COMPLETE BLUEGRASS BANJO METHOD. Neil Griffin. CD TABLATURE
Product Description:
One of the very best G tuning five-string bluegrass banjo methods available! The book teaches how to pick out tunes single-string style (one note at a time), how to play chord accompaniment, and how to play solos in the full three-finger, bluegrass style. Topics include note and tab reading, chord background styles, traditional bluegrass techniques, fills and endings, use of the capo, rolls, slides, hammers, pull-offs, choking, harmonics, and up-the-neck playing. In notation and tablature. The CD includes acoustic bass, acoustic guitar, and a rhythm track as well as the 5-string banjo. All songs and most exercises are included in this teaching recording, performed at a tempo that the student should be able to maintain in short order.
Product Description:
One of the very best G-tuning five-string bluegrass banjo methods available. Contents include note reading, tablature, chord background styles, three finger picking, rolls, licks, runs, fills, and endings, use of the capo, easy solos, and advanced up-the-neck solos in three-finger style! CD is a stereo play-along recording.
Neil Griffin was born and still resides in Charlotte, North Carolina. Music has always been his prime interest, starting wtih clarinet instruction in the fifth grade and learning guitar on his own. He performed as a member of the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra at age 15 playing bass clarinet. He also began performing with area dance bands on saxophone, clarinet, and guitar.
He studied music at the Univeristy of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, playing First Chair Alto Sax as a freshman in the UNC Concert Band. Neil taught as Band Director at three county schools for several years and at the same time privately for Kidd-Frix Music Co. in their Charlotte accordion school. When the School was purchased by Music Inc. Neil went into management and retail music sales for them. At the same time, Neil played regularly with his own band for wedding receptions, office parties, etc., and gained valuable experience from playing summer theater for many well-known stars as well as being called on a regular basis to play banjo, guitar, and clarinet for traveling Broadway shows appearing in the area.
Neil was very active in the Charlotte Musicians Association and served as president for approximately 13 years as well as holding other executive offices.
Some of the first professional jobs Neil played were good old southern square dances, which at that time weren't as fancy as they are today but provided him with an appreciation for country and bluegrass music that was never forgotten. He enjoyed doin 5 radio shows and two TV shows per week at WBT and WBTV in Charlotte for over a year.
In the early 60's Neil was hired to manage Tillman Music Co. in Charlotte. There he helped in starting the Aria Pro II line of instruments. Neil and his brother Steve, who also writes for Mel Bay Publications, went into the music-school business tohether in the 70's and later expanded as a retail music store. During this period Neil met Mel Bay and began to write material for 5-string banjo which was pretty scarce at the time. He has thoroughly enjoyed writing and teaching.
Currently, Neil is a performing musician, band leader and co-owner of the Neil Griffin Studios of Music in Charlotte, North Carolina where his instructional books are field tested and proven effective with students of all ages. He has authored or co-authored several books for Mel Bay Publications on the subjects of 5-string banjo, rock guitar, and accordion.
THE AUTHOR
Neil Griffin is a performing musician and teacher with many years of experience. He is co-owner of Griffin Music Scene in Charlotte, North Carolina, where this method has been field-tested and proven with students of all ages. Neil is the author of Mel Bay Publications' Easiest Banjo Book, Anthology of 5-String Banjo Styles, The Complete Banjo Book, and several other publications from Mel Bay.
ABOUT PART ONE A WORD FROM THE AUTHOR
I have attempted to set forth a basic, "from-the-beginning" system of five-string banjo instruction in the G or bluegrass tuning for the use of both teachers and students. Through the use of this method, the student should expect to learn the following:
1. How to pick out tunes single-string style (one note at a time).
2. How to play chord accompaniment.
3. How to play solos in the full three-finger, bluegrass style that is so popular today.
All the songs and solos in Part One are written in two simple keys (Gand C). All the playing
is done in the basic position (the first few frets).
The student will learn to play rolls, slides, hammers, and pull-offs. Techniques such as choking, playing harmonics, and high solo playing up the neck are purposely omitted in Part One. These will be covered in Part Two, as I believe that a thorough knowledge and facility should be gained in the basic position before moving on.
All of the songs in the first part are written two ways - one simple version showing the single-note melody as well as the chord strums and words - one complete three-finger, bluegrass solo that matches. Ifyou have a friend who plays a few chords on the guitar, it will be fun to play the song together, swapping back and forth with one playing the melody and the other strumming the chords. Later, when you can handle full solos, the music will still work together.
Daily practice is essential in order to master the material in this method and is one thing you must discipline yourself to do. No one else can do it for you.
If you are not taking regular instruction from a banjo teacher or if there are no banjo teachers in your town and you feel you need extra help, any competent guitar teacher will understand the material in this book and willbe able to help you to understand the things that cause you trouble.
