banjo. Give it a listen!

What Would J.D. Do?

The great J.D. Crowe passed away on December 24, 2021, at 84 years old. He was the biggest influence on my banjo playing right after Earl Scruggs. I spent literally hours trying to get my pull-offs to sound like his. I learned many of his classic songs including "Train 45" and "Blackjack" and his break to…

Ask Murphy By Murphy Henry

I’m sure you all have heard by now of the passing of the great banjo player Sonny Osborne. As a tribute to Sonny, I’m writing an article for Bluegrass Unlimited magazine based on Sonny’s Banjo Newsletter column. It was called “Keep on The Sonny Side,” and every month Sonny answered questions that readers would send…

Murphy Featured at the American Banjo Museum

I don’t remember who sent me this photo of Janet Davis and me, but apparently this was (or is?) an exhibit at the American Banjo Museum in Oklahoma City, Okla. I knew nothing about it! I am honored, however, to have been featured. If anyone knows anything about this, please let us know! The museum…

A Thirty-Year Gap!

By Red Henry Ever since we founded the Murphy Method in 1982, one thing we’ve been proud of has been customer loyalty. Many, many of our Murphy Method students keep ordering lessons year after year, and we appreciate all that repeat business. Some customers may take off several years, and then come back and order…

Musings from Murphy

I thought I’d add a word or two here to Casey’s always-excellent newsletter, just to let you know how we’re faring at Murphy Method headquarters (aka Our House) during this stay-at-home time. I’m missing my Tip Jar Jam! I miss hearing David sing In The Pines with the “woo woos” at the end, just like…

Christmas Gift!

This month, in this Season of Giving, I want to share a story that my friend Ben Smelser wrote. Ben is a back-slidden banjo student, a bass player, and father of Tip Jar Jam fashionista Kasey Smelser. I’ve shared some of Ben’s wisdom before and I’ve also shared some of his non-wisdom, like the time…

Banjo Camp is Fun

This weekend, my grandmother Murphy (alias Gran) and my mama Casey put on a big banjo camp. There were 14 banjo students there, which is a lot. (But I can count to more than that. I can count all the way to twenty-eight, twenty-nine, twenty-ten and twenty-eleven.) Naturally, the best part of banjo camp is…