SKU: MB.21599M
ISBN 9780786690848. 8.75 x 11.75 inches.
OCarolans best-loved harp tunes are notated in a contemporary style that makes them accessible to all instrumentalists. This ideal collection with accompanying audio lays bare 20 classic Irish compositions for melody and backing players using standard notation and chords. For all 5-string banjo players, fretting and picking-hand fingerings are included in the transcriptions which match the play-along tracks. This is Hanways fourth collection demonstrating Celtic fingerstyle banjo in G tuning. It is part of a Celtic 5-string series that includes Mel Bays Easy Irish and Celtic Tunes for 5-String Banjo: Best-Loved Jigs and Reels 2012 and Mel Bays Easy Irish and Celtic Melodies for 5-String Banjo: Best-Loved Airs and Session Tunes 2013 . Tom Hanways pioneering work, Mel Bays Complete Book of Irish and Celtic 5-String Banjo 1998 , was acclaimed by Bluegrass Unlimited magazine 1999 as the bible for any 5-string player with an interest in this joyous music. The current collection breathes life into the Gaelic classical melodies of Ireland. Access to online audio download.
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.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: HL.400504
ISBN 9781596156371. UPC: 077712344012. 9x12 inches.
This book, filled with some of the greatest banjo classics, is designed to help musicians develop basic bluegrass techniques, based on the styles of groups such as Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys, Flatt and Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys, the Stanley Brothers and the Clinch Mountain Boys. The banjo solos, featuring such classics as The Ballad of Jed Clampett, Salty Dog Blues, and Jesse James, are written out note-for-note in easy-to-follow tablature notation in the book. You listen to the complete version with soloist, then you step in as soloist with the great Country Cooking bluegrass band, featuring fiddle, guitar, mandolin, bass and vocals! Also includes basic techniques and pointers. Performed by Peter Wernick, banjo Audio is accessed online using the unique code inside the book and can be streamed or downloaded. The audio files include PLAYBACK , a multi-functional audio player that allows you to slow down audio without changing pitch, set loop points, change keys, and pan left or right.
SKU: MB.95424M
ISBN 9780786690664. 8.75 x 11.75 inches.
Many musicians, including some that are technically quite advanced, never break away from the printed page to learn by simply listening and re-creating. The common name for this process is playing by ear. With some basic guidelines, any musician with rudimentary skills can teach himself or herself to play by ear, adding a new dimension to their playing skills. This book teaches the 5-string banjoist to listen and play solos and chord progressions by ear, providing essential ear training and techniques needed to participate in jam sessions of all types. Chapters include: Learning Chord Progressions by Ear; Faking a Solo; Playing the Melody by Ear; and Using Licks. Written in tablature only. Includes access to online audio in split-track format with the melody track on the left and the rhythm on the right.
SKU: MB.30518
ISBN 9780786696109. UPC: 786696109. 8.75 x 11.75 inches.
Youve played Over the Waterfall, marched along to Soldiers Joy and perhaps even found your fortune while trotting along on that Old Spotted Pony. Now its time to take the next step; beyond the waterfall to the land of lesser-played tunes.Inside this volume are 40 challenging, unusual, interesting and dare I say- extraordinary tunes. As it includes standard notation, clawhammer banjo tablature, suggested chords and fiddle bow markings, this book is truly suitable for anyone. A number of old-time songs also include lyrics, so you can sing these great songs in the old-time style.Most of the tunes include notes about their history and recording references are provided if you wish to hear how they were played and sung way back when. I encourage you to take the time to do that. It may jump start your stalled old-time music collection or as some folks say, start you a new one.
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.
