Synopses & Reviews
- Get started with chords and basic picking patterns
- Explore bluegrass and clawhammer banjo styles
- Have fun playing with others in jam sessions
- Find a great banjo and get the accessories you need
Your hands-on guide to playing the five-string banjo
From the concert arena to a backyard jam session, the five-string banjo is heard everywhere these days. Whether you’re a brand new picker or an experienced player looking for new ideas and styles, Banjo For Dummies is your road map to the most popular banjo styles played today. From the very basics to the most advanced playing techniques, you’ll find everything you need right here, with audio tracks and video clips available online to help you every step of the way.
- Take your first banjo steps — choose a banjo that’s right for you, get in tune, and get comfortable with good playing techniques right from the start
- Get your strings in order — practice fretting chords, read tablature, and use basic picking patterns to play your first songs
- Dig deeper — play clawhammer and bluegrass song favorites using advanced right- and left-hand techniques, and get acquainted with both minstrel and classic banjo styles
- Network into banjo culture — unlock the secrets of playing with other musicians, find a great teacher, and get the lowdown on attending camps and festivals
- Gear up — from cases and strings to capos, tuners, and metronomes, discover how to use the accessories that can make you a better banjo player
Open the book and find:
- A complete banjo buyer’s guide
- Advice for tuning your banjo
- Basic music theory and how to read banjo tablature
- Essentials of clawhammer, bluegrass, and historical styles
- How to enhance your playing with advanced techniques
- Bluegrass picking techniques
- How to change strings and choose accessories
- More than 150 audio and video examples
Synopsis
Banjo For Dummies first published in 2007, and this new edition provides the opportunity to present readers with fresh and updated practice lessons, teaching techniques and examples, and ensure that this title maintains its success as the leading print resource for learning to play the banjo. Packed with musical examples, charts, and photos, this updated step-by-step guide will feature the latest tips and techniques for playing tunes on the banjo: how to select the right instrument and accessories: how to develop correct hand position and posture; and how to tune, care for, and make simple repairs to the instrument.
The updated multimedia component for the 2nd Edition will be hosted at Dummies.com and will feature companion audio tracks and complementary video lessons that will help readers master the concepts and techniques covered in the book. These components will also be used in the creation of enhanced e-books and a mobile app. The video content connected to the book will be designed to stand its own as free content that upsells to the book, attracting potential new book buyers from the web and creating a base from which we can point readers to additional online pay content such as a full video learning course.
Synopsis
Play your way to banjo-playing expertiseTraditionally associated with country, folk, and bluegrass music, the banjo is accessible to anyone with the patience and willpower to learn it. This second edition of Banjo For Dummies does the rest of the work for you with updated practice lessons, teaching techniques, and step-by-step examples. With this guide, you will learn tips and techniques for selecting the right instruments and accessories, how to develop correct hand position and posture, and how to tune, care for, and make simple repairs to the instrument. An updated multimedia component features companion audio tracks and complementary video lessons that cement the concepts readers gain during their reading.
- Written by Bill Evans, an accomplished five-string banjo player, teacher, writer, and historian
- Includes access to "how-to" videos on Dummies.com
- Ideal for anyone who wants to learn to play this classic instrument
For musicians hoping to lend their art an edge or interested learners looking to pick up a unique skill, Banjo For Dummies is a must-have, straightforward guide to success.
About the Author
Bill Evans is an internationally celebrated five-string banjo player, teacher, historian, and recording artist, who has helped thousands of banjo players from all over the world in a professional career that spans over 35 years. He has produced numerous instructional DVDs and hosted hundreds of instructional workshops. Bill has performed on stages throughout North America, Europe, and Japan, and his CDs have topped both folk and bluegrass charts.
Table of Contents
Introduction 1Part I: The Amazing Five-String Banjo 5
Chapter 1: You Want to Play What?: Banjo Basics 7
Chapter 2: Tuning Your Banjo 23
Chapter 3: Starting to Play: Fretting and Strumming 35
Chapter 4: Playing by the Rules: Songs and Tablature 53
Part II: Let’s Pick! Basic Banjo Techniques 75
Chapter 5: Getting Right with the Right Hand 77
Chapter 6: Sliding, Hammering, and Pulling: Adding the Left Hand 103
Chapter 7: Working Up Your First Tunes: Clawhammer and Bluegrass 131
Part III: Playing Styles Past, Present, and Future 143
Chapter 8: Playing the Old-T ime Way: Clawhammer and Traditional Styles 145
Chapter 9: Playing Three-Finger Styles: Scruggs, Melodic, and Single String 163
Chapter 10: Playing Up-the-Neck Backup: Chords and Vamping 197
Chapter 11: Playing Historical Styles: African, Minstrel, and Classic Banjo 211
Chapter 12: Net working into Banjo Culture 223
Part IV: Buying a Banjo and Keeping It in Good Shape 241
Chapter 13: Finding Your Banjo Bliss: A Buyer’s Guide 243
Chapter 14: Getting the Right Stuff: Banjo Gear 269
Chapter 15: Taking Care of Your Baby: String Changing and Basic Maintenance 291
Part V: The Part of Tens 311
Chapter 16: Ten T ips to Make Practicing More Fun 313
Chapter 17: Ten Great Banjo Players You Need to Hear 321
Part VI: Appendixes 327
Appendix A: Banjo Chords and Notes 329
Appendix B: Audio Tracks and Video Clips 335
Index 343