Banjo

Featuring more than 65 classic songs, this interesting book teaches how to play the minstrel banjo like players who were part of various popular troupes in 1865. The book includes: a short history of the banjo in the US in the antebellum period, including the origins of the minstrel show; info on the construction of minstrel banjos, evolution of the lower-pitched minstrel banjo tunings, and idiomatic techniques peculiar to the minstrel banjo; chapters on each of the seven major banjo methods published through the end of the Civil War; songs from each method in banjo tablature, many available first time; info on how to arrange songs for the minstrel banjo; a reference list of contemporary gut and nylon string gauges approximating historical banjo string tensions in common usage during the antebellum period (for those Civil War re-enactors who wish to achieve that old-time minstrel banjo sound); and an extensive cross-reference list of minstrel banjo song titles found in the major antebellum banjo methods.

Renowned instructor and Grammy nominee Bob Carlin is one of the best-known banjoists performing today. This book, an update of his 1983 classic with the welcome addition of a CD, teaches readers how to play 32 best-loved pieces from his first two solo recordings: Fiddle Tunes for Clawhammer Banjo and Where Did You Get That Hat?. Includes fantastic photos from throughout Bob's career.

When you hear gospel banjo, you might think about tunes heard at every bluegrass festival, played in the Southern gospel tradition. But author Eddie Collins breaks new ground with this collection: of the 40 popular songs included, nearly 20 of them have not been previously arranged for banjo! Lyrics are below each melody note to give the player a sense of where to stress notes to bring out the melody above the fill-notes of the rolls. Each song is played on the CD!

Features 15 spiritual favorites, each arranged in two different keys for banjo, with tablature. Includes: Amazing Grace In the Sweet By and By Just a Closer Walk with Thee Old Time Religion Swing Low, Sweet Chariot Will the Circle Be Unbroken and more!

Picking up where Beginning Clawhammer Banjo leaves off, this DVD begins with a review of brush thumbing and the single-string stroke, then moves into specialized techniques such as: drop- and double-thumbing, single-string brush thumb, chords in double C tuning, and more. Tunes include: Country Waltz Green Willis Little Billie Wilson Magpie The Meeting of the Waters Old Joe Clark and more! Includes a transcription booklet. 60 min.

Ken Perlman, today's foremost player of the style, brings you this comprehensive guide to the melodic clawhammer. Over 50 tunes in clear tablature. Learn to play authentic versions of Appalachian fiddle tunes, string band tunes, New England hornpipes, Irish jigs, Scottish reels, and more. Includes arrangements by many important contemporary players, and chapters on basic and advanced techniques. Also features over 70 musical illustrations, plus historical notes, and period photos.

Here are some of the first and most popular songs ever written for banjo. Fascinating historical notes accompany this collection, describing the meaning of the songs, their place in history, the significance of the musicians who first performed them, and Foster himself, America's first professional songwriter. The complete original lyrics of each song and an extensive bibliography are included. The CD contains recordings of each arrangement performed on solo minstrel banjo.