ISBN 9781513459493. 8.75x11.75 inches.

This book counters the claim that the Devil gets all the best tunes! Rob MacKillop has arranged these well-known carols in chord-melody style with jazz chords, folk, and classical influences, engaging countermelodies beneath the principal theme, and more. Written in standard notation and tablature, these intermediate-level arrangements are not only enjoyable to play and hear but will enhance your technique as you learn them. Rob's performance notes are full of insights, and his online audio recordings of each piece make illuminating and delightful listening. Includes access to online audio.

ISBN 9781513455723. 8.75 x 11.75 inches.

This book contains the 50 late 19th century tunes in Albert Baurs 1883 anthology, The Banjoists Budget. The collection has roots in four main sources: minstrel songs, Irish popular and folk traditions, clog dancing tunes, and Gilbert and Sullivan favorites- all expertly played by Rob MacKillop on the accompanying online audio recording. The music is clearly typeset in standard notation and tablature for the 5-string banjo in Baurs original eAEG#B tuning; observing the tablature, however, this music can be played in modern-day concert C tuning, gCGBD. While Baur provided no technique instructions, the music can be played in the old minstrel stroke technique, the modern melodic clawhammer style, or fingerstyle. By contrast, MacKillop provides ample performance notes and a few tips within the notation. These melodies constitute an authentic audio window to a past century, when the five-string banjo was a classical instrument studied and played by serious students and expert musicians who read standard notation rather than tablature. In any case, here they are in notation and modern banjo tablature, together with a delightful online recording. Includes access to online audio.

ISBN 9781619111974.

Counterpoint is a collection of banjo duets, where Miles has taken traditional melodies and created a second banjo part in counterpoint harmony. Counterpoint harmony (vs parallel harmony) has a rhythm and melody of its own, distinct from the main melody. The result is an exquisite sound that enriches these ancient melodies and breathes a revitalized life into them. When Pete Seeger heard it he said, this is one of the most beautiful recordings I have heard in all my 70 years....it's enough to make me want to learn the banjo all over again.

ISBN 9781610658720. Leads the banjo player step-by-step through working out songs for the five-string banjo from basic melodies in both Scruggs/bluegrass style and melodic/chromatic style. Each section contains exercises and examples for improvising. Furthermore, this book teaches how to arrange music based on concepts of combining rolls and licks. Janet Davis' books are praised because they teach so well! This is one of her finest. In tablature. Includes access to extended play audio and video downloads online.

ISBN 9781610657716.

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. Includes access to online audio.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 book's basic concept model is to treat the five-string banjo's 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 student's 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.

ISBN 9781610655842. Believed to be the first banjo book of its kind, consisting entirely of Renaissance music, Renaissance and Early Music for Banjo provides the banjo player with "growing material"- the opportunity to play in a number of different keys besides G major, thus expanding their horizon by using unusual chords. The player will utilize different tempos that banjoists are not usually familiar with. Provides material for "Classical Banjo" enthusiasts who want to expand their playing, it also allows the player to deal with what was perhaps the earliest type of music theory known, that of the modal scales. It will teach the student the different types of form structures, and to get away from relying on the 5th string too much. This type of music would be extremely difficult to learn by ear, and so a book of tablatures would prove to be invaluable. Every piece is presented first in a vertical chordal arrangement, which was the way it was originally intended, and then arranged in a more linear horizontal style, using perpetual motion which is much more familiar with toda's player. Thus they are great for finger limbering exercises. Every tune is provided with analytical commentaries and the book has a glossary of terms. In tablature only. Includes access to online audio.

ISBN 9781610655569. An important anthology of Irish and Celtic solos for the 5-string banjo featuring a comprehensive, scholarly treatise on the history, techniques, and etiquette of playing the banjo in the Celtic tradition. Includes segments on tuning, pick preferences, and tablature reading followed by 101 jigs, slides, polkas, slip jigs, reels, hornpipes, strathspeys, O'Carolan tunes, plus a special section of North American Celtic tunes. A generous collection of photos of Irish folk musicians, street scenes, and archaeological sites further enhances this fabulous book. All of the solos included here are written in 5-string banjo tablature only with a few tunes set in unusual banjo tunings. The appendices provide a sizable glossary and a wealth of information regarding soloists and groups playing Celtic music, Irish festivals, music publications, on-line computer resources, cultural organizations, and more. If you are serious about playing Celtic music on the 5-string banjo, or if you don't play the banjo but simply want to expand your knowledge of the Celtic music tradition-you owe yourself this book. The first-ever audio collection of Irish and Celtic music for 5-string banjo provides 68 lovely melodies and demonstrates revolutionary techniques for playing highly ornamented tunes and rolling back-up. Recorded in stereo with virtuosos Gabriel Donohue (steel- and nylon-string guitar and piano) and Robbie Walsh (bodhran- frame drum played with a stick), the five-string banjo is "out front" and plays through each melody in real-life tempo with authentic Celtic chordal and rhythmic backing. The recording features the music of all Six Celtic Nations and includes jigs, reels, hornpipes, slides, polkas, marches, country dances, larides, andros, slipjigs, strathspeys, airs and O'Carolan tunes. 35 songs in the book are not on the audio recording. Includes access to online audio.

ISBN 9781619118478.

Early American Banjo by Tim Twiss provides complete banjo tablature transcriptions of the instrumental solos that first appeared in standard notation in Buckleyas Banjo Guide of 1868. This modern tablature edition of over 100 mid-19th century jigs, waltzes, polkas, hornpipes and reels provides insight to the transition between the African down-stroke technique, which preceded claw-hammer style and the newer, more refined plucking technique. James Buckley (1803 a 1872), sometimes referred to as the aFather of the Classical Banjo,a was one of the most prolific transcribers of early banjo music. His compositions and arrangements were performed on the minstrel stage, and his scholarly discipline produced a lasting record of banjo music of his era. This repertoire collection includes easy tunes as well as more complex pieces suited for the concert stage. The player will delight in discovering how fresh and unusual some of this music sounds, even todayaall in modern banjo tab. While best experienced on a period reproduction, gut-string fretless banjo in a lower tuning, any 5-string banjo in C tuning (gCGBD) may be used to interpret this collection. Includes access to online audio.

ISBN 9781513459622. 8.75x11.75 inches.

The primal pluck of the banjo fits right into the rustic character of Early Music. By combining these elements in artful arrangements in the 3-finger style, Lluis Gomez has brought new life to these Early Music Gems. These pieces seem to have been calling out for the banjo all along. Once you hear them played on the 5-string banjo, it will be hard to imagine them being played any other way. -John Bullard Arranged in tablature only for the 5-string banjo in gDGBD tuning. Includes access to online audio of all 34 selections as performed by the author.