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If you're new to the 5-string banjo,
this is the place to start...
Consisting of a 66-page book and five CDs of demonstrations
and expanded narrations of all material in the book, Beginners' Bluegrass Banjo is a complete course
that takes you from the absolute beginning to intermediate level through all of the important exercises,
roll patterns, chords, ornamentation (slides, hammer ons, and pull offs), characteristic licks and phrases,
that every banjo player needs to know to play Bluegrass, and puts them to work in songs that are staples at
Bluegrass jam sessions everywhere.
About the Recordings...
All of the many exercises, patterns, phrases,
and songs in the Beginners' Bluegrass Banjo book are explained and demonstrated at slow and faster tempos
on the first three CDs of the course. Although it's possible to learn from the book without the
CDs, the recorded portion of the course is a considerable asset to the beginning player because the recordings
allow you to hear the songs before you begin learning them, and help you determine correct timing.
The Fourth CD...
Once you've learned a song from the book, take it for a test drive with this recording
and check your timing in anticipation of playing the song with other musicians.
Consisting of "play-along" accompaniment for all songs in the book, each song begins with a short
demonstration of banjo entry, which is then followed by rhythm guitar and bass accompaniment.
All of the accompaniments are played a minimum of three times through the length of the songs
at a tempo a little slower than normal.
The Fifth CD...
This CD is also for playing along. It consists of 47 MIDI files in TablEdit format; one for every
pattern, exercise, example, and song in the course. The nature of the CD is interactive because you can hear
the tracks played back just by pressing the space bar on your keyboard, plus adjust (slow down or speed up) any of the tracks
to any tempo you wish, and hear guitar and bass accompaniment throughout - even on the patterns and exercises.
Another feature of the fifth CD is that you may hear all of the tracks, or just portions of them, repeated over
and over in a loop. This feature is an important learning tool because it enables you to play along with either the
banjo tracks, or by turning off the banjo tracks, just with the guitar and bass tracks - again, at any tempo you
wish.
Yet another feature is the ability to print all of the parts. Although you may not wish to print the banjo parts
(you'll already have those in the book), if you play or plan to play with other musicians, you may print out the
guitar and bass parts for them.
To avail yourself of all the fifth CD of the course has to offer, it is first necessary to download a FREE tab viewer,
which is available from TablEdit's web site. The program runs on any Windows (Windows 95, 98 and beyond) or Mac
operating system. Here’s the info for downloading the viewer:
Download FREE TablEdit viewer (called “TEFview”) at www.tabledit.com. On TablEdit’s home page,
click on the TEFview box in upper right corner (the word “FREE” will be blinking). Note: there are two
boxes; the upper box is for downloading a demo, and the lower box is for downloading the free viewer. Be sure to
click on only the lower box.
. Beginners' Bluegrass Banjo Course Contents...
In addition to these sections:
Banjos & Accessories
Caring for your Banjo
Tuning your Banjo
Key-Chord-Note Relationship
Non-Movable
Chord Formations
Movable Chord Formation
Circle of Fifths
Time Signatures
Note Values & Banjo Note
Equivalents
Right-Hand Posture & Finger Assignments
How to Read Tablature
Determining Note Values in
Tablature
Scruggs style Roll Patterns for Backup and Lead
Slides, Hammer Ons, Pull Offs
Tag Licks
Interchangeable
Measures
Melodic Style
Beginners' Bluegrass Banjo includes
these Bluegrass and Folk songs...
Down the Road
Handsome Molly
Old Time Religion
You Are My Sunshine
I Am a Pilgrim
She'll Be Comin' 'Round the Mountain
Jesse James
All the Good Times Are Past and Gone
Wabash Cannonball
Sitting On Top of the World
Columbus Stockade Blues
Knoxville Girl
Cripple Creek
Sally Ann
Wildwood Flower
John Henry
John Hardy
Bully of the Town
Dill Pickle Rag
Here are a few music magazine reviews about the course...
Frets Magazine:
Beginners' Bluegrass Banjo, by Harold Streeter, is a homespun method book that offers the beginning 5-string banjo player the basic fundamentals of Scruggs style playing. A brief introduction capsulizes the history of the banjo; other sections include information on banjos and accessories; tips on banjo care; key, chord and note relationships; non-movable and movable chord formations; the Circle of Fifths; time signatures; note values and banjo note equivalents; and many more topics. The songs are presented in two sections. The first section includes simple straight-forward arrangements while the second section includes more challenging arrangements...should take the novice picker a long way down the road to proficiency...
Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine:
Streeter's Beginners' Bluegrass Banjo book
may be just the right shot in the arm for those who have failed to make much progress with other banjo instruction books.
A book with clear tabs such as this can certainly get you and your banjo headed in the right direction!...
Banjo Newsletter
Magazine
Streeter has brought out a book for the beginner. It's called "Beginners' Bluegrass
Banjo" and it is welcome news because he has much to offer. This total package from Harold Streeter should prove to be very
beneficial...
How to receive Beginners' Bluegrass Banjo...
To receive the Beginners' Bluegrass Banjo Course, which consists of a
66-page book (spiral bound to stay open on your music stand, with no page turning in the middle of songs),
plus five CDs (total of 4 hours of demonstration and narration), just request
ORDER NUMBER BC7112
and send a check or money order for...
$59.95
(U.S. funds only)
PLUS SHIPPING AND HANDLING...
$7.00 U.S.A. -
$8.00 Canada - $20.00 European Countries - $25.00 - Australia & Japan
to:
LeWalt Publishing, 4930 E Horsehaven Ave, Post Falls, Idaho 83854 U.S.A.
and we'll send your course to you within 5 days of receipt of your check.
NEW!
Here's a less expensive alternative to purchasing the Beginners' Bluegrass 5-String Banjo
book and four CDs...
Purchase the same book and ONE CD (one hour and 20 minutes) for just
$24.95
(U.S. funds only)
ORDER NUMBER: BBB7117
PLUS SHIPPING AND HANDLING...
$5.00 U.S.A. - $6.00 Canada - $14.00 European Countries
$18.00 - Australia & Japan
(Note: While the hour-20 minute CD contains all of the patterns,
exercises and songs from the book, it does not contain all of the narrations and explanations, or the two "
Play-Along" CDs included in the
expanded 5-CD set.) |
To make ordering Beginners' Bluegrass Banjo a little easier...
Just click on the ready-for-printing order
form at the bottom of the "How to Order" page,
write in order number BC7112 (FULL COURSE),
or BBB7117 (BOOK & SINGLE CD)
.
For banjo players with 6 months or more playing experience...
If you've been playing for 6 months, please take a moment to
read about our Banjo II course (it's called "Banjo II" because it's the second phase of banjo instruction after this one).
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