Banjo For Dummies

Bill Evans is an internationally celebrated five-string banjo player, teacher, historian, and recording artist, who has helped thousands of banjo players globally get the most out of their instruments. He's also performed throughout the world and his CDs have topped both folk and bluegrass charts.

Introduction 1

About This Book 1

Foolish Assumptions 2

Icons Used in This Book 3

Beyond the Book 3

Where to Go from Here 4

Part 1: The Amazing Five-String Banjo 5

Chapter 1: You Want to Play What?: Banjo Basics 7

Getting into Banjo 7

Loving that amazing sound 8

Becoming a true believer 8

Identifying Different Kinds of Banjos 9

Five-string banjo: The subject of this book 9

Tenor and plectrum banjos: Look for another book 10

Knowing the Parts of a Banjo 12

Looking at the neck 15

Checking out the pot 16

Picking up string vibrations 17

Becoming a Banjo Player 18

Making wise purchase choices 19

Tuning and holding your banjo 19

Fretting chords with the left hand 19

Playing authentic right- and left-hand patterns 20

Practicing some real tunes 20

Jamming in good company 20

Meeting other banjo lovers 21

Keeping your banjo sounding great 21

Chapter 2: Tuning Your Banjo 23

G Tuning: Getting Your Strings in Order 24

Relative Tuning: Tuning the Banjo to Itself 25

Reference Tuning: Getting a Little Outside Help 27

Using an electronic tuner 27

Tuning with an electronic tuner at a jam session 30

Using another instrument as a reference 30

Chapter 3: Starting to Play: Fretting and Strumming 35

Talking Banjo Talk 36

Positioning Body and Banjo 37

Strapping on your banjo 38

Sitting down to play 41

Standing with your banjo 42

Fretting with the Left Hand 44

Fingering G, D7, and C Chords 46

The G chord: Real easy 47

The D7 chord: A little harder 47

The C chord: More challenging still 47

Checking Out Chord Diagrams 48

Reading a chord diagram 48

Interpreting up-the-neck chord diagrams 50

Chord Progressions: Playing Your First Song 51

Chapter 4: Playing by the Rules: Songs and Tablature 53

Breaking Down the Parts of a Song 54

Feeling the rhythm 54

Finding the melody 59

Reading Tablature 65

Finding notes 65

Tracking down the rhythm 66

Playing Pinch Patterns 68

Being a Great Team Player 71

Lead playing: Shining the spotlight on yourself 71

Backup playing: Allowing others to stand out 72

Part 2: Let’s Pick! Basic Banjo Techniques 75

Chapter 5: Getting Right with the Right Hand 77

Clawhammer and Bluegrass: Down-Picking and Up-Picking 78

Clawhammer Right-Hand Basics 79

Finding a good right-hand position 80

Playing your first clawhammer notes 81

Using clawhammer banjo as accompaniment 85

Bluegrass Right-Hand Basics 87

Choosing and fitting thumbpicks and fingerpicks 87

Acquiring a good right-hand position 92

Playing roll patterns 97

Using bluegrass rolls as accompaniment 100

Chapter 6: Sliding, Hammering, and Pulling: Adding the Left Hand 103

Slipping into the Slide 104

Getting down the slide: The basics 105

Trying 3rd-string slides 106

Undertaking 4th-string slides 106

Focusing on 1st-string slides 107

Nailing the Hammer-On 108

Playing open-string hammer-ons 108

Giving fretted hammer-ons a chance 110

Pulling Off the Pull-Off 111

Digging into open-string pull-offs 112

Mastering fretted pull-offs 112

Sizing up special clawhammer pull-offs 114

Bending the Chokes 114

Playing the Foggy Mountain choke 114

Experimenting with choke variations 116

Putting Your Hands Together 116

Making sure your clawhammer right hand is ready 117

Double-checking your bluegrass right-hand skills 118

Joining forces: Using both hands in clawhammer banjo 118

Keeping both hands busy in bluegrass banjo 123

Chapter 7: Working Up Your First Tunes: Clawhammer and Bluegrass 129

Stylin’ It: Playing Real Banjo Music 130

Starting with the right hand 131

Adding the left hand 133

Tackling a Few More Tunes 136

Part 3: Playing Styles Past, Present, And Future 141

Chapter 8: Playing the Old-Time Way: Clawhammer and Traditional Styles 143

Digging Deeper into Clawhammer Banjo 144

Fretting 1st-string clawhammer pull-offs 144

Stretching out with double thumbing 145

Discovering Four Clawhammer Classics 146

Playing “Old Joe Clark” 147

Turning on to double C tuning 148

Playing “Soldier’s Joy” 149

Moving into modal tuning 150

Playing “Cluck Old Hen” 151

Discovering Pete Seeger–Style Banjo 153

Syncing with the Seeger stroke 154

Playing “Swing Low” and “Little Birdie” with the Seeger stroke .155

Fingerpicking the Old-Time Way 156

Exploring Dock Boggs’s style with “Pretty Polly” 156

Picking “Coal Creek March” 158

Chapter 9: Playing Three-Finger Styles: Scruggs, Melodic, and Single String 161

Playing Scruggs-Style Banjo 162

