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Start from scratch on the five-string banjo Learn how to make your right and left hands work together Explore bluegrass and old-time banjo styles Join the banjo revolution! Thanks to its prevalence in folk and bluegrass, the banjo is almost the very essence of Americana. And now a new generation of musicians from the country, pop, and jazz worlds have made the sound of the banjo new again. This book is for anyone who wants to pay their respects to tradition as well as those who want to create the next chart-topper ... or both! Packed with the essentials you need to know--from top techniques to choosing the right instrument--you'll learn, and be able to show off, just why the banjo is never out of style! Inside... Tackle the basics with chords and simple picking patterns Explore historic, traditional, and modern styles Get connected with the banjo world Go beyond the book with online lessons

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Start from scratch on the five-string banjo Learn how to make your right and left hands work together Explore bluegrass and old-time banjo styles Join the banjo revolution! Thanks to its prevalence in folk and bluegrass, the banjo is almost the very essence of Americana. And now a new generation of musicians from the country, pop, and jazz worlds have made the sound of the banjo new again. This book is for anyone who wants to pay their respects to tradition as well as those who want to create the next chart-topper ... or both! Packed with the essentials you need to know--from top techniques to choosing the right instrument--you'll learn, and be able to show off, just why the banjo is never out of style! Inside... Tackle the basics with chords and simple picking patterns Explore historic, traditional, and modern styles Get connected with the banjo world Go beyond the book with online lessons

