Banjo Music & Song Books
A massive collection of transcriptions representing the history of three-finger style five-string banjo playing up to the style’s culmination with Earl Scruggs coming on the scene. This is a one-of-a-kind resource containing 49 transcriptions beginning with some of the style’s earliest forms up through those that approach the fully developed Scruggs style. These solos, written in easy-to-read tablature, are also a great source of beginner to intermediate level arrangements that players will want to learn. Players will gain a deeper understanding of the structure as well as the significance of the Scruggs Style of banjo playing.
Wade Ward - Clawhammer Banjo Master is a collection of clawhammer banjo tablature as played by Wade Ward, with modern interpretations by Bob Carlin and Dan Levenson. This book is the second in a series of transcriptions of tunes from the old masters--in this case, Wade Ward--who gave definition to our style of old time clawhammer banjo playing. The repertoire, presented in tablature, is intended to be a starting point for your journey through the old time music world. As such, each piece is presented in multiple arrangements, both on the page and on the accompanying online audio. The recordings are for the most part played at a learning tempo and are close to the written notation, but not exact in all cases.
Art Rosenbaum is one of America's foremost performers and teachers of traditional five-string Banjo playing. He has a long-time interest in the myriad of old-time tunings that give breadth and richness to mountain and old-time Banjo picking, and has learned first-hand from old-timers in the South and Midwest.
Harry Reser was on of the greatest tenor banjo virtuosos of all time.
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
This rich collection of 68 jigs and reels features some of the most cherished tunes played by session players from 21st-century Ireland, Scotland, Wales and the Celtic Diaspora. Tom Hanway demonstrates contemporary "Celtic fingerstyle banjo" through modern techniques and traditional Irish and Celtic melodies using standard G tuning. Additionally, this book explains the Four Celtic Modes that are found throughout the tunes in this collection. Through these lessons, you can learn the essentials needed to play stock Irish and Celtic tunes, which can later be combined in medleys to play at sessions.
Easy Irish And Celtic Melodies and accompanying audio present Irish, Celtic and British Isles folk melodies for the 5-string banjo.
The book demonstrates contemporary Celtic fingerstyle banjo in G tuning using modern techniques. 32 airs and song melodies are presented, with chords written in standard notation and tablature.
A collection of over 225 great bluegrass, old time, country and gospel standards. Melodies are presented with standard notation and tablature along with lyrics and chords. Learn to play songs written and recorded by the giants of traditional American music: Bill Monroe, The Stanley Brothers, Flatt & Scruggs, Ralph Stanley, The Osborne Brothers, Jimmy Martin, Doc Watson and many more.
Part of a universal repertoire familiar to all traditional jazz musicians, the 35 standards in this collection are arranged for the tenor banjo but chord symbols make playing suitable for all banjo tunings as well as other chord instruments. Popular keys have been chosen, with melodies in notes and tab, plus large, easy-to-read chord diagrams, lyrics, commentary and more. Includes: Margie • Wabash Blues • Tishmingo Blues • Avalon • Back Home Again in Indiana • Shimmy Like My Sister Kate • St. Louis Blues • Jazz Me Blues • Old Green River • By and By • and more.
This volume of the Banjo Play-Along series features 8 traditional Bluegrass tunes all expertly arranged for Banjo in TAB notation.
14 Dylan classics arranged specifically for clawhammer-style 5-string Banjo, written in TAB, including: All Along the Watchtower, Blowin' in the Wind, Hurricane, It Ain't Me Babe, Knockin' on Heaven's Door, Lay Lady Lay, Like a Rolling Stone, Mr. Tambourine Man, Positively 4th Street, Shelter from the Storm, Tangled up in Blue, The Times They Are A-Changin', You Ain't Goin' Nowhere and Don't Think Twice, It's All Right.
Nailed the Scruggs stuff? Want to branch out a little? Have a go with these superb arrangments of classic tunes.
This collection contains tab for Earl's banjo breaks, intros and tags, plus complete banjo instrumental transcriptions for over 80 tunes spanning his recording career. It also includes recording references and tuning and capo infofor each piece.
Kyle Creed Clawhammer Banjo Master is a collection of clawhammer banjo tablature as played by Kyle Creed, with modern interpretations by Bob Carlin and Dan Levenson. This book is the first in a series of transcriptions of tunes from the old masters--in this case, Kyle Creed--who gave definition to our style of old time clawhammer banjo playing. The repertoire, presented in tablature, is intended to be a starting point for your journey through the old time music world. As such, each piece is presented in multiple arrangements, but on the page and on the accompanying audio CD. The recordings are for the most part played at a learning tempo and are close to the written notationbut not exact in all cases.
