Customer Reviews

Beginning Banjo: For 5-String Banjo

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

 

 

This DVD came as part of a beginning banjo package deal. I wasn't expecting much from it, figuring they probably included the cheapest DVD they had in stock.

It's seven months later, and I'm here on Amazon looking for the next DVD in the series because I just finished learning the final song on this wonderful disc.

I knew absolutely nothing about the banjo when I bought my kit (and this DVD). I played the guitar (badly) many years ago, but never so much as touched a 5-string. Now I'm walking around the house after work seamlessly switching between the songs I've learned on this DVD.

The pacing of the DVD just makes sense. It starts off with the basics, but instead of beating you down with drills until you're bored out of your skull, it quickly introduces you to a few simple songs, giving you a sense of real progress. Each of the songs included is a actual tune, not just some anemic practice ditty, and there's a real sense of pride when you hear your rendition starting to sound vaguely similar to what's on the video.

Note that this is an introduction to reading tab notation - this DVD doesn't focus on any music theory whatsoever, it's more or less purely a rote memorization course. There's so much muscle memory to figure out between the fretwork and the picking, though, that I think this is a good thing. I'm hopeful that the intermediate DVD will begin to introduce a bit of the fundamentals, now that I have some marginal skill at actually making the banjo produce the sounds I want it to.

(To give a sense for the amount of content here, I play for about an hour a night, and started knowing absolutely nothing; its taken me about seven months to work through this DVD to the point where I can play all of the songs competently.)

I have been playing the banjo for...hmmmm...let me see...1...2...3...4 days now, so to say that I stink at playing would be terribly unfair to myself. However, this video gives me hope that I might work my way up to stinking someday.

If you want to learn how to play, buy this video...now. This instruction is clear, concise, and, above all, full of hope.

This video gives you step by step instructions on the basics of playing bluegrass banjo. Mr. Taylor goes over learning how to reading tablature, shows you several right hand roll patterns, left hand techniques like slides, hammer-ons and pull-offs, etc.

There are several popular banjo songs like John Hardy, Cripple Creek, Old Joe Clark, etc that will be learned on from the tape. You will see and hear how each song is played in three steps: Fast, slow and thorough on each measure of the songs, then playing again, but slower.

Mr. Taylor seemed like a warm, down home person. He is easy to learn from. He is great in explaining about requirements of time, focus and patience in learning to play banjo. Moreover, he has a great smile.

This was a great learning tool. Each and every step was shown and explained. I'm no pro yet, but it has given me a great start. The only thing I didn't like about it was when he would demo a song, there were other instraments (not seen)that were louder than the banjo, so it was hard to hear what it sounded like. But all other times it was just the banjo, and it was very clear.

I received a banjo for Christmas, as well as an Earl Scruggs instructional book and CD. The Earl Scruggs book/CD was wonderful but WAY too fast for my old brain and fingers to figure out, so the banjo sat in its pretty box... until I got this DVD.

This DVD is perfect for the beginner with no prior experience on the banjo. The lessons are divided very nicely with breaks in between for practicing. The guy who teaches the lessons starts with the basics, showing you how to hold the instrument, how to wear the finger picks properly, how to pluck, strum, roll, read tablature, everything you need to know to get started. You will even be able to play some very basic songs by the end of the lessons.

Once I went through all the basics on this DVD I was able to really enjoy the Earl Scruggs book and lessons. Without this DVD my banjo would most likely still be sitting there unloved and unused. Now I practice all the time and am loving learning this great instrument

This DVD provides a very detailed set of lessons for learning bluegrass 3-finger banjo. The lessons can be played one at a time or in succession, you can pause at any time and back up through something to listen and watch again. It's an instructor who never gets tired of going over the same thing again and again. The split screen is really helpful to see what the right and left hands are doing at any time. You'll probably also want a lesson book with some other songs and chords to work on, but this is a good place to start.

I bought this for my wife and she loves it. The course is easy to understand and she is making some head way.

I previously tried to learn how to play with a combination of instructional books. I failed so miserably that the banjo sat in the closet for 5 years. After 1 week with this dvd, I'm making music and getting better every day. You will not be disappointed!

Banjo Primer

Not very good at all. I took private lessons for several months. Thank goodness as this DVD would've been totally worthless w/o that foundation. Got to be something better out there.

I ordered "Beginning Banjo" DVD, the money was deducted from my bank card but the DVD never arrived. After two written complaints, the money was eventually reinstated on my bank card.