2 comments about Tony Trischka Easy Banjo Solos.

1. When you learn from Tony Trishka, you learn from the teacher of
   Bela Fleck. Bela was a young student who already knew
   sophisticated jazz when he came to Tony. Tony had him rework his approach to classic bluegrass and "Voila, a power-hitter".

   This book could properly be called "Classic Banjo Solos". If you want to learn classic bluegrass arrangements and licks that you can use, get this book and CD. Tony's arrangements are tasteful, imaginative, and sound terrific.

   The arrangments sound much "cooler" than those in comparable intermediate banjo instruction books. Tony plays well on the CD and gets a good tone, that Stelling banjo stings like a bee - the performances make you just want to "get those pieces down".

   To enhance this book, I recomend that you also get
   "Rounder Banjo" on Rounder, a collection of Tony's favorite
   banjo pieces and players. You will have fun recognizing licks in the book in their original songs, and also recognizing the players and songs that so clearly influenced Tony's conception
   of straight bluegrass banjo playing.

   Also, try to get Tony's "Hill Country" - Tony's straight bluegrass CD. You will be in good hands with the Master Teacher, and well positioned to explore and understand the styles of the players he cites.

   If you have a chance to see Tony perform, GO.




2. I've only been a player for 5 months and I found this book/CD to be an awesome study guide. This is my second banjo book. I've got 4 of Tony's banjo solos mastered (although slower than Tony) and will probably get my favorite 15 conquered before moving on to my next book. I highly recommend this to any bluegrass banjo player wannabe.

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.

No comments about Mel Bay presents Gospel Tunes for Clawhammer Banjo.

1 comments about Mel Bay Key to Five-String Banjo: Home Improvisation Workshop.

1. If you desire to play something at bluegrass jams other than the songs you've memorized by tablature, then this book will be very helpful to you. Pat offers both single string and roll style scale positions which help one to improvise. Also comes with a CD to hear how it is to be picked.

1 comments about The Classic Douglas Dillard Songbook of 5-String Banjo Tablatures.

1. Published by popular demand, this long-awaited songbook contains exact transcriptions in banjo tablature that capture the unique playing style of Douglas Dillard. This fantastic collection includes all of his best-loved tunes, from the °Andy Griffith Show", from his many great years of recording as the original Dillards, and from his solo banjo albums and his releases with The Doug Dillard Band. Features more than 20 tunes in G tuning, C tuning amd G modal tuning, including classics such as: Cripple Creek · Hickory Hollow · Jamboree · John Henry · Old Joe Clark · Buckin' Mule · and more. A must-have for all banjo players!

2 comments about Mel Bay First Lessons Banjo.

1. First Lessons Banjo is a very basic 32-page beginner's book (with companion compact disc) for the five-string banjo. It starts with the most elementary information such as banjo parts, picks, tuning, holding the instrument, and hand positions. Black and white photos are included. First Lessons Banjo also has a fair amount of written narrative, and one complaint is that the font used could have been bigger for ease of reading. Author Jack Hatfield explains how to play a simple melody (Go Tell Aunt Rhody) from tablature, how to count time, and use the pinch. The songs Tom Dooley, Good Night Ladies, Old Time Religion, Cotton-Eyed Joe, When the Saints Go Marching In, and Cripple Creek are also used to teach various beginning techniques such as alternating thumb roll, forward rolls, basic chords, slide, hammer-on, and pull-off. The charts include tablature with melody notes in boldface type, lyrics, and a clear reference to the applicable disc tracks for each song. Several tips are offered to help a student learn to play by ear, as well as recognizing rolls by their shape in order to read tab faster. The disc which comes with the book includes all examples, with the banjo and accompaniment in separate channels. The songs are played at three tempos - slow, medium, and up-tempo. First Lessons Banjo is clear and concise and takes nothing for granted. With diligent practice, a beginning 5-string picker would master this material quickly and be ready for more challenging exercises and lessons. -- Joe Ross, staff writer, Bluegrass Now



2. So, there I was. A thirty-something workaholic looking for a new hobby to unwind a bit, but with very little in the way of musical experience. Nonetheless, inspired by a local Allison Krauss concert, I found a hot deal on a great used banjo on E-bay and I was off and running! What fun! I'm hooked on the 5-string twang!! About 3 months or so at 30-minutes a day (give or take) and I can play well enough to entertain myself - and my wife and the cat can at least stay in the same room!

   Not many banjo instructors in New England, so I thought I'd go in for a few good teach-yourself manuals. I bought four. In order of usefulness they were - Revised Banjo Primer by Geoff Hohwald - First Lessons Banjo by Jack Hatfied - How to Play the 5-string Banjo by Pete Seeger - How to Play Banjo by Tim Jumper.

