Customer Reviews

Mel Bay's You Can Teach Yourself Banjo Book

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a book that should be in every begining bluegrass players hands. The book is easy to understand and can help you easily learn the bluegrass banjo. Janet teaches various methods you can use on the 5 string banjo, including rolls, licks, hammer ons, pull offs, slides etc, but she also starts teaching melodic and up the neck-so that when you are finished this book you should be fairly comfortable with many different styles to playing the bluegrass banjo. I found that you really have to listen to the cd over and over again to really capture the point she is teaching. You have to train your ear to listen for the melody notes (very important in bluegrass) while looking at the text and the tab. Overall a great book to get started with. I also use Wayne Erbson (?) newer book of bluegrass for the complete ignoramus (published 2004 or so and not the early one put out in the early 90's). Waynes NEW book along with Janets will have you playing right along in no time at all. If you want to get 2 books to start learning to pick bluegrass make it these 2.

I have bought many banjo methods and this one has me statisfied. Janet does a great job in building up technique for bluegrass style banjo. You might skip this book if you see it in the store, since it has a goofy cover and is part of a series, but it is really good.

A CD with the book would make it 5 star, but I would definitely not pass this up just for that reason.

This is an outstanding course for beginning players to learn the 5-string banjo. You will be playing songs right from the start, and understanding the techniques used for the 5-string. It is written in easy to follow lesson format, with each lesson building upon the previous lessons. Each lesson includes a song to demonstrate the new techniques. A CD is available which plays all of the music in the book, both slow and fast. A video is also available which puts the teacher right in the room with you.

I bought a 5-string banjo eight weeks ago. When I did I purchased a couple of tutorial books, one of which was Janet Davis' "You Can Teach Yourself Banjo".

In the very beginning I thought I might benefit more from one of the other approaches, but as the first couple of weeks passed I found that by working with the exercises in this book I was making more progress - and having more fun! - than I was with the others.

I'm now up to page 43, working on "Sunnyvale Breakdown" and having a great time. I practice an hour a day, and more on Saturday and Sunday afternoon.

I wouldn't recommend that you buy the book unless you were going to get the DVD and CD along with it. Those are absolute necessities. But with the three you are well-armed to make good progress with your banjo.

The only criticisms I would make are (first) the video quality on the DVD is only fair, probably because it was recorded off of a VHS tape that was not of the best quality. Secondly, by the time you reach page 43 (where I am) the video is at an end and you must rely entirely on the book and audio CD. That's ok, but it would have been better to remaster the video and make it cover the entire book.

Overall though, I have to give it five stars because it has been so helpful to me.

I got several banjo books but this was the one that I used most to get started. It teaches roll patterns, songs, licks...pretty much everything to play the banjo pretty well and sound like you really know what you're doing. But get another book in addition to this to teach you theory and more about chord construction and more advanced stuff so you do know what you're doing such as Mel Bays Complete Bluegrass Banjo Method. But this book is a great way to get started because with each lesson you build a new skill in addition to the one she's already taught you, and will add a new tune to your repetoire... most importantly, the songs are NOT BORING !!! No mary had a little lamb or anything. I regularly jam with people on a lot of the tunes in this book! make sure you get this book with the cd so you know how the tunes go...it will make it a LOT easier.

The book keeps it simple, and the CD lets you hear what it is supposed to sound like. Need to have both!!

I've been playing now for several years (and still learning). This book is the one that I think worked the best!! I'd recomend taking lessons from a pro for a few months (3-4). That way you will start off rite,,, not with mistakes / bad habits that you will have to teach your self to stop later!
As for this book, I think it's a good way to learn,,,, BUY IT!!

If you are interested only with picken' a few tunes this book may be what you are looking for. But, if you are interested in learning about the banjo and what makes it tick consider another title.