3 comments about Complete Book of Irish & Celtic 5-String Banjo.

1. Good introduction to Irish banjo tab and music. Recommended.



2. A large collection of Celtic music for the banjo, well documented, giving good explanations. The including CD contains the music to listening along. You don't need to have powerfull skills to play the music; Good for beginners, but also interesting for advanced players.



3. Do you want the quick version of this review? If you want to expand your banjo technique and repertoire into the pan-Celtic realm, BUY THIS BOOK.
   
   Fin.
   
   Alright, a slightly longer review... Tom Hanway has put together a fantastic "middle point" to learning how to integrate your 5-string banjo playing into that large, mashed realm of "celtic" music. You get tunes of Irish, Scottish, British, Canadian, and American origin all played with an ear towards the Celtic tradition.
   
   It's a "middle point" because the book is NOT for beginners. The book assumes that you have facility with playing melodic (and some single string) style on the 5-string, and it takes you from there. You learn techniques that many Scruggs style players will consider advanced. Lots of inside rolls - often on the same string or combining two strings for a run of several notes and multiple hammer-ons and pull-offs are used.
   
   There is light at the end of the tunnel, though. These techniques will make you a better banjo player. There are a _ton_ of tunes in this book so you can get a flavor of the various sub-styles to determine where your interests lie. It also comes with a CD where the author plays through about two thirds of the tunes in the book as well as playing through the exercises to learn the techniques. The banjo in these recordings is VERY prominent with just a hint of guitar and bodhran percussion in the back.
   
   Finally, the book is packed with the history of the music as well as tips on jamming, playing etiquette, and how to approach playing backup (probably the most important thing in a jam).
   
   Oh, and the author is a great guy who will answer your e-mail with any questions that you might have.
   
   Given the general dearth of material in this area and the fact that this is a fantastic resource for playing the 5-string in this style, making the decision to buy shouldn't be too difficult.

No comments about Rubber-Band Banjos and a Java Jive Bass: Projects and Activities on the Science of Music and Sound.

5 comments about Colorado: Megan's Choice/Em's Only Chance/Lisa's Broken Arrow/Banjo's New Song (Heartsong Novella Collection).

1. The first book is about Megan and Steve and their marriage of convenience. Megan is drawn to Steve because he is always so nice to her, but at first she only feels protective of him when their ranch is attacked. Once she gets saved she realizes she loves him, but feels he will never return her love. The second book is about Em and Chance. This book gives wonderful examples of how God always gives us second chances. The thir is about Lisa and John. I loved this book probably the most. The reader can really see the change in Lisa throughout the book. The last book is about Banjo. This one was probably my least favorite simply because of the age difference between him and Sally. Nothing wrong with age differences it's just that it seemed to me in this book that Sally viewed him as a father more than a husband. But it was well written. Overall they were really enjoyable.



2. This was just the kind of story I love to read. It was a good,clean story with no nasty lanaguage and a well written story line. I will be looking for more books like this one. I might add that I have already read Alabama which was a similar type of book. I very much enjoyed that book as well.



3. These stories were very well done (with one exception that I'll get to later). I enjoyed all 4 stories. All were packed full of well developed characters, beautiful romances, and a touch of suspense (alright, more than a touch!).
   
   It was nice to see one author write from so many different perspectives. While so many of these types of books include freed slaves, it was nice to have a story from their viewpoint, where they are the primary characters vs. the secondary. I also liked Banjo's New Song where the old guy gets the girl. After how wonderful he was in the other stories he was easy to cheer for.
   
   The one annoyance I had wouldn't have bothered me if I hadn't been raised in Colorado. That is, I am curious as to why somebody who lived about 40 miles north of Denver would travel south to Denver to take a stage to Laramie, a city 60 or so miles NE of Denver. It irritated me to the point where I actually pretended the book was set South of Denver, more toward Castle Rock or CO springs... it's prettier down there, anyway!!
   
   All in all, though, this book was terrific... very worthwhile.



4. This book was so great. I especially enjoyed Megan's Choice and Lisa's Broken Arrow. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys historical Christian romance novels.



