Bluegrass Banjo [Paperback]

Pete Wernick (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Banjo | Publication Date: January 1, 1992

Thirty-five songs offering a complete exploration of bluegrass music. Including music theory, tips on performance, bluegrass ensemble playing, backup playing, and a wealth of banjo lore. For beginners and advanced players.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Music Sales America; Pap/Dsk edition (January 1, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0825601487
• ISBN-13: 978-0825601484
• Product Dimensions: 11.7 x 8.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #479,656 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great to start with., August 13, 2001

By 

canoekayak "ski bum wannabe" (NH) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bluegrass Banjo (Paperback)

Tried a few books, then started working through Wernick's. Starts simple and builds up with more complex patterns and fingerings. Though originally I tired of the same few songs being repeated using new concepts, I now appreciate it as I get better at accentuating the melody within the picking. The other books I tried progressed too slow, and the Skruggs book was a little too sink or swim for me and just didn't flow well for a beginner. After finishing up through the intermediary section of Wernick's, I'm flying through the Skruggs book. Basically, I use Wernick's for study, and Skrugg's for songs. The CD is great if your not taking lessons at the same time, since you definetly need to pay attention to the timing and sounds of your rolls, pull offs, hammer ons and slides. The songs on the CD are a little too fast for the beginner to play along with, but they give you an idea where your heading.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great Book; Useless CD, March 27, 2003

By 

surfandsand "surfandsand" (Florida USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bluegrass Banjo (Paperback)

This is a great book but you should be aware of a few issues. First of all, the CD that comes with the book was obviously an afterthought. It only has a few simple lesson excerpts on it along with a few dazzling banjo performances and is basically useless. Second, the tab is written is a non-standard format whereby the numbers are written between the lines not on the lines. This may seem to be a minor point but is quite frustrating for me. That said, the book contains some great tunes to work through. Additionally, there are some really interesting essays in the back which banjo players will find fascinating. This book has stayed in print quite a long time which is testimony to its timeless quality.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Place to Start, June 29, 2006

By 

Gary Popovich "Retired Banjo Picker" (Chesterfield, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bluegrass Banjo (Paperback)

I bought my first banjo in a music store in Northampton, MA back in 1976 (a Harmony, complete with plastic resonator!). Given the choice between a Mel Bay primer and this book, I opted for the latter and am glad I did. Pete covers the basic techniques in an easy to understand manner, and takes a very encouraging tone in the way he presents the material. No one book can cover every aspect of playing, but this one gives the aspiring player a good first look at how to play bluegrass banjo. Pay attention to what Pete says about synchopation - it's really important!

Once you get comfortable with the techniques presented in this book, I'd suggest getting the Scruggs book, a copy of "Foggy Mountain Banjo," and really have at it!