Good luck and, above all, have fun with your music!
Neil Griffin
PART TWO FOREWORD
Iwant to thank the many thousands of banjo enthusiasts who have purchased the Mel Bay books I have written. It is certainly gratifying to receive letters and phone calls from all over the world commenting on my books and requesting more advanced material for the fivestring banjo.
There is quite a bit of good music available now for the five-string banjo, but as I study all that I can obtain, my feeling remains the same as when I wrote my first book. There seems to be a lack of actual teaching material that systematically acquaints the aspiring banjo player with the techniques necessary to become an accomplished banjoist. A banjo player must utilize his or her own talents and imagination in playing exciting music. In order to achieve what your musical ear wants to hear, you must know just where to find the sounds that you are looking for on your instrument. I sincerely hope that this book will help those who use it correctly, not only just to play the songs as they are written here, but to learn your way around the banjo so well that you can extend the solos, improve upon them, and create your own versions.
Included in this part are information on chords and chord progressions, scales and keys, single-string picking, melodic or chromatic style, back-up, blues and boogie, various technical exercises, and standard tunes as well as some original material to help demonstrate their use. It is very important that you understand and can play the material in Part One of this method in order to get the most out of this volume. It would also be helpful if you would read through and play the supplementary material that I have written previously - Mel Bay's Easiest Banjo Book, Complete Banjo Book, and Anthology of 5-String Banjo Styles. Again, many thanks for your interest and support, and best wishes for many hours of 'Happy Pickin'
"MELODIC" OR "CHROMATIC" PICKING
THE NEXT FEW PAGES WILL INTRODUCE YOU TO THE "MELODIC" OR "CHROMATIC" STYLE OF BANJO PLAYING. THE MAJOR PART OF THE MATERIAL IS IN G BECAUSE YOU ARE SO FAMILIAR WITH THE KEY, BUT SEVERAL OTHER KEYS ARE SHOWN.
THIS STYLE IS SOMETIMES CALLED "FIDDLE SCALE PLAYING" BECAUSE IT IS DESIGNED TO ALLOW THE BANJO PLAYER TO PLAY RAPID RUNS AND FILL-INS AS WELL AS THE OLD-TIME FIDDLE AND MANDOLIN TUNES THAT HAVE SO MANY NOTES IN EACH MEASURE OF THE MUSIC. MOST OF THE OLD FIDDLE TUNES HAVE ABOUT EIGHT NOTES PER MEASURE AND DO NOT ADAPT WELL TO THE "SCRUGGS" STYLE.
MOST GOOD BANJO PLAYERS USE A MIXTURE OF THE TWO STYLES IN ORDER TO AVOID BEING MONOTONOUS.
IF YOU READ MUSIC AND HAVE A THOROUGH KNOWLEDGE OF THE MELODIC SCALE PATTERNS, YOU CAN READ FIDDLE AND MANDOLIN TUNES DIRECTLY FROM FIDDLE AND MANDOLIN MUSIC. THIS ABILITY ALONE WILL OPEN UP THE OPPORTUNITY TO PLAY LITERALLYTHOUSANDS OF TUNES YOU ARE NOT FAMILIAR WITH. YOU WILL NOTICE THAT IN THIS STYLE OF PLAYING THE RIGHT-HAND FINGERING REQUIRES YOU TO PICK THE SECOND STRING WITH THE MIDDLE FINGER. THIS TAKES SOME PRACTICE BUT WILL ENABLE YOU TO PLAY RUNS THAT WERE VERY DIFFICULT TO FINGER BEFORE.
BE PATIENT, AS YOU WILL PROBABLY FEEL LIKE AN AWKWARD BEGINNER FOR A WHILE. BUT DON'T GIVE UP - IT'S WORTH THE EFFORT .... MEMORIZE ONE SCALE PATTERN AT A TIME AND DON'T MOVE ON TO THE NEXT ONE UNTIL YOU CAN PLAY IT QUITE SMOOTHLY.
ADVANCED SOLO SONG SECTION
BE SURE TO READ THE NEXT FOUR PAGES ON "CHORD DIAGRAMS," "CIRCLED TAB NUMBERS," "THE CHOKE," AND "CHIMES" BEFORE YOU START PLAYING THE SOLOS. THIS INFORMATION WILL HELP YOU TO UNDERSTAND THE SOLOS MUCH BETTER.
INCLUDED IN THIS SECTION IS A WIDE VARIETY OF MATERIAL.
THERE ARE SEVERAL SONGS THAT YOU LEARNED IN PART ONE IN THE BASIC POSITION THAT ARE PRESENTED HERE IN THE HIGHER OCTAVE (UP THE NECK). THESE MAY BE CONNECTED TO THE PREVIOUS SOLOS YOU HAVE LEARNED TO EXPAND THE NUMBER OF CHORUSES YOU CAN PLAY.
