SKU: MB.30092M
ISBN 9780786693900. 8.75 x 11.75 inches.
Theres no getting away from it, the 5-string banjo is about as American as apple pie. This poses something of a conundrum for those who love the instrument, but dont wish to be confined to bluegrass music. My own motives for straying musically were born out of necessity, but now the enjoyment and exploration of new musical styles are what guides me. This book and accompanying online video are intended to help anyone who also wants to take their banjo playing to new exciting places. Includes access to online video.
SKU: MB.99126M
ISBN 9781513465791. 8.75x11.75 inches.
Provides the intermediate clawhammer 5-string banjo player with a fresh repertoire of 21 traditional and 5 original tunes as played by the author with the Boiled Buzzards Old Time String Band. The book briefly addresses clawhammer basics with a few pages of exercises and scales before presenting the tunes. The banjo tunings in this book are: double C tuning gCGCD , modified double C tuning eCGCD , G tuning GDGBD , A tuning aEAC#E , D tuning aDADE , and Double-D tuning drop 5th f#DADE . Written in banjo tablature only with suggested backup chords. Voted one of the top 10 clawhammer banjo players by Banjo Newsletter readers, Levenson advises the reader that the tablature in this book is to be used only as a guide and to play the tune as you hear it, not slavishly as written. This approach allows the reader to play within his/her style and level of ability. Includes access to online audio.
SKU: MB.21599M
ISBN 9780786690848. 8.75 x 11.75 inches.
OCarolans best-loved harp tunes are notated in a contemporary style that makes them accessible to all instrumentalists. This ideal collection with accompanying audio lays bare 20 classic Irish compositions for melody and backing players using standard notation and chords. For all 5-string banjo players, fretting and picking-hand fingerings are included in the transcriptions which match the play-along tracks. This is Hanways fourth collection demonstrating Celtic fingerstyle banjo in G tuning. It is part of a Celtic 5-string series that includes Mel Bays Easy Irish and Celtic Tunes for 5-String Banjo: Best-Loved Jigs and Reels 2012 and Mel Bays Easy Irish and Celtic Melodies for 5-String Banjo: Best-Loved Airs and Session Tunes 2013 . Tom Hanways pioneering work, Mel Bays Complete Book of Irish and Celtic 5-String Banjo 1998 , was acclaimed by Bluegrass Unlimited magazine 1999 as the bible for any 5-string player with an interest in this joyous music. The current collection breathes life into the Gaelic classical melodies of Ireland. Access to online audio download.
SKU: MB.21056M
ISBN 9780786687855. 8.75 x 11.75 inches.
Alan Munde has long been a major artist in the 5-string banjo world. Here for the first time, is the book and audio download combination of Alans unaccompanied playing from his popular Solo Banjo project. The book contains entire as-played-by versions with many variations of 12 bluegrass standards and 3 Munde originals including the popular Peaches and Cream in harmony. Includes access to audio online.
SKU: MB.99480M
ISBN 9780786690466. 8.75 x 11.75 inches.
The world of melodic jazz banjo soloing is revealed in this comprehensive method which leads a student from basic intervals to advanced theoretical concepts and finally to a firm foundation in jazz fundamentals. Included are over 90 exercises and examples written in both tablature fingerings and standard music notation which show how scales and arpeggios are used and how they apply to real playing situations. Every five-string banjoist can benefit from the information contained in this breakthrough volume whether they aspire to jazz or just want to find out more about the possibilities and structure of the banjo.Starting with basic intervals, Straight-Ahead Jazz for Banjo shows the structure of all basic chord types and qualities and matches these to the scales that generate them. The books basic concept model is to treat the five-string banjos potential in an inclusive technical context so that the student can make use of open and fifth strings to create a smooth legato style. Each of the 90 exercises are recorded with a metronome and progress to 16 additional examples of original jazz phrases in a variety of keys. Topics include functional major and minor key harmony, diminished and augmented scales and how they are used, and the integration of altered scale substitutes in the art of jazz improvisation. It stresses listening and learning in a logical structured manner with an example of a daily practice plan. The unique emphasis of the book is on the fingerings which make the instrument work for you technically and thus open up added possibilities for the development of a students personal style. This long-awaited volume will surely bring new focus and perspective to any banjo style and will be a classic reference for many new generations of banjoists. Includes access to online audio.
SKU: MB.30906M
ISBN 9781513476643. 8.75X11.75 inches.
This solo collection presents 19 iconic melodies from the American traditional song book plus 6 modern original compositions by William Bay, president of Mel Bay Publications; all selections have been arranged in tablature for the 5-string banjo in gDGBD tuning by Catalonian multi-instrumentalist and bluegrass specialist, Llu?s G?mez.Any collection of American ballads would be incomplete without settings of the beautiful melodies penned by Stephen Foster, several of which appear here including Beautiful Dreamer, Darling Nellie Gray, I Dream of Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair, and Hard Times, Come Again No More. Some of these tunes are arranged in uncommon banjo keys, all without retuning the banjo or using a capo. These keys may be challenging at first but will teach you a lot about the banjo fretboard.The authorÃ?s generous preface offers tips on practice, performance and interpretation rarely found in tablature collections such as these, but this book has it all, including online recordings of each arrangement.
