1、IntroductionAre you ready to play the five-string banjo? If so, get ready for a fantasticride. So whether youre reading this book at home or standing in a book-store aisle, hold Banjo For Dummies high and proud for all to see. I guaranteethat this book is going to open the door to a life of musical
2、fulfillment withone of the worlds greatest instruments.Although the title of this book is probably enough to raise a good chucklefrom many self-proclaimed “music lovers,” let me assure you right from thestart that Banjo For Dummies isnt a collection of the worlds best banjojokes or even the worst.Yo
3、u probably have already come to the realization that no matter what youmay have seen on television or in old movies, real banjo players arentcomedic rubes or country bumpkins. Theyre folks just like you and me fromall walks of life who at some point heard the sound of a banjo and said tothemselves “
4、Thats for me!”And what a gloriously rambunctious and complex sound it is! The banjo isusually associated with bluegrass, folk, and country music, but these days,musicians play just about any kind of music on the banjo from jazz to clas-sical to rock and everything in between. You can use the banjo t
5、o accompanysongs around a campfire or to play a Bach partita; what you do with theinstrument is up to you.If youre a total beginner to the banjo, Banjo For Dummies is the best way toget started on the five-string banjo. If you already play the banjo, this bookcan broaden your knowledge, enhance your
6、 playing ability, and deepen yourlove for the worlds greatest instrument. You can begin to play the banjo atage 8 or 80, and if you dont think you have any talent for playing a musicalinstrument, then youve come to exactly the right place. The banjo is waitingto turn you into a musician.About This B
7、ookIve taught hundreds of banjo players of all ages in over 30 years of teaching,and for what its worth, I even have a masters degree in music (hows that forblowing away a few banjo player stereotypes!). In the process, Ive seen whatworks and what doesnt work, and I know the location of pretty much
8、everynasty pothole along the old banjo-pickin highway.03_127629 intro.qxp 7/5/07 11:17 PM Page 1Ive put all this experience to use in Banjo For Dummies, your complete guideto the five-string banjo. This book safely transports you from the most basicbeginners questions to performing intermediate tune
9、s played in a variety ofstyles. I even sneak in a few advanced concepts for those of you who reallywant to be challenged. You can find clear, step-by-step explanations to eachand every technique and discover shortcuts that are especially helpful to theadult student.Although Id like to think that thi
10、s book makes for a gripping and powerful lit-erary experience, dont worry about reading Banjo For Dummies cover tocover. Think of this book instead as a reference work thats designed for youto jump in and jump out at any point along the way. Take a look at the table ofcontents and start at the chapt
11、er or section that best matches your abilityand interests the most. Dont forget to check out the index at the back of thebook for an even more comprehensive listing of topics.If you skim through the more than 130 musical examples in the book, youmay notice that you cant find a speck of conventional
12、music notation any-where in Banjo For Dummies. Instead, you find banjo tablature, the universalform of written music notation for just about all styles of banjo playing.Tablature is easier to master than regular musical notation and clearly showsyou exactly what to do with both hands. When combined
13、with this booksexcellent photos and the accompanying audio CD, not discovering the rightway to play banjo is pretty darn impossible.If youre new to playing, heres how to get the most out of this book:H12012 Figure out the hand and finger positions by mimicking the photos anddiagrams. Finding a comfo
14、rtable hand position especially in the righthand is crucially important in banjo playing. You can find plenty ofpictures and detailed explanations showing you how to find the positionsthat work best for you throughout this book. Chord diagrams reinforcethe photos by showing you exactly where your fi
15、ngers need to go.H12012 Listen to the CD. Each musical example in the book is included on theCD that you find inside the back cover. I cant overemphasize howimportant listening is to becoming a good banjo player. If you have thesound of every note firmly in your head before you start to play, you ca
16、nmaster each exercise, hot lick, and song much more quickly. And on manytracks, you can play along with the guitar and mandolin accompaniment.Dont pass that gig up!H12012 Read the tablature. Also called tab, tablature is a great way to representwhat both hands do when you play a banjo tune. Tab show
17、s you whichstrings to pick with the right hand and what to fret with the left hand(more on tab, picking, and fretting in Chapters 2 and 3). I show you howto read it, how best to use it, and even when best to set it aside.2Banjo For Dummies 03_127629 intro.qxp 7/5/07 11:17 PM Page 2Conventions Used i