MANY OF THE SONGS HAVE BOTH LOW AND HIGH VERSIONS WITH A MIXTURE OF "SCRUGGS" AND "MELODIC." THERE ARE SEVERAL ORIGINAL TUNES INCLUDED. IN SOME INSTANCES THE STYLE USES THE HOLDING OF COMPLETE CHORDS WHERE I OBVIOUSLY COULD HAVE MADE THE PlAYING MORE FLOWING AND OPEN TO SUIT MORE ADVANCED PlAYERS, BUT I DID NOT SET OUT TO WRITE JUST ANOTHER "SOLO BOOK. " IT IS MY HONEST HOPE THAT YOU WILL, THROUGH THE USE OF THIS BOOK, REALLY BEGIN TO SEE WHERE THINGS ARE COMING FROM THAT YOU DID NOT UNDERSTAND BEFORE. STUDYING THIS MATERIAL THOROUGHLY WILL ENABLE YOU TO READ AND UNDERSTAND SOLOS WRITTEN BY MUCH GREATER BANJO PLAYERS THAN MYSELF.
INDEX OF ADVANCED SOLOS II
ARKANSAS TRAVELER
BANJO BLUES
BICENTENNIAL BREAKDOWN
BILL BAILEY.
BlACK EYED SUSIE .
BLUE MOUNTAIN TRAIN
BLUEGRASS JOE
BUFFALO GALS (MELODIC STYLE)
BUFFALO GALS (3-FINGER STYLE) .
BULLY OF THE TOWN
BURY ME BENEATH THE WILLOW .
CARELESS LOVE .
CARRY ME BACK TO OLD VIRGINIA
CATFISH CREEK.
CHIME TIME
FRANKIE AND JOHNNY
GEORGIA GALLOP
GRANDFATHER'S CLOCK
HARD AND IT'S HARD
JOHN HARDY (HIGH CHORUS)
JOHN HENRY .
LONDONDERRY AIR
MAMA DON'T 'LOW
NINE POUND HAMMER
NUEGRASS
OLD TIME RELIGION (HIGH CHORUS)
PICKIN' AROUND
ST. ANNE'S REEL
SALTY DOG
STOCKADE BLUES
UNDER THE DOUBLE EAGLE
WABASH CANNONBALL
WILDWOOD FLOWER
WILL THE CIRCLE BE UNBROKEN
WRECK OF THE OLD 97
MEL BAY'S COMPLETE BLUEGRASS BANJO METHOD
Cover photo courtesy of Liberty Banjo Company, Bridgeport, Connecticut.
CD CONTENTS:
1 Introduction (:21]
2 Tuning the Banjo/page 11 (:56]
3 Notes on the D String Plus 4 Songs/page 13 (1:38)
4 More Songs With Addftional Notes/page 18 (1:48)
5 G Major Songs/page 23 [1:01]
6 Chord Background & The Bugle-Call Pinch/page 31& 32 (:34)
7 Pinch Chords With Alternating Bass Notes in 4/4 Time/page 33 (:35)
8 Pinch Chords With Alternating Bass Notes in 3/4 Time/page 34 {:27]
9 Melody and Pinch Chords Together/page 35 {:40]
10 3-Finger Picking· Forward Rolls/page 44 (:52)
11 Backward Rolls/page 45 (:50]
12 Thumb-Alternating Rolls/page 46 {1:11]
13 Combination Rolls/page 47 {l:04]
14 Rolls on the D & D7 Chords/page 48 [:34]
15 Right-Hand Patterns/page 50 {l: 18]
16 County Line/page 51 (:32]
17 Frog Pond / page 52
18 Haystack/page 53 [:25)
19 Fiesta/page 54 (:31)
20 Backing Up/page 55 (:25)
21 Moving On/page 56 {:25]
22 Big Dipper/page 57 (:25]
23 The Basic Banjo Picking Effects· The Slide/page 60 {:54}
24 Slide and Pinch/page 60 {:26]
25 Slides and Rolls/page 61 {:40]
26 Hammering, Hammer & Pinch, Hammer & Roll / page 62 {:51]
27 The Pull-Off, Pulling Off, Pull-Off & Pinch, Pull-Off & Roll/ page 63 (:56]
28 Mixed Effects/page 64 (:59]
Solo Section
29 Fills& Endings/page 65 {2:15]
30 Bile 'Dem Cabbage Down/page 70 [:28)
31 Criple Creek /page 72 (:29]
32 Old Dan Tucker /page 74 (:52]
33 I've Got Peace Like a River /page 76 [:28)
34 Old Time Religion /page 78 {:27]
35 Hand Me Down My Walking Cane /page 80 {:28}
36 Careless love /page 82 {:56]
37 When the Saints GoMarching In / page 84 {:54]
38 This Train / page 90 {:30]
39 Banks of the Ohio / page 92 {:27]
40 The Yellow Rose of Texas / page 94 {:55]
41 Pickin' on the Old Banjo / page 98 [:30)
42 Li'l Liza Jane / page 100 (:29]
43 The lonesome Road page 102 [:29)
44 Mama Don't 'low / page 104 (:27]
45 She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain / page 106