5. I was excited to read this book, and very Disappointed by the time i got to the 8th chapter in the first book ( Megans Choice) I kept reading hoping it was going to get better but it never did!. I disliked it so much I put that book down and went read 3 more books that were wonderful, but thot maybe i'd give Lisa Broken Arrow a try.. Disappointed there too.. I didn't bother to read Em's only chance, and Banjo's new song. The characters were boring, and you didn't even know the people liked each other till out of no where one either kissed them, or asked them to marry them. You had no idea what either person in the story was thinking half the time. It had no emotion really.. and the lack of God wasn't that great either.. just seemed like a bunch of words to make a story that dragged on and on. I also found a few places where timing didn't add up.. One thing was said, and later another made me wonder where i was at in the book Dates weren't matching up.. at one point they said two months ago, then another it was 1 month.. i dont know but it was confuing!. I found this book a waist of time.

5 comments about The Banjo Picker's Fakebook (Banjo).

1. If you're after the usual folk-tune-collection introductions to each song, you won't find them here: just the bare bones of the songs in various arrangements (mostly clawhammer, quite a few Scruggs-style). The music speaks for itself, though, and like all books of this type it's fun to pick a page at random and see what it sounds like.



2. This book is 216 pages of banjo tunes arranged for three-finger and clawhammer players. It includes a cross-reference of alternate titles and a 24 page general discography, as well as a discussion of the types of tunes included. There is also a short discussion of technical topics such as modes (very appropriate for traditional music) and how to read tablature.

   This book is a lot like a Grainger's collection of fiddle tunes for flatpickers. Unlike Grainger's, which only provides enough tablature to spell out the melody for the A part and the B part, The Banjo Picker's Fakebook takes you through one whole iteration of each tune complete with first and second endings. Also like Grainger's, this is not an instruction book. It leaves both the right and left hand fingerings entirely up to the reader. For example, if you are a strictly a bluegrass player, the clawhammer arrangements will not be useful to you.

   Although the discography could be used to collect aural examples of the tunes, a CD or a set of tapes would have been a welcome addition. Music is an aural art, and it is impossible to convey the full musical sense in tablature or in standard musical notation alone.

   If you are looking for a lot of tunes, thoughtfully arranged in a single volume, I highly recommend The Banjo Picker's Fakebook. If the tune can't be found in this book, chances are no one eles knows it either, so you could go ahead and play anything that fit.




3. This is a great book if you already know how to play and just want a lot of tunes. My only complaint is that not all tunes are available in all styles. (That is, some have a clawhammer arrangement, some have a 3-finger arrangement, and some have both.) I can't really blame the authors, though, as it's a pretty large volume as it is. Overall, it's exactly what it's advertised to be.



4. LOTS of good tunes; however, the print is too small and the tab noteheads are between the staff lines rather than on them, as more commonly found, making for difficult sightreading. It's still a very good resource for Oldtime/Bluegrass pieces for the banjo.



5. The good news is there are tons of songs in this book and you'll have many hours of fun learning all sorts of new music. For that alone, this book is worth having.
   
   The bad news: The Fiddle, Mandolin, and guitar versions of this book all have exactly the same song list all in the same keys. This is great because your fiddler, mandolin and guitar player all have the same reference to the same songs and can easily play together. The banjo book, however, does not have the same song listing. Many of the songs in the other 3 books are not in this book. Also, quite a bit of the music is in "Melodic clawhammer" style. If you don't play that style then you'll miss out on about half of the songs in this book.
   
   However, the music that is here is pretty darn fun. Just be aware that if the other members of your group all have this book then your book won't match up to thiers.

5 comments about Banjo Primer.

1. This book is pretty good, with lots of information. The CD is a little discouraging, though, to a beginner. He plays the songs REALLY slow, and then kinda slow at a good "I've-played-the-guitar-for-years-but-never-the-banjo" beginner pace, but then the third time he calls "medium jam speed" and the implication of that is he would like to take it faster, but he's holding back for your benefit. The problem is it's about 20 times faster than the previous speed and he also doesn't play in the same rhythm, but adds some swing to it or something, so it's pretty hard to follow. Bottom line, this book/CD set is not step by step, but there's nothing like hours of repetitive practice to get you up to speed!



2. I got this book for a friend at work who is starting the banjo
   for the modern banjo style of bluegrass. This person likes it
   very much. Everett Boxdorfer



3. I am an experienced musician but new to the banjo. I found that this book helpful in getting started.



4. This is an excellent little book for the beginner banjo player. I was up and playing the first tune within a very short time.
   