Author Biography

Bill Evans is an internationally celebrated five-string banjo player, teacher, historian, and recording artist, who has helped thousands of banjo players globally get the most out of their instruments. He's also performed throughout the world and his CDs have topped both folk and bluegrass charts.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1 About This Book 1 Foolish Assumptions 2 Icons Used in This Book 3 Beyond the Book 3 Where to Go from Here 4 Part 1: The Amazing Five-String Banjo 5 Chapter 1: You Want to Play What?: Banjo Basics 7 Getting into Banjo 7 Loving that amazing sound 8 Becoming a true believer 8 Identifying Different Kinds of Banjos 9 Five-string banjo: The subject of this book 9 Tenor and plectrum banjos: Look for another book 10 Knowing the Parts of a Banjo 12 Looking at the neck 15 Checking out the pot 16 Picking up string vibrations 17 Becoming a Banjo Player 18 Making wise purchase choices 19 Tuning and holding your banjo 19 Fretting chords with the left hand 19 Playing authentic right- and left-hand patterns 20 Practicing some real tunes 20 Jamming in good company 20 Meeting other banjo lovers 21 Keeping your banjo sounding great 21 Chapter 2: Tuning Your Banjo 23 G Tuning: Getting Your Strings in Order 24 Relative Tuning: Tuning the Banjo to Itself 25 Reference Tuning: Getting a Little Outside Help 27 Using an electronic tuner 27 Tuning with an electronic tuner at a jam session 30 Using another instrument as a reference 30 Chapter 3: Starting to Play: Fretting and Strumming 35 Talking Banjo Talk 36 Positioning Body and Banjo 37 Strapping on your banjo 38 Sitting down to play 41 Standing with your banjo 42 Fretting with the Left Hand 44 Fingering G, D7, and C Chords 46 The G chord: Real easy 47 The D7 chord: A little harder 47 The C chord: More challenging still 47 Checking Out Chord Diagrams 48 Reading a chord diagram 48 Interpreting up-the-neck chord diagrams 50 Chord Progressions: Playing Your First Song 51 Chapter 4: Playing by the Rules: Songs and Tablature 53 Breaking Down the Parts of a Song 54 Feeling the rhythm 54 Finding the melody 59 Reading Tablature 65 Finding notes 65 Tracking down the rhythm 66 Playing Pinch Patterns 68 Being a Great Team Player 71 Lead playing: Shining the spotlight on yourself 71 Backup playing: Allowing others to stand out 72 Part 2: Let's Pick! Basic Banjo Techniques 75 Chapter 5: Getting Right with the Right Hand 77 Clawhammer and Bluegrass: Down-Picking and Up-Picking 78 Clawhammer Right-Hand Basics 79 Finding a good right-hand position 80 Playing your first clawhammer notes 81 Using clawhammer banjo as accompaniment 85 Bluegrass Right-Hand Basics 87 Choosing and fitting thumbpicks and fingerpicks 87 Acquiring a good right-hand position 92 Playing roll patterns 97 Using bluegrass rolls as accompaniment 100 Chapter 6: Sliding, Hammering, and Pulling: Adding the Left Hand 103 Slipping into the Slide 104 Getting down the slide: The basics 105 Trying 3rd-string slides 106 Undertaking 4th-string slides 106 Focusing on 1st-string slides 107 Nailing the Hammer-On 108 Playing open-string hammer-ons 108 Giving fretted hammer-ons a chance 110 Pulling Off the Pull-Off 111 Digging into open-string pull-offs 112 Mastering fretted pull-offs 112 Sizing up special clawhammer pull-offs 114 Bending the Chokes 114 Playing the Foggy Mountain choke 114 Experimenting with choke variations 116 Putting Your Hands Together 116 Making sure your clawhammer right hand is ready 117 Double-checking your bluegrass right-hand skills 118 Joining forces: Using both hands in clawhammer banjo 118 Keeping both hands busy in bluegrass banjo 123 Chapter 7: Working Up Your First Tunes: Clawhammer and Bluegrass 129 Stylin' It: Playing Real Banjo Music 130 Starting with the right hand 131 Adding the left hand 133 Tackling a Few More Tunes 136 Part 3: Playing Styles Past, Present, And Future 141 Chapter 8: Playing the Old-Time Way: Clawhammer and Traditional Styles 143 Digging Deeper into Clawhammer Banjo 144 Fretting 1st-string clawhammer pull-offs 144 Stretching out with double thumbing 145 Discovering Four Clawhammer Classics 146 Playing "Old Joe Clark" 147 Turning on to double C tuning 148 Playing "Soldier's Joy" 149 Moving into modal tuning 150 Playing "Cluck Old Hen" 151 Discovering Pete Seeger–Style Banjo 153 Syncing with the Seeger stroke 154 Playing "Swing Low" and "Little Birdie" with the Seeger stroke .155 Fingerpicking the Old-Time Way 156 Exploring Dock Boggs's style with "Pretty Polly" 156 Picking "Coal Creek March" 158 Chapter 9: Playing Three-Finger Styles: Scruggs, Melodic, and Single String 161 Playing Scruggs-Style Banjo 162 Flowing with the rolls 162 Making your music hot with some licks 165 Progressing to Scruggs-style songs 170 Making Music with Melodic Banjo 172 Discovering how to play melodic scales 172 Getting a feel for melodic banjo songs 175 Playing Single-String Banjo 179 Using the right hand 180 Taking a crack at single-string scales 182 Exercising single-string techniques in songs 186 Combining Three-Finger Techniques 190 Chapter 10: Playing Up-the-Neck Backup: Chords and Vamping 195 Playing Movable Major Chords 196 The barre shape 196 The