18、n This BookTo make key terms and ideas more consistent and easier to understand,Banjo For Dummies employs the following conventions throughout the book:H12012 When I reference a Web site that I want you to check out, it appears in avery official-looking monofont type. (Believe it or not, even banjo
19、play-ers use the Internet.)Note: When this book was printed, some Web addresses may haveneeded to break across two lines of text. If that happens, rest assuredthat the publishers havent put in any extra characters (such as hyphens)to indicate the break. Just type in exactly what you see in this book
20、, pretending that the line break doesnt exist.H12012 I italicize words I define (words you may want to pay attention to) in reg-ular text. I also use italics for emphasis here and there (as a banjo player,getting excited once in a while is just natural for me).H12012 Key words or phrases in bulleted
21、 lists and numbered steps are printedin bold, so you dont miss out on this important info.H12012 When I talk about the right-hand techniques, know that the right handis the hand that picks or strums the strings, and the left hand is thehand that presses the strings down on the neck and does some of
22、thosefancy techniques that may have attracted you to the banjo in the firstplace. However, if youre left handed and already play a banjo speciallymade for left-handed players, please read right hand to mean left hand,and vice versa.H12012 This book often uses the terms up, down, higher, and lower to
23、 refer towhere your left hand moves on the banjo neck (the skinny part with thestrings). When you move up the neck on the banjo, youre moving yourleft hand towards the body (or pot) of the instrument and playing notesthat are higher in pitch. Conversely, when you move down the neck,youre moving your
24、 left hand towards the banjo headstock, away fromthe pot, and playing notes that sound lower.H12012 I use numbers in different ways throughout the book (dont worry nomath skills required). The five banjo strings have number names (5th,4th, 3rd, 2nd, and 1st), and I also refer to left-hand fretted po
25、sitionsusing numbers (which can be from the first to the 22nd fret). Sometimes,numbers also describe the quality or sound of a chord, such as in D7.H12012 If numbers werent enough, I also use letters throughout the book toinstruct you in finger placements. You encounter letters standing for theright
26、-hand finger that picks a string (T = thumb, I = index, and M = middle)and also for the left-hand finger that pushes a particular string againstthe fingerboard (I = index, M = middle, R = ring, and P = pinky).3Introduction03_127629 intro.qxp 7/5/07 11:17 PM Page 3H12012 As in all For Dummies books,
27、figures are numbered sequentially withineach chapter. I number the tablature examples, or tab, separately. Manytab examples are on the accompanying CD, and the track number is pro-vided in the tabs caption.What Youre Not to ReadIf youre looking just for the need-to-know information and want to skip
28、a fewparts that arent essential to knowing how to play or maintain the banjo, youcan breeze right on by sidebars (the gray shaded boxes) and paragraphstagged by the Technical Stuff icon. However, if you like knowing some banjotrivia or want some nonessential tips and tools, by golly, read it all!Foo
29、lish AssumptionsIm betting that because youve picked up this book youre interested in play-ing the banjo, but I dont want to assume too much more as I begin this banjoadventure with you. You may or may not own a banjo or have any prior expe-rience on the banjo or any other kind of instrument, and I
30、dont assume youcome to this book knowing anything about music. I also dont assume youreinterested in one particular style or way of playing the banjo over another(which is why I include more than one).However, I do assume that youre going to be playing a five-string banjoinstead of a tenor or plectr
31、um banjo, which are actually different kinds ofinstruments (see Chapter 1). I also assume that you want to get startedquickly and not waste time with unnecessary and overly technical information.If Ive described you in one way or another, youve come to the right place.How This Book Is OrganizedBanjo
32、 For Dummies is organized so that you can get the information you wantquickly without spending a lot of time digging for it. The chapters are groupedinto the following seven parts that focus on different aspects of the banjo.4Banjo For Dummies 03_127629 intro.qxp 7/5/07 11:17 PM Page 4Part I: The Am
33、azing Five-String BanjoThis part includes information that every beginner needs to know to getstarted playing the banjo, including the different kinds of five-string banjosand the various parts of the instrument. You also discover the correct bodyposture, how to tune the instrument to itself and to