   The Banjo Primer was the best of the lot. I was able to make good progress with about 30 minutes practice each day. The instructions were clear and the tunes were fun to play (Cripple Creek, Boil 'em Cabbage Down, Worried Man Blues). It was VERY helpful that the book came with a CD. Some lessons I just couldn't get until I heard them played, then they came easily. Each lesson is played at three speeds, but I've pretty much given up EVER matching the insanely fast top speed.

   First Lessons was next best. It also came with a useful CD with multiple speeds and I think I've at least got a shot at the top speed. It also includes tracks with only the backup musicians so you can jam on your own (I haven't reached that point yet). The choice of music wasn't as good - the intro claims that well-known songs are easier to learn, but I found them to be cliche and boring (Tom Dooley, Old Time Religion, Good Night Ladies). It was much more fun to learn a song I didn't know and finding myself actually playing something that sounds like bluegrass after the long struggle!

   Both books cover roughly the same techniques and both focus exclusively on Scruggs Style picking (all plucking, almost no chord strumming). It's turning into my favorite style. But my goal is to play well enough to sit in on a local bluegrass jam, so I've also started to learn other styles (e.g. frailing) that will let me strum on chords in the background to build confidence. For that I need other books, but so far I haven't found a good one.

   By all accounts, Pete Seeger's book seems to be the classic in the field. It started as a set of hand copied notes and it really is lots of fun to read. I hope that once I improve a bit more I'll be able to get more out of it. My guess is that its the book you'd want if you already had a community of pickers around to lend advice and guidance. As a teach-yourself manual though, I'm finding it tough going.
   
   How to Play Banjo is the worst of the lot. To my untrained eye it seems more like a guitar book than a bluegrass banjo book. The focus is on chords and strumming (which is good for my next step I suppose), but it's just boring. The instruction is minimal and the music uninteresting, at least to me. I tried several times to get into it but found myself quickly going back to the other manuals when I realized I was no longer looking forward to my practice times. I finally threw in the towel on this one when I used it to try to learn "frailing". I like to think I'm a smart guy, but I just didn't get it. And I don't think it was me. I'm now in the market for an alternative, but in the meantime I'll keep pickin' with the Scruggs Style.

   One last bit of advice. I highly recommend getting at least two books. I found myself much more motivated jumping back and forth between the Primer and First Lessons - when one got too hard or too boring, I'd work on the other for a few days. A great trick to keep from getting stuck. I'm in the market for some "intermediate" books next and I'll probably take the same approach.
   Happy Picking!!

2 comments about Mel Bay A Treasury of Favorite Songs for Autoharp: Guitar, Ukulele, Mandolin, Banjo, and Keyboard.

1. I received this book today. I am very disappointed in it. There is NO music, melody lines, or distinction between the chording on the various instruments listed on the cover: autoharp, guitar, ukelel, mandolin, banjo and keyboard.
   The entire book is merely song lyrics with chord symbols above the words. There is no way to know the melodies of the songs included.
   Don't waste your money on this book.



2. I bought this as a beginner book for my new autoharp, so I think it's a perfect learning tool for me at least. If more words are needed, a simple search on the internet will find them usually. The chords are pretty much universal.

No comments about Mel Bay's The Art of the Mountain Banjo.

4 comments about Clawhammer Banjo.

1. Ok, so the best way to learn banjo is by ear, but I learned alot from this book. It was the first clawhammer book I ever picked up and I had no previous banjo experience. I think that this book along with listening to alot of recordings took me along way towards learning to play. I would certainly recommend it. My only criticism is that I wish that there were more tab variations offered for more tunes, but still, it is a great collection.



2. If you are an intermediate player trying to pick up some really great (and challenging) arrangements of simple tunes then this book is for you. It has lots of great favorites like Soldier's Joy, Shady Grove, Shortnin' Bread, etc, and lots of obscure songs like Lonesome John and Old Jawbone. This new take on the classic melodies can be refreshing for the intermediate player looking for new ways to approach those melodies they've played so many times before. For a beginner, however, it can be frustrating to try to learn these common tunes from this book. There is a lot of drop thumbing involved and other little things (ie- the Galax lick) that can easily throw the beginner off from the melodies.

   This is the book I bought when I wanted to learn clawhammer banjo. I found it hard to work with from the get-go. I used it occassionally with little progress. I chugged away and learned basic melodies and rhythms from other sources. I then re-visited the book and found that it gave me many new takes on songs I'd learned elsewhere. I picked up little flares and tricks to enhance melodies from this book. I would recommend it as a supplemental resource, not a primary one for learning.