46 Worried Man Blues / page 108 (:28)
47 Red River Valley / page 110 {:28]
48 Old Joe Clark / page 112 {:52]
49 John Hardy / page 114 {:33]
50 Pickin' Trip / page 116 {:30]
51 Oh Susanna / page 118 {:29]
52 Cindy / page 122 {:33]
53 The ER-I·E Canal / page 122 [:33]
54 Ballad of Jesse James /page 124 (:52]
55 Home Sweet Home /page 128 (:55]
56 Battle Hymn of the Republic /page 132 {:58]
57 Come and Gowdh Me /page 136 (:30]
58 Part 2·She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain / page 148 {:37)
59 Little Brown Jug /page 155 {:49]
60 Bile 'Dem Cabbage Down (:58]
Advanced Solo Section
61 Blue Mountain Train /page 182 {l:06}
62 Chime Time /page 184 [1: 16]
63 Georgia Gallop /page 186 [:52]
64 Pickin' Around /page 188 [:32]
65 Wabash Cannonball /page 189 {:30]
66 Bury Me Beneath the Willow/page 190 {:56}
67 Wildwood Flower/page 192 (1:00)
68 Will the Circle Be Unbroken/page 194 (:59]
69 Arkansas Traveler/page 196 {:31]
70 Wreck of the Old 91/page 191 {:30]
71 Nine Pound Hammer/page 198 (:56]
72 CarryMe Back to Old Virginia/page 200 (:57]
73 Banjo Blues /page 202 (:56)
74 Bluegrass Joe /page 204 [:43]
75 Mama Don't 'low /page 205 [:27]
76 Stockade Blues /page 206 [:53]
77 Salty Dog /page 208 [l:23]
78 Catfish Creek/page 210 [:54]
79 Gandlather's Clock/page 212 [1:20]
80 Frankie and JohnnJohnny / Page 214 [1:05]
81 Careless love/page 215 [:31)
82 Bill Bailey/page 216 [:56]
83 Hard and It's Hard/page 218 (:31)
84 Old Time Religion/page 219 [:31]
85 Bully of the Town/page 220 [1:06]
86 Bicentennial Breakdown/page 222 [2:01]
87 John Henry/page 226 [1:11]
88 londonderry Air/page 228 [l:21]
89 Under the Double Eagle/page 230 [1:42]
90 Outro [:33]
Product Number: 93345BCD
Format: Book/CD Set
ISBN: 0786665211
UPC: 796279085458
ISBN13: 9780786665211
Series: Complete
Publisher: Publications, Inc.
Date Published: 11/4/2002
Contents:
Part One
About Part One
The Author
Left-Hand Position
Right-Hand Position and Fingering
The Picks
The Quickest Way to Learn
Music-Reading Section
The Rudiments of Music
Other Musical Signs and Terms
Tuning the Banjo
Reading Tablature
Time Values of Notes and Rests
Counting Time in Tablature
Counting Time
Playing Songs on the First, Second, and Fifth Strings
Playing a Song on the Second and Third Strings
Chord Background
The Chord Symbol
The Basic Chords
Down and Up Strumming
Pinching the Chords
Melody and Pinch Chords Together
Chromatics
Key Signatures
Counting Review
3-Finger Picking Section
Counting Bluegrass Style
The Basic Rolls
Forward Rolls
Backward Rolls
Thumb-Alternating Rolls
Combination Rolls Rolls on the D and D7 Chords
Daily Practice Patterns
Right-Hand Patterns
The Basic Banjo Picking Effects
Fills and Endings
The Capo
Solo Section
The Banjo and Its Parts
Part Two
Foreword
Chord Studies
Mixing the Major Chord Forms
The I, IV, and V Chords
The I, IV, V, I Progression
Other Movable Chord Forms
The Dominant Seventh Chord
The Diminished Seventh Chord
The Augmented Seventh Chord
Right-Hand Chord Background Patterns
Blues & Boogie Back-Up Section
Blues Rock Back-Up
5-String Boogie
Melodic Thirds and Sixths
Melodic Thirds and Sixths Mixed
Blues-Rock Chorus
"Melodic" or "Chromatic" Picking
Advanced Solo Song Section
Chord Diagrams for Solo Section
Circled Tab Numbers
The Choke
Chimes
Endings
Italiano
English
