| Formatted Contents Note: |
Introduction -- About this book -- Conventions ... used in this book -- What you're not to read -- Foolish assumptions -- How this book is organized -- Part 1: Amazing five-string banjo -- Part 2: Let's pick! The basic ingredients -- Part 3: Playing styles past, present, and future -- Part 4: Buyer's guide, care and feeding, and more -- Part 5: Part of tens -- Part 6: Appendixes -- Icons used in this book -- Where to go from here -- Part 1: Amazing Five-String Banjo -- Chapter 1: First steps: banjo basics -- Getting into banjo -- Loving that amazing sound -- Becoming a true believer -- Identifying different kinds of banjos -- Five-string banjo: the subject of the book -- Tenor and plectrum banjos: look for another book -- Knowing the parts of a banjo -- Looking at the neck -- Checking out the pot -- Picking up string vibrations -- Becoming a banjo player -- Making wise purchase choices -- Tuning and holding your banjo -- Fretting chords with the left hand -- Playing authentic right- and left-hand patterns -- Practicing some real tunes -- Making music with others in jam sessions -- Meeting other banjo lovers -- Keeping your banjo sounding great -- Chapter 2: Meet your banjo -- Talking banjo talk -- Positioning body and banjo -- Strapping on your banjo -- Sitting down to play -- Standing with your banjo -- Fretting with the left hand -- Tuning up -- G tuning: getting your strings in order -- Relative tuning: tuning the banjo to itself -- Reference tuning: getting a little outside help -- Checking out chord diagrams -- Reading a chord diagram -- Interpreting up-the-neck chord diagrams -- Fingering G, D7, and C chords -- G chord: real easy -- D7 chord: a little harder -- C chord: more challenging still -- Chapter 3: Playing by the rules: not enough theory to hurt -- Breaking down the parts of a song -- Rhythm: catching the beat -- Chord progressions: playing your first songs -- Reading tablature -- Finding notes -- Tracking down the rhythm -- Playing pinch patterns -- Being a great team player -- Lead playing: shining the spotlight on yourself -- Backup playing: allowing others to stand out -- Part 2: Let's Pick! The Basic Ingredients -- Chapter 4: Getting right with the right hand -- Clawhammer and bluegrass: down-picking and up-picking -- Clawhammer right-hand basics -- Finding a good right-hand position -- Playing your first clawhammer notes -- Using clawhammer banjo as accompaniment -- Bluegrass right-hand basics -- Choosing and fitting thumbpicks and fingerpicks -- Acquiring a good right-hand position -- Playing roll patterns -- Using bluegrass rolls as accompaniment -- Chapter 5: Sliding, hammering, and pulling: adding the left hand -- Slipping into the slide -- Getting down the slide: the basics -- Trying 3rd-string slides -- Undertaking 4th-string slides -- Focusing on 1st-string slides -- Nailing the hammer-on -- Playing open-string hammer-ons -- Giving fretted hammer-ons a chance -- Pulling off the pull-off -- Digging into open-string pull-offs -- Mastering fretted pull-offs -- Sizing up special clawhammer pull-offs -- Bending the chokes -- Playing the foggy mountain choke -- Experimenting with choke variations -- Putting your hands together -- Making sure your clawhammer right-hand is ready -- Double-checking your bluegrass right-hand skills -- Joining forces: using both hands in clawhammer banjo -- Keeping both hands busy in bluegrass banjo -- Read More |
| Summary, etc.: |
From the Publisher: A complete guide to the world ... of the five-string banjo written for both beginners and more experienced players. Packed with over 120 how-to photos and 130 musical examples. 94 track CD included-hear and play along with every exercise and song. The only book to offer instruction in clawhammer, bluegrass, melodic, single-string, minstrel and classic styles. From Earl Scruggs' driving bluegrass picking to the genre-busting jazz fusion of Bela Fleck and the multi-million selling movie soundtrack O Brother Where Are Thou?, the five-string banjo can be heard just about everywhere in American music these days. Banjo For Dummies is the most complete guide to the five-string banjo ever written. It covers everything you need to get into the banjo: including how to choose, tune and care for your instrument, developing a good playing posture, fretting your first chords and getting comfortable with the left and right hand picking patterns used for clawhammer and bluegrass playing techniques. You'll then add the left hand, spicing up your playing with slides, hammer-ons, pull-offs, and chokes for an authentic five-string banjo sound. From there, you'll move on to play 19th century minstrel style, early 20th century classic style as well as try your hand at more advanced examples of bluegrass style. An in-depth chapter on bluegrass music explores Scruggs licks and techniques as well as melodic and single-string styles, with song examples. Also included is a banjo buyer's guide, a section on music theory as applied to bluegrass and old-time music, an accessories guide (advice on cases, picks, straps, metronomes, computer aids and much more), information on how to find a good teacher, banjo camp or festival, chord charts, bios of twelve influential players, practice tips and much, much more! Banjo For Dummies is accessible and fun to read and it's easy to locate just what you're interested in playing. Included are 20 songs including several new compositions written by the author just for this book, including Reno Rag (single-string style),"Winston's Jig" (Irish three-finger), and "Everyday Breakdown" (Scruggs style). All musical examples are played slowly on the accompanying CD, many with guitar and mandolin accompaniment. Read More |
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