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.20844

ISBN 9780786684236. 8.75 x 11.75 inches.

Dynamics of Banjo Sound is an adventure into the many interrelated aspects of banjo sound. Banjo owners, players and repair people can benefit from the wealth of knowledge that Tom Nechville has put into this volume. The results of Nechvilles lifetime of banjo experimentation are compiled here in a clear, straightforward way. Tom offers setup secrets and common sense answers to your banjo questions to make your banjo sound and play the way you want it to.

SKU: MB.30629

ISBN 9780786698639. 8.75 x 11.75 inches.

Designed for the left-handed banjo player, this handy book includes right-hand fingering photos, notation and diagrams for all of the basic 5-string banjo chords in G tuning (GDGBD). The sections are arranged alphabetically, grouping all chords with the same root in each section. .

SKU: MB.99246M

ISBN 9780786690510. 8.75 x 11.75 inches.

One of the worlds top players addresses nearly every aspect of the popular 5-string banjo style known as clawhammer or frailing. Chapter themes include fundamentals; advanced and experimental techniques; arranging and backup; how to play reels, hornpipes, jigs and other fiddle tunes; how to approach such genres as ragtime, bluegrass, klezmer, blues, calypso, and a wide variety of national and regional music; alternative tunings; setup and accessories; and historical background. Features 120 tunes along with numerous exercises and musical examples in crystal clear tablature. Includes access to online audio featuring all tunes illustrated by author.

SKU: MB.21639M

ISBN 9780786693832. UPC: 786693835. 8.75 x 11.75 inches.

This method is designed for learning the finger style five-string banjo in a larger musical context than previous single style based methods. The Modern 5-String Banjo Method builds the theoretical and technical foundations needed to play in many styles. Beginning with a thorough grounding in the scales and chords coupled with well thought out fingerings in the keys of C, Am, and G, the student is presented with melodies, chord melodies, the folk strum, arpeggios, and the beginnings of the bluegrass banjo style. The varied and beautiful musical studies and exercises come from many traditions and offer a logical and organic approach to learning the five-string banjo leading the student to an authentic understanding of the processes and techniques needed for creating music on the five-string banjo. The Modern 5-String Banjo Method is in tablature only. Includes access to online audio.

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.20313M

ISBN 9780786687541. 8.75 x 11.75 inches.

This book and extensive online audio recording is intended to be a tune repertoire book. It includes over 100 Old-Time festival favorites. Some are cliche, others unusual, some easy, some difficult. The book contains 2 lines of tablature (one basic and one advanced) as well as standard notation and suggested chords. The basic version should be playable by those with general clawhammer skills. The advanced version will require more time and finesse as it is more ornamental (often more than just melodic) and may include less than intuitive ways of playing some passages. Includes access to online audio.

SKU: MB.22257M

ISBN 9780786692750. 8.75 x 11.75 inches.

Many folk banjoists draw influence from greats such as Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie, The Weavers, Peter, Paul and Mary, and many others. These folk musicians traveled the country singing the folk songs that many of us now know, some of which are still played in jam sessions. First Lessons Folk Banjo is a great introduction to learning these types of folk songs on this wonderful instrument. Included are lessons on singing and playing backup with the banjo, strumming and picking exercises, and many classic folk songs. The music is written in tablature, and the book comes with accompanying audio. Includes access to online audio.

SKU: MB.20595M

ISBN 9780786691296. 8.75 x 11.75 inches.

Long-time banjo picking ace Alan Munde brings his considerable banjo arranging skills to some of the most played songs in the bluegrass tradition. In these stylistic revealing arrangements, running from straightforward roll approach to the delicately beautiful melodic fingerings, Munde lets the melody of each piece stand out to its fullest. Great Picking Tunes for Banjo includes all-time winners Red Wing, Turkey in the Straw, Arkansas Traveler, Down Yonder, and Home Sweet Home, bluegrass favorites Blackberry Blossom, Cumberland Gap, Black Mountain Rag, John Hardy, and Bury Me Beneath the Willow, fiddle favorites Whiskey Before Breakfast, Flop-Eared Mule, Boston Boy, St. Annes Reel, and 8th of January, plus a host of other jam session standards. In tablature only. Includes access to online audio.

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.20993M

ISBN 9780786694365. 8.75 x 11.75 inches.

This book is designed to aid the novice attempting to learn the 5-string banjo using 3-Finger Style, where the strings are picked by three fingers thumb, index and middle of the right hand. Upon completing this volume, you will have learned how to combine left-hand notes with right-hand patterns so as to perform bluegrass style solos and back-up. You will also have the foundation needed to explore other styles of music, such as blues and jazz. No prior knowledge of music or any musical instrument is needed to learn from this method. Enough detail is given to allow the beginner to fully grasp each concept. In addition, exercises are designed to facilitate a gradual increase in the students understanding and dexterity. When a new concept is presented for the right hand, the left hand performs previously learned tasks. Likewise, a new left-hand technique is demonstrated with familiar right-hand patterns. This instructional technique is used throughout the text. Includes access to online audio.

SKU: MB.20803M

ISBN 9780786690916. 8.75 x 11.75 inches.

The Getting Into Bluegrass Banjo book and audio by Alan Munde is the accumulation of successful teaching concepts developed in his 40 plus years as a professional bluegrass musician and teacher. Munde presents a straight-forward and well-founded course of bluegrass banjo essentials. Designed for those who have never played a stringed instrument to those taking up bluegrass banjo as a second instrument. Includes access to online audio. Getting Started - Covers the parts of the banjo, hand positions, first picking patterns, pull-offs, hammer-ons, slides, exercise songs, ending with the professional sounding Levelland Mountain Breakdown. Review of Rolls, New rolls, and combinations of Rolls, with Examples - Offers the most used rolls in bluegrass banjo playing with often-played examples of each. The player learns many of the licks used in the style with an example of how to combine them to make a solo. Roll Logic - How to place a melody into the several different roll patterns. Tools and Techniques - Helps develop left hand techniques through the use of intervals of thirds and sixths.Creating Solos to Songs - At the heart of the book is this revealing section with many examples of how to create many, many solos to the song Jesse James.Songs - Put to use all you have learned on these great standards Ground Hog, Wildwood Flower two versions ,Nine Pound Hammer, Worried Man Blues, Lost All My Money, Old Country Church, Kneel at the Cross, and Train 45.

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.