Flowing with the rolls 162

Making your music hot with some licks 165

Progressing to Scruggs-style songs 170

Making Music with Melodic Banjo 172

Discovering how to play melodic scales 172

Getting a feel for melodic banjo songs 175

Playing Single-String Banjo 179

Using the right hand 180

Taking a crack at single-string scales 182

Exercising single-string techniques in songs 186

Combining Three-Finger Techniques 190

Chapter 10: Playing Up-the-Neck Backup: Chords and Vamping 195

Playing Movable Major Chords 196

The barre shape 196

The F shape 198

The D shape 199

Moving from the F shape to the D shape 200

Playing Movable Minor Chords 200

Converting F-shape major chords 201

Converting D-shape major chords 202

Converting barre-shape major chords 203

Using Vamping in Backup Playing 205

Working out the mechanics of vamping 205

Using F and D shapes with vamping 206

Knowing When to Use Vamping 207

Chapter 11: Playing Historical Styles: African, Minstrel, and Classic Banjo 209

Exploring African-American Banjo Roots 210

Converging Cultures: The World of Minstrel Banjo 211

Uncovering the historical background 211

Getting into minstrel banjo 212

Discovering drop-C tuning 212

Mastering minstrel technique 213

Trying some minstrel tunes 214

Branching Out with Classic Banjo 215

Understanding classic banjo technique 216

Introducing yourself to the classics 216

Chapter 12: Networking into Banjo Culture 221

Taking Private Lessons 222

Overcoming lesson anxiety 222

Finding the right teacher 223

Playing Music with Others 226

Finding a good jam 226

Getting ready for a jam session 227

Joining in a jam 228

Observing good jamming etiquette 230

Attending Workshops and Camps 231

Workshops: Fine-tuning your techniques 231

Banjo, bluegrass, and old-time camps: Rubbing elbows with the pros 232

Heading to a Bluegrass Festival 235

Discovering what festivals are all about 235

Finding a festival that’s right for you 237

Part 4: Buying A Banjo and Keeping It In Good Shape 239

Chapter 13: Finding Your Banjo Bliss: A Buyer’s Guide 241

Establishing Your Banjo Boundaries 242

Making the Leap: Resonator or Open-Back? 243

Pumping up the volume: Resonator banjos 243

Going the old-time way: Open-back banjos 245

Finding a Great Beginner’s Banjo 246

Knowing what’s in the pot 246

Getting good string action 246

Finding bridge height 247

Measuring string spacing 249

Checking the tuners 249

Taking the plunge 252

Stepping Up to a Better Banjo 253

Budgeting for a quality banjo 254

Knowing a quality banjo when you see it 255

Plugging in: Electric banjos 259

Going vintage 261

Finding the Right Music Store 263

Buying from an acoustic specialty store 263

Buying online 264

Getting you started: A banjo store directory 265

Chapter 14: Getting the Right Stuff: Banjo Gear 267

Picking Up the Stuff You Really Need 267

Cases: Becoming King of the Road 268

Strings: You can’t pick without ’em 273

Picks: Giving your fingers playing power 277

Straps: Take a load off! 278

Capos: Playing easily in different keys 278

The 5th-string capo and spikes: Going along for the ride 281

Electronic tuners: Getting by with a little help 283

Collecting More Cool Tools to Help Your Playing 285

Metronomes and drum machines 285

Your computer and the banjo 288

Chapter 15: Taking Care of Your Baby: String Changing and Basic Maintenance 291

Replacing Banjo Strings 292

Deciding when your strings need a changin’ 292

Changing strings 1 through 4: A step-by-step guide 293

Replacing the 5th string 299

Setting the Bridge 300

Discovering harmonics 301

Using harmonics to set the bridge 301

Adjusting Head Tension 303

Relating head tension to banjo tone 303

Tightening the head 304

Keeping Your Banjo Looking Its Best 307

Knowing When to Consult a Professional 309

Part 5: The Part of Tens 311

Chapter 16: Ten Tips to Make Practicing More Fun 313

Practice Regularly 313

Set Goals 314

Warm Up 315

Use Tablature Sparingly 315

Get the Right Hand First 316

Gradually Increase Your Speed 316

Take Songs One Measure at a Time 317

Play the Right Repertoire 318

Listen Actively 318

Keep Track of Your Progress 319

Chapter 17: Ten Great Banjo Players You Need to Hear 321

Earl Scruggs (1924–2012) 321

Pete Seeger (b 1919) 322

Béla Fleck (b 1958) 322

Bill Keith (b 1939) 323

Mike Seeger (1933–2009) 323

Don Reno (1927–1984) 323

J D Crowe (b 1937) 324

Tony Trischka (b 1949) 324

Alison Brown (b 1962) 325

Jens Kruger (b 1962) 325

Part 6: Appendixes 327

Appendix A: Banjo Chords and Notes 329

Chords 329

Notes on the Banjo in G Tuning 332

Appendix B: Audio Tracks and Video Clips 335

Discovering What’s on the Audio Tracks 335

Looking at What’s in the Video Clips 340

Customer Care 342

Index 343