   Krassen's arrangements are based on the playing of many great old-time musicians like Kyle Creed, Wade Ward, Fred Cockerham, Glen Smith, and Frank George. These guys were all excellent banjo players and these arrangements reflect their playing. They are complex and frustrating, but once you bury yourself in them they can be wonderful and refreshing.

   This book includes a recording of a few tunes from the book, although you'll have to figure out for yourself their titles since there is no track listing. Also included is lots of good historical information on Appalachian dance music, recordings, tune histories, and banjos in general. The beginning explanation of clawhammer technique is not very good. I would recommend learning the basics from someone who plays rather than trying to pick it up from this book because it is quick and confusing.




3. ....

   Be that as it may, this is a wonderful book to develope a basic repertoire of Appalachian mountain tunes on the banjo. If you're a beginner, get this, but don't use it until you've worked from some of the simpler books such as Muller's "Frailing the 5-String Banjo."

   The clawhammer style of playing a banjo is essentially single string frailing. It's origins lie in the old fiddle tunes from the Appalachians. The primary focus of Krassen's book is the clawhammer style centered around Galax, Virginia/Mt. Airy, north Carolina/Bluefield, West Virginia.

   Once you've learned a little about the basic banjo strum and other essentials, Krassen's book is the place to go to get a feel for some basic arrangements of old-time standards. What I particularly like about Krassen's arrangements is that each tune is set out in a very simple to read tablature; each tab in turn lays out a basic bare-bones structure for each tune. These arrangements in turn are perfect for allowing the banjoist to incorporate sundry other techniques to flesh out a tune when accompanying a fiddle player.

   Krassen emphasizes two important themes regarding clawhammer banjo playing: (1) the primary rhythmic aspect of the banjo, rather than melodic and (2) the importance of using the banjo to highlight only essential notes of the melody and letting the fiddle do the talking.

   You won't find very much in terms of instruction here. That's done much better in other books. But if you've developed some competence in the basics of playing...it's a resourceful place to go next in your development.




4. I started learning clawhammer style from this book. I wouldn't say it gives you a lot of direction about beginning clawhammer but it has a good arrangement of songs. If you're just starting out in music, i would recommend ken perlman's books because they provide a little more direction. If you already have a little music background, then this book is for you.

5 comments about O Brother, Where Art Thou?: For Banjo.

1. Does this book have the tab for the instrumental version of "A Man of Constant Sorrow"?



2. True... it's only some of the songs, but it has the two main ones that I,and I'm sure, many were hoping it would. Namely, "Killing floor blues", and for the guy who asked below, the fingerstyle version of "Man of constant sorrow".
   It appears to be a little advanced for real beginners (everything is advanced for us) , but those who really want to learn these songs will have everything that they need to give it a go.



3. I notice that the guitar edition's reviews are placed under the mandolin and banjo tab editions as well, so I would just like to say that they are much like the guitar edition. All instrument formats feature exact transcriptions for the songs that feature that instrument (i.e. "man of constant sorrow" and "hard time killing floor blues" are transcribed note for note in the guitar version) often including arrangements of the melody for other songs that may not actually be heard on the soundtrack (i.e. there is no mandolin heard on "big rock candy mountain", but the mandolin book includes an arrangement that sounds nice anyway. Also, many times the mandolin or dobro parts are arranged for guitar in the guitar edition on songs like "you are my sunshine"). btw-For the reviewer who asked, yes Norman Blake's instrumental version of "man of constant sorrow" is transcribed in full in the guitar edition, but Blake plays it with a flatpick, not fingerstyle. It is very hard to tell the difference by ear, but amazon offers many bluegrass guitar instructional books that cover this method, known as "cross picking".



4. I was very happy with my purchasing experience. The item was in the condition indicated. Very good price, arrived in a timely fashion. I would definitely do business with this merchant again.



5. The book is great for having the lyrics, melody notation, and chords. However, for tablature for banjo, it rates a 'one' on SIX of the 12 songs in the book. Of the 12 songs in the book, three are in standard banjo G tuning, three in D tuning (retuning the banjo), which is do-able if you're not in a performance. But, SIX of the song tablatures are written in ridiculous tunings for a banjo that can't be accomplished easily or quickly or by using a capo. Oddly, though, THREE of these songs have guitar chords and music notation written in the key of 'C' and one in the key of 'G' which SHOULD have had the SAME key signature for the banjo tablature but were not. I don't understand what the author's reason was for doing this, but I think this book is a disservice to it's buyers. I bought the book because I wanted usable tablature for banjo...you'll get 6 USABLE songs in reasonable/common banjo tablature...the other SIX songs you'll have to retune your banjo all over the board. If that's you're thing, and you like replacing broken strings, go for it.