   The learning experience is very much enhanced if you have the companion DVD.
   Together they make a great learning tool.
   
   "You don't need to practice, just play a lot ! "



5. For anyone starting out, the dvd is great but the book allows for more concentrated practice on specific things without the hassle of going back and forth with the video. A highly recommended purchase for the beginner. Check out the dvd, practice with the book, and enjoy what the two together can provide as far as quality at home instruction.

No comments about Mel Bay Ragtime , Blues & Jazz for Banjo.

1 comments about ALL STAR BLUEGRASS JAM-ALONG FOR BANJO BK/CD.

1. Here's my first impression of this book/CD:
   
   You get a TAB book with arrangements for 21 "essential" tunes. The songs are in different keys, and for many of them you have to use a capo. There are even three waltzes. The TABs are first basic versions, then solo/up the neck versions. The up the neck versions are often in melodic style. The TABs seems very good, and a little different from what you find in Janet Davis "You Can Teach Yourself Banjo".
   
   Then to the CD. There is one track for each song. Each track has bass, guitar and mandolin all the way through. First, the song is played with banjo in a basic version, then up the neck, then backup banjo (mostly pinch) and then without any banjo - you jam along yourself. Tempo is moderate to slow.
   
   Tony Trischka's banjo playing is really beautiful. It is very clean and right on time all the way. You will enjoy just listening to the CD. His banjo sounds great!
   
   Sound quality is great, but you might like or dislike that the backup band is in the left channel and the banjo alone to the right. The benefit of this, is that you can listen to the left channel only to get the backing band playing without Tony Trischka.
   
   The really great new thing about this book/CD, is that there are versions for banjo, fiddle, mandolin, guitar and bass. This must be the best way to start a bluegrass band. Let each band member rehearse with their own book. When you meet, you are all ready to jam!

5 comments about Teach Yourself Bluegrass Banjo (Teach Yourself Bluegrass).

1. The instruction in this book is easy to follow and teaches you the basic techniques you need to get a true bluegrass sound out of your banjo. The CD that comes with it, however, defeats it own purpose when Tony Trishka sings over the top of the banjo. Not only does he sound God-awful, but you can't even hear the music he's teaching you to play. Even on the instrumentals it gets frustrating because he's clearly not playing the exact same tab that is in the book. To his credit, however, every thing that is in the book, even the simplest 4 note exercises, are also on the CD.

   So 5 stars for the book, 2 stars for the CD, 4 stars for Tony's pickin', and 1 for his singing. Unfortunately this may be the best instructional book for bluegrass banjo beginners available. And I do recommend it. Just don't expect the CD to help you through your learning very much.




2. This tutorial seemed to be written well enough, but as a complete banjo newbie I found it frustrating. It's didn't seem to offer enough variety of learning exercises at each new skill, so that I felt stuck trying to learn the same example over and over. I gave up on this book and bought "A Manual on How to Play the 5-String Bango for the Complete Ignoramus" by Wayne Erbsen (...) and I'm now having a great time learning clawhammer style as well as the slides, etc. that seemed so frustrating in Tony's book. Maybe it's better if you have more banjo experience to start with.



3. Using this book I learnt to play a pretty fast and deft version of bluegrass yardstick Cripple Creek within four months, practicing for less than an hour a day - so it must work! The first two months weren't much fun, slogging thorough a hundred different versions of the same two tunes. But it picked up half way through, when real music was introduced and it became gratifying to play and improve.
   
   One thing I should mention, everyone's been complaining that this CD's got (awful) vocals and guitar tracks masking the banjo (the very reason they bought it). This is true, it's pretty distracting. However, I ripped my version to MP3 to listen to in on my PC, and to allow me to loop small pieces easily etc (much easier than scanning on a CD player by the way). Anyway, I found out that most tracks have the banjo playing through one speaker and the guitar/vocals playing through the other. Just tip the balance of the speakers 100 % left and you've got isolated banjo track. I suppose it works for a normal hi-fi too.
   
   At least that worked for the copy of the book I bought in a music shop in Australia.



4. This is a good book, but is a little bit more advanced than someone would need with no previous playing experience. I found myself getting frustrated easily trying to keep up with the book.
   
