Evans - Bluegrass banjo for dummies

Bluegrass Banjo For Dummies

Published by: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774, www.wiley.com

Copyright 2015 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey

Media and software compilation copyright 2015 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Published simultaneously in Canada

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2014957115

ISBN 978-1-119-00430-1 (pbk); ISBN 978-1-119-00429-5 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-119-00426-4 (ebk)

You may have first heard the magnificent sound of bluegrass banjo 40 years ago in a movie or on TV. Or maybe you just heard it for the first time recently, with its fast and furious flurry of notes sending the latest acoustic rock anthem or country hit into musical overdrive. Now, you just cant get it out of your head. Nothing inspires the musical imagination like the banjo, and once youre hooked, sooner or later, you have to do something about it.

If youre ready to take it to the next step, youve come to the right place! Whether youre 8 or 80, and especially if you have no prior musical experience, Bluegrass Banjo For Dummies will help you unlock the secrets of great banjo picking in bluegrass style. Whether youre a total newbie or an experienced player looking for fresh ideas and new techniques, get ready to have more fun playing banjo than you ever thought possible. With the help of Bluegrass Banjo For Dummies, you can achieve your banjo dreams!

Bluegrass Banjo For Dummies is a step-by-step, practical guide to playing the five-string banjo in the worlds most popular and widely heard style. From the music of Earl Scruggs to Bla Fleck and Mumford & Sons, the brilliantly fast fingerpicking techniques that define bluegrass banjo are heard today not just in bluegrass, folk, and country music, but in everything from jazz and classical to jam-band alt-rock styles.

Bluegrass Banjo For Dummies can take you wherever you want to go with the five-string banjo, whether its playing old favorites on your front porch, holding your own in a bluegrass jam session, or exploring the advanced techniques used by todays professionals. Along the way, youll master a truckload of well-loved bluegrass banjo tunes and master the skills needed to sound great playing with others.

Havent got a banjo yet? No worries! Youll soon know what to look for in a quality bluegrass banjo and get the accessories you need to jumpstart your picking. From playing your first chords, to getting started with picking and fretting patterns to mastering more advanced Scruggs, melodic, and single-string techniques, its all waiting for you right here in Bluegrass Banjo For Dummies.

People absorb knowledge in different ways, and youll find a variety of resources within these pages and online to match the methods that work best for you. Be sure to check all these out as you work through this book:

• Read step-by-step instructions. If youre starting from scratch, rest assured that youll find detailed explanations for the most important things youll need to do in order to get started out right. No fingers, strings, or frets are left behind!
• Look at the photos. Finding comfortable hand positions, fretting chords, and working out melodic and single-string positions can be a challenge. Compare what youre doing with the photos to stay on the right track.
• Listen to the audio tracks. Developing and using good listening skills will considerably speed your banjo-playing progress. Head online to download files of every example presented in this book and listen to these tracks repeatedly to get the sound of each technique and tune in your head. Some examples even have guitar accompaniment and are designed for you to play along.
• Consult the banjo tablature.Tablature captures the sound of banjo music in a visual, written form, showing all the note-to-note details to help you more easily remember your fancy picking- and fretting-hand maneuvers. Banjo tablature is easy to understand, and youll get rolling much more quickly by referring to it as needed as you work out tunes and techniques.
• Watch the online videos. Be sure to spend some time with the more than 35 online videos that demonstrate many of the most important ideas and songs presented in the book. Youll find clips on everything from finding comfortable hand positions to fretting chords and mastering roll patterns, and even a guide to changing strings.

With all these different ways of exploring the world of bluegrass banjo, you just cant go wrong. Bluegrass Banjo For Dummies is going to make a banjo player out of you, guaranteed! All you have to do is get started.

Speaking of which, theres no need to read this book cover to cover. Its designed for you to use as a complete bluegrass banjo reference, providing whatever information you need at a moments notice. Check out the table of contents and feel free to jump right in with those chapters or sections that interest you most. If at any point you find that youre in over your head, all you have to do is flip back a few chapters for a review of more basic materials. The index at the back of the book is your destination for a comprehensive list of whats covered (or if you want to immediately find