Banjo is an instrument that you can teach yourself to play with great success.
Yes, having a teacher is always the best way but finding banjo teachers is, as they say, as hard as finding “hen’s teeth.” (Don’t know why they say that; hens don’t have teeth…)
So, to help you get ready for those upcoming festival jam sessions, I have made a list of the instructional resources readily available on the Deering website.
BEGINNING BOOKS FOR BLUEGRASS STYLE:
- First Lessons Banjo 16.99 CD/DVD included; my personal favorite
- Absolute Beginners w/ CD 12.99; good resource
- Play the Banjo Today w/ CD $9.95; easy to follow
- Banjo for the Young Beginner w/CD $14.99 - I love books for kids because they are written with clear and easy to follow instructions.
- First Method 1 Mel Bay - a seasoned publication but still good.
- The Complete 5-string Banjo Player - $34.99 CD - this one will take you from beginner through advanced and is done by Tony Trischka.
- Deering 2-finger DVD - $8.95 - learn to strum and sing with the banjo; not really a bluegrass method; but just plain fun!
BOOKS FOR TENOR BANJO:
- First Lessons Tenor $14.95 w/CD; the “first lessons” books by Mel Bay are always excellent resources.
- Mel Bay’s Complete Tenor Banjo $16.99; beginner & beyond
- Fun with the Tenor Banjo w/ CD; 14.95; good resource
CLAWHAMMER STYLE BANJO:
- First Lessons Clawhammer by Dan Levenson; W/CD; $9.99 NEW - A newer book by Dan and easy to learn from!
- Clawhammer from Scratch by Dan Levenson; $27.99 2xCD
6-STRING BANJO:
While any guitar book can be used to play 6-string banjo, we do have a couple of resources for you to try out.
- Fun with the 6-string banjo by Steve Kaufman; a 2-CD set with PDF downloads.
- 5-string Licks for 6-string Guitar; w/Cd $19.99; good for both guitar and banjo.
CHORD CHARTS: To spruce up on all those fancy chords. These are a quick reference.
- Mel Bay Tenor Chords; book; $5.99
- Tenor Chord Chart $4.99
- 5-string Chord Chart $4.99
SONGBOOKS: For those who just want to learn some new songs.
- Parking Lot Pickers $34.99
- Disney Songbook $12.99 26 songs
- Rare Bird Alert $19.95
- The Sparrow and the Hawk by Mean Mary James; $28.95 w/CD