Customer Reviews

Learn to Play Clawhammer Banjo, Video One-The Basics [VHS]

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

 

 

This is a good learning video if you're not a complete novice. I had guitar background so Bob was easier to understand. The video does a good job of slowly going through the tunes, so there's no reason you can't learn every lick. My only criticism was the time spent on right hand technique--it seemed like Bob went over it quickly; in fact, I went elsewhere to learn the right hand, then came back to this video for everything else. Overall, a good comprehensive video; I plan on buying the second in Bob's series.

I learned to play banjo from this tape and keep going back to it, now that it is DVD. This is a good basic explanation of how to play five string banjo clawhammer style.

PLEASE LISTEN TO WHAT ONE OF THE PREVIOUS REVIEWER SAYS AND WHAT BOB SAYS ON THE TAPE/CD. He explains the bump diddy rhythm quickly clearly and with explanation in what seems to be a few minutes on the tape. HOWEVER IT TAKES A LOT OF PRACTICE TO LEARN IT, AND MORE TO LEARN IT RIGHT. I sat in front of the TV practicing for about two months for an hour or so every evening before I got it. Bob says that you playing wont sound like anything unless you get this, and boy is he right. Learn that, and then go on to everything else, don't try to step over it.

If you had a teacher besides this video, he or she would be making you practice and practice and practice every step of the way before going on to another. If you don't have a teacher, find someone who knows clawhammer to check you out every once in a while because it is easy to learn it wrong and then have to relearn everything else. if you don't have that, don't move on until you can play everything just the way Bob does. He's really chosen the real basics in regarding to picking and teaching to give you the fundamentals.

I would have like to have the drop thumb picking introduced this early because it is such a fundamental part of the style.

But this is as good as they come. I keep going back to it to referesh and strength my playing