Banjo Music & Song Books

Learn To Play 'Irish Tenor Banjo' one of the best and simplest Irish tenor banjo tutor books ever written...by all Ireland champion Owen Hackett.

This book presents more than 70 tunes in the unique highly developed clawhammer style known as "Round Peak" -named after the Blue Ridge Mountain, North Carolina community where it originated. While not intended for the absolute beginner, this book will benefit players at various experience levels.

Exact transcriptions of 21 tunes and breaks by one of the masters of bluegrass banjo.

Traditional Appalachian banjo tunes in tablature. With tunings and all basic right and left hand techniques: drop-thumbing, the galax lick, pull-offs, slide and plucking. Includes Online-Audio.

A compilation of favorite solos on Irish, Scottish and New England fiddle tunes arranged for banjo by one of America's foremost clawhammer banjoists, Ken Perlman. Book with online audio link

The melodic style is a beautiful three finger picking style which can be traced to the early 1900's and became a fully accepted style for playing the five-string banjo in the 1960's, and is today an integral part of the three-finger style of many banjo players at all playing levels. Plus, the songs arranged in this style are easy and fun to learn. Although the melodic style may sound impossible with all of those notes coming from it, surprisingly you will find that it is not that difficult to learn and no previous musical knowledge is needed. This course covers the melodic style from the very basics of this picking style to the advanced techniques and provides many fun toplay and well-known songs arranged in the three-finger melodic style for upper level beginning players through advanced level players. Includes access to online audio.

The Banjo Playlist: Blue Book is a fantastic selection of over 30 classic songs to play and sing, specially arranger for the beginner banjo player. Contains classics from Jonny Cash, Woody Guthrie and Bill Monroe, with a handful of more recent hits from Amy McDonald, Paolo Nutini and The Proclaimers. Includes full lyrics, strumming patterns and banjo chord diagrams. Suitable for 5 string banjo.

This book and online audio set is intended to be a tune repertoire book. It includes over 100 Old-Time festival favorites.

Old Time String Band Banjo Styles introduces the traditional, rural string band Banjo styles as played in the southern mountains of the eastern United States, which were used to “second” Vocal songs and Fiddle tunes during the Golden Age of recorded String band music, from the early 1920s through to the early 1930s.

A comprehensive repertoire book of fiddle tunes adapted for banjo, in easy to read tablature, by the renowned player and teacher of the 5-String Banjo, Tony Trischka. For the early picker to the advanced player, this book and its companion online audio will enable the player to learn by example and broaden their technical range.

Fiddle tunes have been adapted for Banjo since the early 1850's. The explorations contained here include a large collection of popular American fiddle tunes and a section of Celtic tunes played in the three major Bluegrass Banjo styles. These Bluegrass, Old Time and Celtic banjo traditions will expand the players' knowledge of the instrument, and deepen their understanding of bluegrass and traditional music.

If you're new to the 5-string Banjo, you're probably eager to learn some songs. This book provides easy-to-read Banjo tab, chord symbols and lyrics for the most popular songs beginning Banjo players like to play.

Players with years of experience will also discover tunes never before arranged for Banjo. Explore clawhammer and three-finger-style Banjo in a variety of tunings and capoings with this one-of-a-kind collection of master-crafted arrangements.

70 songs with lyrics, melody lines, and chord frames for standard ukulele, baritone ukulele, guitar, mandolin, and banjo. Enjoy strumming and singing these Beatles classics with all your buddies! A great resource for beginning stringed instrument players who are ready to experience the fun of making music together! Songs include: All You Need Is Love · Back in the U.S.S.R. · Birthday · Can't Buy Me Love · Come Together · Day Tripper · Drive My Car · Eight Days a Week · Eleanor Rigby · Get Back · Good Day Sunshine · Got to Get You into My Life · A Hard Day's Night · Help! · Here Comes the Sun · Hey Jude · I Saw Her Standing There · I Want to Hold Your Hand · In My Life · Let It Be · The Long and Winding Road · Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) · Paperback Writer · Revolution · Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band · She Loves You · Ticket to Ride · Twist and Shout · Yellow Submarine · Yesterday · and more!

Sing and play the best songs from the biggest names in rock and pop with this new addition to the popular Buskers series. This comprehensive songbook contains 101 acoustic classics by artists ranging from the Beatles and Joan Baez to KT Tunstall and Jeff Buckley. All your favourite songs are arranged with lyrics, melody and chord boxes, in a ring-bound, conveniently-sized book that can be used for gigs, practice or just for fun!

25 great tunes from the English Folk Dance repertoire. All selections in clear, easy to read Tab and played note for note on the accompanying 25 track CD. Tunes include Jigs, Hornpipes, Morris, Polka and Schottische. Many of the tunes have never been arranged for the Banjo before. These arrangements make a refreshing change from the usual 'Bluegrass' material and are great to play on the old 5 string. All tunes are played in standard 'G' Tuning, in the usual Fiddle keys and without a Capo.

The latest instalment in Kate's songbook collection, this brand new book of written music (single line melodies and chord letter symbols) and lyrics containing songs from Kate’s 4 recent albums;

Make the Light,

Ghost,

Life in a Paper Boat &

Philosophers, Poets & Kings. 