F shape 198 The D shape 199 Moving from the F shape to the D shape 200 Playing Movable Minor Chords 200 Converting F-shape major chords 201 Converting D-shape major chords 202 Converting barre-shape major chords 203 Using Vamping in Backup Playing 205 Working out the mechanics of vamping 205 Using F and D shapes with vamping 206 Knowing When to Use Vamping 207 Chapter 11: Playing Historical Styles: African, Minstrel, and Classic Banjo 209 Exploring African-American Banjo Roots 210 Converging Cultures: The World of Minstrel Banjo 211 Uncovering the historical background 211 Getting into minstrel banjo 212 Discovering drop-C tuning 212 Mastering minstrel technique 213 Trying some minstrel tunes 214 Branching Out with Classic Banjo 215 Understanding classic banjo technique 216 Introducing yourself to the classics 216 Chapter 12: Networking into Banjo Culture 221 Taking Private Lessons 222 Overcoming lesson anxiety 222 Finding the right teacher 223 Playing Music with Others 226 Finding a good jam 226 Getting ready for a jam session 227 Joining in a jam 228 Observing good jamming etiquette 230 Attending Workshops and Camps 231 Workshops: Fine-tuning your techniques 231 Banjo, bluegrass, and old-time camps: Rubbing elbows with the pros 232 Heading to a Bluegrass Festival 235 Discovering what festivals are all about 235 Finding a festival that's right for you 237 Part 4: Buying A Banjo and Keeping It In Good Shape 239 Chapter 13: Finding Your Banjo Bliss: A Buyer's Guide 241 Establishing Your Banjo Boundaries 242 Making the Leap: Resonator or Open-Back? 243 Pumping up the volume: Resonator banjos 243 Going the old-time way: Open-back banjos 245 Finding a Great Beginner's Banjo 246 Knowing what's in the pot 246 Getting good string action 246 Finding bridge height 247 Measuring string spacing 249 Checking the tuners 249 Taking the plunge 252 Stepping Up to a Better Banjo 253 Budgeting for a quality banjo 254 Knowing a quality banjo when you see it 255 Plugging in: Electric banjos 259 Going vintage 261 Finding the Right Music Store 263 Buying from an acoustic specialty store 263 Buying online 264 Getting you started: A banjo store directory 265 Chapter 14: Getting the Right Stuff: Banjo Gear 267 Picking Up the Stuff You Really Need 267 Cases: Becoming King of the Road 268 Strings: You can't pick without 'em 273 Picks: Giving your fingers playing power 277 Straps: Take a load off! 278 Capos: Playing easily in different keys 278 The 5th-string capo and spikes: Going along for the ride 281 Electronic tuners: Getting by with a little help 283 Collecting More Cool Tools to Help Your Playing 285 Metronomes and drum machines 285 Your computer and the banjo 288 Chapter 15: Taking Care of Your Baby: String Changing and Basic Maintenance 291 Replacing Banjo Strings 292 Deciding when your strings need a changin' 292 Changing strings 1 through 4: A step-by-step guide 293 Replacing the 5th string 299 Setting the Bridge 300 Discovering harmonics 301 Using harmonics to set the bridge 301 Adjusting Head Tension 303 Relating head tension to banjo tone 303 Tightening the head 304 Keeping Your Banjo Looking Its Best 307 Knowing When to Consult a Professional 309 Part 5: The Part of Tens 311 Chapter 16: Ten Tips to Make Practicing More Fun 313 Practice Regularly 313 Set Goals 314 Warm Up 315 Use Tablature Sparingly 315 Get the Right Hand First 316 Gradually Increase Your Speed 316 Take Songs One Measure at a Time 317 Play the Right Repertoire 318 Listen Actively 318 Keep Track of Your Progress 319 Chapter 17: Ten Great Banjo Players You Need to Hear 321 Earl Scruggs (1924–2012) 321 Pete Seeger (b 1919) 322 Béla Fleck (b 1958) 322 Bill Keith (b 1939) 323 Mike Seeger (1933–2009) 323 Don Reno (1927–1984) 323 J D Crowe (b 1937) 324 Tony Trischka (b 1949) 324 Alison Brown (b 1962) 325 Jens Kruger (b 1962) 325 Part 6: Appendixes 327 Appendix A: Banjo Chords and Notes 329 Chords 329 Notes on the Banjo in G Tuning 332 Appendix B: Audio Tracks and Video Clips 335 Discovering What's on the Audio Tracks 335 Looking at What's in the Video Clips 340 Customer Care 342 Index 343

Feature

Introduction 1 Part 1: 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 2: 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 129 Part 3: Playing Styles Past, Present, and Future 141 Chapter 8: Playing the Old-Time Way: Clawhammer and Traditional Styles 143 Chapter 9: Playing Three-Finger Styles: Scruggs, Melodic, and Single String 161 Chapter 10: Playing Up-the-Neck Backup: Chords and Vamping 195 Chapter 11: Playing Historical Styles: African, Minstrel, and Classic Banjo 209 Chapter 12: Networking into Banjo Culture 221 Part 4: Buying a Banjo and Keeping It in Good Shape 239 Chapter 13: Finding Your Banjo Bliss: A Buyer's Guide 241 Chapter 14: Getting the Right Stuff: Banjo Gear 267 Chapter 15: Taking Care of Your Baby: String Changing and Basic Maintenance 291 Part 5: The Part of Tens 311 Chapter 16: Ten Tips to Make Practicing More Fun 313 Chapter 17: Ten Great Banjo Players You Need to Hear 321 Part 6: Appendixes 327 Appendix A: Banjo Chords and Notes 329 Appendix B: Audio Tracks and Video Clips 335 Index 343

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