New Techniques for 5 String Banjo: Volume 1 Beginner (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780578429915)

New Techniques for 5-String Banjo Volume 1 Beginner is a comprehensive beginning banjo instruction book that covers everything from setting up the instrument to learning all the fundamentals of playing bluegrass banjo. Most importantly, it offers step-by-step exercises to emphasize the function of both the picking and fretting hands through the use of simplified tablature.

Included are topics on how to play chords, basic banjo rolls and accompaniment, commonly-used banjo "licks," hammer-ons, pull-offs and slides, the picking technique known as "rocking," and a sneak peek at how to improvise. The book approaches melodies in their most basic form and then describes how to embellish those melodies. The end result is that you'll be playing more efficiently and musically.

Exercises are featured throughout that teach and improve picking skills, including new and unique techniques to overcome a common early problem of getting the right finger to pick the right string. Other easy exercises created by the author are as enjoyable to play as actual songs!

Also included are a variety of well-known songs in several different time signatures, from straight-ahead driving banjo instrumentals to Irish jigs to waltzes. Typical trouble spots in a tune are pointed out with specific exercises to get you through those difficult sections. "The 8X Pages" teach you the value of repetitive practice and what dedicated musicians call "woodshedding." There is even a "Final Exam" to test your knowledge and skills!

A free 5 hour audio companion is available at www.jeffbelding.com, and includes all the exercises at different speeds. The audio tracks start off with a "Primer" section that is specifically prepared for those who have never played a musical instrument. It contains a tuning track and a very methodical description of how to read the tablature.

Whether you are already an instrumentalist looking into banjo as a second instrument or someone who has never played music in your life, this book is for YOU!