   A better book for the true beginner would be Banjo Primer, by Geoff Hohwald. I have reviewed Banjo Primer in detail over there.
   
   Tony Trischka's book will be of value to me at some point because it contains an excellent collection of songs, but I doubt I will look at it until I've got a month or two of lessons underneath my belt.



5. This is a good book. Regardless of the other reviews, I didn't think the vocals were as bad as I expected. The book provides good instruction. As a guitar player, the transition was still tricky. Make sure you go slow and don't try to go through the book too fast. For the songs and exercises, start with a slow tempo to get the finger picking pattern, then speed up.

2 comments about Mel Bay Christmas Songs for 5-String Banjo.

1. I didn't see any customer reviews for this book, but I bought it anyhow since I want to play some Christmas songs at church around Christmas time.
   
   I am writing this in October of 2005. I tell you this to let you know how old this review is and that at this point I have only been playing the 5-string Bluegrass banjo for four months. I just received this book a couple of days ago, and I am already playing Joy To The World from this book. I especially like this book because Janet Davis (the person who arranged the tabs in this book) teaches about the same way my banjo instructor does. Her tabs are clearly written, and make sense. She also plays the songs right from the tabs on the included CD, so you know how it is supposed to sound, which is also what my banjo instructor does on a tape. At the beginning of the book, there are instructions on how to read tablature. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is just because she doesn't show the fingerings for the different cords. I only know a select few, so I have a hard time when I am supposed to be in an A chord when I don't know what the fingerings are supposed to be. I can figure it out though. She even adds very simple one string tabs in this book, assuming for little children who just started the banjo.
   
   I think this is a very good book, with plenty of learning to be gained from it. Janet Davis is a very good banjo player and knows what Bluegrass ought to sound like.
   
   Oh, and for those of you who want more than the Bluegrass sound for these songs, she arranged some tabs for melodic style and tripelet. I don't have the book in front of me, so I can't say which songs are arranged in that style.
   
   Anyhow, great book for the price.



2. This is a very good beginner banjo book for Christmas songs. I have a number of Christmas banjo books, and this one is definitely my favorite. The song arrangements are good, and the included CD helps a lot. I definitely recommend this book.

4 comments about The Ultimate Banjo Songbook: 26 Favorites Arranged for 5-String Banjo.

1. This book is from an author of great talent and skill.We get to learn great versions and licks to many songs.Miss Davis is the best!!!!She IS the ultamate teacher!!!!



2. I'm very impressed with this book. Each of the 26 songs has multiple versions as well as alternate licks that can replace other licks to make the song your own. I like that style of teaching. I often teach my own students how to think of a riff as a vocabulary word and then to think about all the different ways they can use that word. This book really shows that any song can be played multiple ways. I think that really opens up your mind and your ears and makes your playing more natural and free.
   
   I will say, however, that this is not a book for beginners. Playing anything in this book will place you solidly in the intermediate to advanced playing range. However, I like that. There are great beginning banjo books out there (Janet Davis's "You can teach yourself Banjo" is one of the best) but once you advance beyond that point it's sometimes difficult to find a book that can take you to the next level. This book will really push you.
   
   I once played in a band where we had some really difficult music to learn. The piano player told me "Yes, this music is tough. But when you're able to play it think how good you'll be!" This book makes me remember that advice. It will really challenge you, but once you learn any of the songs you'll know that you're a better player than when you started.
   
   Just think how good you'll be.



3. I have been picking for about 3 years without formal instruction, and have found Janet Davis one of the best to learn from. This book provides a nice collection for intermediate players, and I find the tunes just right- a little out of reach, not easy and tedious- good for learning. (I have found Trischka's tools out of reach...) The discs that come with the book are fine- usually a set with guitar and then one banjo solo. Tab is nicely and neatly printed. The tunes are familiar and sound great. Recommended.



4. This book (with CDs) is my favorite. I'm an old guitar hack who took up the banjo 2+ years ago. This book is very challenging and very rewarding. My banjo teacher often asks where where i get the arrangements in this book, since i like to add the songs from this book to my repertoire. This book is fun, interesting and challenging - ranging from "advanced intermediate" to really tough. It really exercises your Scruggs style plus has some fun melodic songs like "Roanoke". I just bought my second copy of this book because i cracked one of my CDs, plus the book was "well used".