34、an electronic tuner, andhow to fret your first chords. I also cover some of the basic elements ofmusic, such as rhythm, meter, chord progressions, and banjo tablature.Part II: Lets Pick! The Basic IngredientsOne of the things that makes Banjo For Dummies unique is that it covers bothclawhammer and b
35、luegrass styles in Part II. Although these techniques arethe two most popular ways of playing banjo today, most other banjo booksfocus on either one way of playing or the other. Thats not good enough! I coverboth approaches within these pages.I help you find a comfortable right-hand position and pre
36、sent the basic pick-ing patterns used in bluegrass and clawhammer banjo playing. You alsofigure out in this part how to select fingerpicks and shape them to fit yourright hand for bluegrass playing. You can then make your playing sound moreauthentic by incorporating left-hand slides, hammer-ons, pul
37、l-offs, andchokes, and even discover how to find a melody on the banjo and play it byusing either clawhammer or bluegrass techniques. This part closes withbeginners bluegrass and clawhammer versions of four popular banjo tunes.Part III: Playing Styles Past, Present, and FutureYou move beyond beginne
38、rs material in this part and experience the histori-cal roots of the banjo as well as explore the most recent stylistic and techni-cal innovations. I take you back to the late-19th and early-20th centuries asyou play two minstrel-style tunes and two classic-era pieces. You also get amore in-depth lo
39、ok at bluegrass style, exploring Scruggs, melodic, and single-string techniques and licks. And you can find a handful of great tunes scatteredthroughout this part, just ready for the playing.5Introduction03_127629 intro.qxp 7/5/07 11:17 PM Page 5Part IV: Buyers Guide, Care and Feeding, and MoreDont
40、have a banjo? Not sure how to keep your banjo in tip-top shape? Noworries. I include a complete (and completely honest) buyers guide andmaintenance advice in this part. The buyers guide can help you spend yourmoney wisely on anything from a beginners instrument to a professional-modelbanjo. I also c
41、over those accessories you really need as well as those extrasthat are just fun to have around the house. I take time to focus on banjo main-tenance and string changing as well, so you can unearth the secrets of whatyou can do to keep your banjo sounding and looking great. Finally, I help youfind a
42、good teacher, survive your first jam session, and expand your musicalhorizons through workshops, camps, and music festivals.Part V: The Part of TensThe Part of Tens is a For Dummies trademark section and you dont wantto miss out by not reading this part. In it, I present ten suggestions to makeyour
43、practice time more fun and productive. I also include a select list of tenimportant banjo players who are well worth the listen.Part VI: AppendixesYou can never grow tiresome when it comes to information on the banjo(at least I think so), which is why Ive included some supplementary info inappendix
44、form. In this part, you can find a handy chord digest. I also includesome instructions about the CD that accompanies this book to ensure thatyoure getting the full multimedia experience.Icons Used in This BookIn the margins of this book, you can often find the following friendly icons tohelp you rec
45、ognize different types of information Ive included:This icon highlights the really good information worthy of your full attention.If you want to store away anything you read from this book, heres where youdo it.6Banjo For Dummies 03_127629 intro.qxp 7/5/07 11:17 PM Page 6Expert advice and time-savin
46、g strategies that can make you a happier banjoplayer are the mission of the Tip icon.You can consider information attached with this icon to be fun but not essen-tial to playing the banjo. You can skip over it without causing harm to anyliving thing (whew!).Exercise caution with text marked by this
47、icon in order to protect yourself,your banjo, or your musical reputation!Text next to this icon offers explanations on how to better utilize the exam-ples on the CD as well as how to find the CD tracks for songs in each chapter.Where to Go from HereYoure probably a banjo player on a mission, so you
48、want to know where,when, and how you can get started. You can always read this book straightthrough, but the beauty of any For Dummies book is that you can direct yourown course and dip into chapters as you need them.As you create your own roadmap, I can offer you a few suggestions to pointyou in th
49、e right direction:H12012 If you need to purchase a banjo or youre interested in an upgrade, headto the buyers guide at Chapter 9 first.H12012 If youre a beginner and want to start playing right away, proceed toChapters 2 and 3, where you get your banjo in tune and play yourfirst chords.H12012 If youre ready to start work on authentic banjo styles, roll up yoursleeves and work through Chapters 4, 5, and 6.H12012 More experienced players can check out the historical styles covered inChapter 7 and the modern techni
