Today's foremost player of the melodic Clawhammer Banjo presents a comprehensive guide to the instrument the style its heritage and culture complete with a supporting CD.Learn to play authentic versions of Appalachian fiddle tunes string band tunes New England hornpipes Irish jigs Scottish reels and much more. The arrangements showcase the unique styles of many important contemporary players and are presented alongside chapters detailing basic and advanced playing techniques as well as over 70 musical illustrations historical notes and period photos.A truly wide-ranging guide to this wonderfully characterful and exciting genre of music rich inhistorical detail and with every technique and tune you'd ever need to know!

This fun and easy bluegrass banjo book and CD takes you from the very beginning. Beginning with an introduction to the instrument the book teaches you basic banjo technique such as three-finger rolls how to read banjo chordcharts playing back up and hand placement setting the foundation for the repertoire found in the book. Featuring classics such as 'Boil Them Cabbage Down' 'Cripple Creek' and 'Tom Dooley' this book will get you playing in notime! Music presented in tablature.

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 Munde's unaccompanied playing from his popular Solo Banjoproject. 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! Audio download availableonline.

This chart for left-handed tenor Banjo players shows essential chords and secondary minor chord relationships in all 12 keys for the tenor Banjo in C-G-D-A tuning.The chords shown for each root note are major seventh minor diminished and augmented with relative minor I IV and V7 chords.  The fingerboard is also shown with all the frets numbered and the corresponding notes shown in standard notation. This chart is also suitable forthe tenor mandola which uses the same tuning. Unfolds to 17.5' by 11.75'.   

Many musicians including some that are technically quite advanced never break away from the printed page to learn by simply listening and re-creating. The common name for this process is 'playing by ear'. With some basicguidelines any musician with rudimentary skills can teach himself or herself to play by ear adding a new dimension to their playing skills. This book teaches the 5-string banjoist to listen and play solos and chord progressionsby ear providing essential ear training and techniques needed to participate in jam sessions of all types! Chapters include: Learning Chord Progressions by Ear; Faking a Solo; Playing the Melody by Ear; and Using Licks. Writtenin tablature only. The companion recording is in split-track format with the melody track on the left and the rhythm on the right.

Learn How to Pick the Bluegrass Way. Here's a surefire way to get going and learn how to play the 5-string banjo bluegrass style! Detailed tips and explanations provide help and understanding of the fundamentals and how to apply them to make you a great banjo player. Topics covered include: tuning - reading tablature - basic rolls - intros, breaks, fills and tags - 30 bluegrass songs - and much more. Includes access to audio tracks online for download or streaming.

This unique book of scales and arpeggios for banjo by John Bullard covers all of the major and minor keys. Written in tablature and standard notation this book brings banjo players the same practical and time-proven system ofstudy common to other classical instruments. Students will learn the scales and arpeggios and apply them in flowing musical exercises.

Played Bluegrass Style-Alternate Tunings For Five-String Banjo is the first three-finger style Banjo instruction book written specifically for the bluegrass banjoist wishing to explore alternate tunings. Written using standardtablature the book takes the learner through the G modal Standard C Open C Bb D modal Open D and E tunings.Students will learn new arrangements for such traditional pieces as Cumberland Gap Shady Grove KansasCity Railroad Blues Pretty Polly and seventeen others. Audio download available online with examples of each tuning and song taught. The songs are played slowly and up to standard tempo on the audio.

With its wealth of information on how technique can be tastefully applied Back-Up Banjo is the definitive book on the subject of Banjo accompaniment. Since a Banjo player in a band plays accompaniment at least75% of the time it is extremely important to master playing in this style. Janet Davis offers specific suggestions for accompanying a vocalist or instrumentalist in a variety of styles-- and then provides musical examplesillustrating her points. Janet breaks her concepts down into their basic components making them crystal clear in lay terms. The various back-up techniques are separated into categories determined by song tempo by lead instrumentbeing accompanied and by the area of the fingerboard in which the chords are being played. In notation and tablature. Includes an extended play audio recording which demonstrates the examples in the book. Access to audioand video downloads available online which demonstrate the examples in the book.