_________

A total of 44 songs from Kate’s repertoire.

Strum Together songbooks feature melody, lyrics, and chord diagrams for five popular folk instruments displayed together in an easy-to-use format. With this edition, you can play 47 Dylan classics on ukulele, baritone ukulele, guitar, mandolin, and/or banjo! This is a great resource for stringed instrument players who are ready to experience the fun of making music together. Songs include: All Along the Watchtower · All I Really Want to Do · Blowin' in the Wind · Forever Young · Girl from the North Country · Gotta Serve Somebody · A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall · Highway 61 Revisited · It Ain't Me, Babe · Jokerman · Just like a Woman · Knockin' on Heaven's Door · Lay, Lady, Lay · Like a Rolling Stone · Maggie's Farm · Mr. Tambourine Man · Quinn, the Eskimo (The Mighty Quinn) · Tangled up in Blue · The Times They Are A-Changin' · and more.

Early American Banjo by Tim Twiss provides complete banjo tablature transcriptions of the instrumental solos that first appeared in standard notation in Buckley's 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 ' 1872), sometimes referred to as the 'Father of the Classical Banjo,  was one of the most prolific transcribers of early banjo music. His compositions and arrangements were performed on the minstrel stage, andhis 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 today 'all 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.

This book provides beginning banjo players with easy streamlined arrangements of 40 popular songs. Learn the basics of clawhammer style, strum and sing along, or pick the melody lines. Arrangements are a combo of tab, standard notation, chord grids and lyrics selected and prepared by renowned banjo guru, Fred Sokolow. Songs include: Ballad of Jed Clampett (Flatt & Scruggs) · Blue Moon of Kentucky (Bill Monroe) · Cold Rain and Snow (Grateful Dead)· Folsom Prison Blues (Johnny Cash) · Freight Train (Elizabeth Cotten) · Friend of the Devil (Grateful Dead) · Gentle on My Mind (Glen Campbell) · Ho Hey (The Lumineers) · I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow (Soggy Bottom Boys) · I Saw the Light (Traditional) · I Walk the Line (Johnny Cash) · Jambalaya (On the Bayou) (Hank Williams) · The Long Black Veil (Lefty Frizzell) · Mama Tried (Merle Haggard) · The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down (The Band) · Puff the Magic Dragon (Peter Paul & Mary) · (Ghost) Riders in the Sky (A Cowboy Legend) (Stan Jones) · Rocky Top (Osbourne Brothers) · Roll in My Sweet Baby's Arms (Flatt & Scruggs) · Sweet Baby James (James Taylor) · Teach Your Children (Crosby Stills Nash & Young) · This Land Is Your Land (Woody Guthrie) · Tom Dooley (Kingston Trio) · The Weight (The Band) · Where Have All the Flowers Gone? (Pete Seeger) · Will the Circle Be Unbroken (The Carter Family) · You Are My Sunshine (Traditional) · and more.

This book opens an entire new world for the clawhammer banjo player. In Mel Bay’s Pawhammer Banjo, the banjoist will discover new realms in clawhammer play with the use of a technical extension called “pawhammer” developed by Steve Kahn. With this extension in hand, a banjo player will be able to play notes on higher strings after playing the middle- or index-fingernail stroke. This removes a longtime drawback in clawhammer play and allows the playing of not only many new bluegrass and traditional tunes, but the entire field of ragtime. Through meticulous technical descriptions, photos, and arrangements of fourteen tunes from both the bluegrass/traditional and ragtime fields—with seven favorites from Scott Joplin, including “Maple Leaf Rag” and “The Entertainer,”—author Steve Kahn carefully teaches the new skills involved in “pawhammer” banjo technique.

22 favorites from the fab four arranged for 5-string Banjo in notes and tab, including: All My Loving • Can't Buy Me Love • Come Together • Day Tripper • Eleanor Rigby • Here, There and Everywhere • I Want to Hold Your Hand • Let It Be • Michelle • Paperback Writer • Penny Lane • Something • While My Guitar Gently Weeps • Yellow Submarine • Yesterday and more.

The distinctive sound of the 5-string Banjo is most usually associated with folk, country and bluegrass music...but this instrument can sound at home in lots of popular genres.

In this book you’ll find a superb collection of 20 favourite songs, all specially arranged to show off the adaptability of the Banjo.

Ho Hey and Wagon Wheel are naturals but you’ll also enjoy just how well hits by Ed Sheeran, Adele and The Who sound in 5-string Banjo arrangements.

Whatever your favourites, you’ll find plenty here to help you play, sing and extend your repertoire.

This volume of the Banjo Play-Along series features 8 traditional Country songs all expertly arranged for Banjo in TAB notation.

Complete with full lyrics and easy-to-read chord boxes, this songbook allows Banjo players to pick and sing along to 30 of Dylan's greatest hits, including All Along The Watchtower, Blowin' In The Wind, Like A Rolling Stone, The Times They Are A-Changin' and more.

The versions of the tabs presented here are neither overly simple nor particularly complex. Anyone with basic clawhammer skills should be able to play the tab as written or get close enough so they can create a satisfying version of each tune for themselves. Book with Online Audio Link.