The banjo shares many of the same sonic qualities as a harpsichord, so although it's so closely associated with more homespun genres, the instrument actually lends itself very well to classical music! The pieces in Bach for Banjo are in tablature only with chord symbols, arranged at the beginning to intermediate level for five-string banjo players. As in classical guitar arrangements, the melody and harmony are combined. Most pieces are on facing pages with no page turns required, and beginners can pick through the selections at a slow pace. The book features just the best-known parts of 20 beloved Bach pieces: Air on the G String · Arioso · Minuet in G · Sheep May Safely Graze · Sleepers, Awake · and more.
The Banjo Play-Along Series will help you play your favorite songs quickly and easily. Just follow the banjo tab, listen to the audio to hear how the banjo should sound, and then play along using the separate backing tracks. The book includes access to audio tracks online for download or streaming featuring Playback+, a multi-functional audio player that allows you to slow down the audio without changing pitch, set loop points, change keys, and pan left or right. This volume includes: Billy in the Low Ground · Cluck Old Hen · Devil's Dream · Fisher's Hornpipe · Little Maggie · Over the Waterfall · The Red Haired Boy · Soldier's Joy.
The Banjo Play-Along Series will help you play your favorite songs quickly and easily with incredible backing tracks to help you sound like a bona fide pro! Just follow the banjo tab, listen to the demo track on the CD to hear how the banjo should sound, and then play along with the separate backing tracks. The CD is playable on any CD player and also is enhanced so Mac and PC users can adjust the recording to any tempo without changing the pitch! Each Banjo Play-Along pack features eight cream of the crop songs. This volume includes: Ain't It Enough · The Cave · Forget the Flowers · Ho Hey · Little Lion Man · Live and Die · Switzerland · Wagon Wheel.
A fun collection of 25 Disney favorites arranged for 5-string banjo, including: The Ballad of Davy Crockett · The Bare Necessities · Be Our Guest · Bella Notte (This Is the Night) · Cruella De Vil · It's a Small World · Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious · Under the Sea · You've Got a Friend in Me · Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah · and more.
O'Carolan's 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 Hanway's fourth collection demonstrating Celtic fingerstyle banjo in G tuning. It is part of a Celtic 5-string series that includes Mel Bay's Easy Irish and Celtic Tunes for 5-String Banjo: Best-Loved Jigs and Reels (2012) and Mel Bay's Easy Irish andCeltic Melodies for 5-String Banjo: Best-Loved Airs and Session Tunes (2013). Tom Hanway's pioneering work, Mel Bay's Complete Book of Irish & 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.
If you've ever felt compelled to play Flight of the Bumblebee on the 5-string banjo, this is the book for you!Challenging banjo transcriptions of classical masterpieces may seem like a humorous anachronism to some, but not for Italian master Claudio Parravicini, a conservatory graduate who, while majoring in French horn, always believed that the banjo was 'a virtuoso instrument capable of enriching any musical genre. In the author's words, 'I chose the classical pieces in this book on the basis of how they might advance right and left-hand banjo technique and even refine the player's musical sensibility ¦ Some pieces, like Flight of the Bumblebee will challenge yourability to play rapidly, while others like Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata, are much slower, but will test your musical abilities in other ways. The other pieces in the book are: Prelude No. 2 in C minor and Inventions No. 4 and No. 6 by J. S. Bach, Flight of the Bumblebee by Korsakov, Perpetual Motion and Carnival of Venice by Paganini, and Toccata for Piano or Harpsichord by Paradisi. Classical Masterpieces for Banjo is written in tablature only in standard G tuning [gDGBD] using three-finger banjo technique in the traditional, melodic and single-string style. Each selection is guaranteed to further your technique and delight your audience, or simply expand your vision of what is possible on the 5-string banjo.
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.
A Clawhammer Christmas by Dan Levenson is a collection of 30 of the most loved Christmas songs transcribed in tablature for the 5-string banjo in the clawhammer style with chords provided for accompaniment instruments. Written in his clear and traditional style, Dan has finally made these holiday favorites accessible to all clawhammer banjo players with good basic skills. All songs have been written in one of the three basic old-time banjo tunings of G, double-C or G modal. This will allow you to find the tune in a fingering you know and easily capo to your preferred singing key. Build your skills as you entertain family and friends and maybe even yourself! Ring in the holiday season with the joyful sound of the 5-string banjo played clawhammer style and have a double-thumb, drop-thumb Clawhammer Christmas!
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.
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A total of 44 songs from Kate’s repertoire.