A comprehensive 96-page large print perfect-bound chord dictionary for today’s banjo player. Contains hundreds of chord forms ranging from major minor and dominant 7th to the various extensions such as minor 7b5 minor/major 7 7#5 etc.

First Lessons on Banjo is an ultra-easy instruction manual for beginning five-string Banjo played in the three finger style in G tuning. It can be used by those with no previous experience with the Banjo or music of any sort.It is so basic it can be used even by small children. The book features very detailed descriptions of even the most basic aspects such as wearing the picks properly the correct picking motion and noting the strings properly.These are aspects that are so basic most manuals skip over them. There are many detailed photos several from the player's point of view not from in front of the Banjo.First Lessons on Banjo covers themost basic rolls the Alternating Thumb Roll and two Forward Rolls the three basic chords plus the relative minor chord. All musical examples are presented in tablature with the melody notes in boldface type so the student knowswhich notes to emphasize.All arrangements include lyrics which is very important to the novice who is trying to train the ear to hear the melody among the fill notes. Several tips and suggestions about the proper mentalapproach are included that will lead to playing by ear and arranging at an earlier stage in the student's development. There are also suggestions about developing the proper mental approach and about speed reading of tablature.These suggestions are not found in any other Banjo instruction book. The 'finale' arrangement is Cripple Creek a popular Banjo standard that when mastered should give the novice a great sense ofaccomplishment.The accompanying audio download includes all tabbed examples with the rhythm instruments and lead Banjo in separate channels. The songs are played at three tempos the first tempo VERY slow then a mediumtempo version and finally at performing speed with Guitar Mandolin and Bass accompaniment. The up- tempo accompanied versions are all together at the end of the recording so the final tracks can be used as a listening recording.

At last an entire DVD devoted to the songs of Ralph Stanley . Of course this DVD teaches Man of Constant Sorrow (two versions in D position and G position). But it also teaches old favorites such as Little Maggie Clinch Mountain Backstep Daybreak In Dixie Riding On That Midnight Train and How Mountain Girls Can Love . Casey Henry teaches Man of Constant Sorrow in D and Chris Henry joins Murphy at the end of each lesson to play Guitar. This intermediate DVD can be used with ease after Beginning Banjo Vol. 1 and 2. Each song taught note by note without tab.

My First Gospel Banjo Picking Songs is a fun and easy approach to gospel music for five-string Banjo. The book explains right and left hand techniques notes basic chords and practice tips.Twenty-fourgreat gospel songs are presented in tablature including Amazing Grace Just Over In Glory Land What a Friend We Have In Jesus and more.This method is a great introduction to the Banjo and its wonderful role ingospel music. The book comes with audio.

This left-handed chord book includes pictures and diagrams for all of the basic chords for four-string or tenor banjo. Fingering photos and fretboard diagrams are presented for all of the major minor seventh diminished augmented and ninth chords. Major seventh minor seventh sixth minor sixth seventh augmented fifth and seventh diminished fifth chords are shown in diagram form only. The introduction discusses how to hold the banjo tuning(low to high C- G-D-A) and more. This book is also suitable for mandola.

This 51/2x 8' 'Qwikguide' book/audio download presents 30 favorite folk tunes in tablature for the Scruggs- or melodic-style 5-string Banjo in G tuning with suggested accompaniment chords. The selections include: Auld LangSyne; Someone's in the Kitchen with Dinah; Swanee River; Camptown Races; Oh Susanna; The Yellow Rose of Texas; La Cucaracha; Wabash Cannonball; Tom Dula;Beautiful Brown Eyes; Little Brown Jug; Chopsticks; Twinkle Twinkle Little Star; William Tell Overture; Skip to My Lou; and more. Audio download available online.