Mel Bay Tenor Banjo Cords [Paperback]

Mel Bay (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1971

This picture/diagram chord book shows all of the basic chords for four-string or tenor banjo. For all of the major, minor, seventh, diminished, augmented, and ninth chords there is a photo of the fingering on the banjo fretboard and a diagram. Major seventh, minor seventh, sixth, minor sixth, seventh augmented fifth, and seventh diminished fifth chords are shown in diagram form only. The introduction discusses how to hold the banjo, tuning (low to high C- G-D-A), and more. Also suitable for mandola.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Mel Bay was born on February 25, 1913 in the little Ozark Mountain town of Bunker, Missouri. He bought a Sears Roebuck guitar at the age of 13 and several months later played his first "gig." (He recalled playing until his fingers were raw!) Mel took up the tenor banjo shortly thereafter and continued to play both instruments. During his teenage years Mel played with a wild assortement of bands and characters in rural Missouri. Perhaps no "gig" was as strange as the job he landed with, in Mel's words, "a snake oil salesman." This flamboyant peddler would pull his ostentatious Pierce Arrow automobile, complete with steer horns mounted on the grill, into the center of a small, rural town. Mel would sit on the car and play up a storm on the tenor banjo. After a crowd gathered, the peddler took over and began extolling the merits of his "wonder elixer." In 1933 Mel Bay moved to St. Louis and began his professional career. He played with numerous local and traveling bands. In addition, he landed staff guitar jobs on several radio stations. Mel fronted his own trio (piano, bass, guitar) and played steadily for 25 years! He was equally adept on most fretted instruments and played mandolin, uke, Hawaiian guitar, tenor and plectrum banjo professionally. While Mel was actively pursuing his playing career, he continued to teach as many as 100 students a week. He decided to begin writing instructional materials due to the difficulty encountered by guitarists at playing good sounding chord forms in rhythm sections and due to the poor note reading ability prevalent among guitarists. After the war Mel was asked to write instructional materials on guitar for GI's wanting to learn music under the GI Bill. In 1947 Mel formed his own publishing company and wrote his landmark initial book titled The Orchestral Chord System for Guitar. (This book is still in print under the title Rhythm Guitar Chord System and continues to be one the finest rhythm guitar chord texts available!) His Modern Guitar Method was penned shortly thereafter. For years Mel traveled from town to town talking to guitar teachers and players and showing them his publications. At one time Mel claims to have known virtually every guitar teacher in America on a first name basis! The guitar and Mel Bay books caught on in a big way in the 1950's. Things have continued to grow ever since. Mel used to sell D'Angelico guitars. At any given time he would have 5 or 6 "lying around the house." Mel played professionally on his New Yorker model but his favorite was the initial Mel Bay Model crafted as a gift for him by John D'Angelico. This famous guitar had all of the main features of the New Yorker but was a "cut away" model and had a slightly thinner neck. This instrument has been pictured on the Mel Bay Modern Guitar Method for decades. Someone once calculated that sales of guitar books written by Mel Bay have exceeded 25 million copies. When asked, Mel frequently said that he quit counting long ago. Sales of his Modern Guitar Method have alone surpassed the 7 million mark. It is safe to say that Mel Bay is one of the pivotal figures in the world of guitar music and instruction in this century.

Product Details

• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Mel Bay Publications, Inc. (September 1, 1971)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 087166013X
• ISBN-13: 978-0871660138
• Product Dimensions: 11.6 x 7.8 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #848,727 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good reference book, April 3, 2007

By 

Robert Hicks "SFB Musician" (Alamogordo, New Mexico) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mel Bay Tenor Banjo Cords (Paperback)

This book is an essential part of a musician's library if you play dixieland tenor banjo. It has all the chords that you'll ever need plus photos showing hand position. The layout is somewhat old-fashioned, but Mel wrote this one himself way back when, and he was a tenor banjo player.

The chords shown are virtually all in the first position (the first 5 frets closest to the nut) which is useful, but dixieland banjo players typically play chords up the neck in higher positions. There are a few pages in the back of the book that describes those higher position chord shapes.

This a good reference book. If you play tenor banjo, you've got to have it.

4.0 out of 5 stars Good., October 3, 2010

By 

R. Davis - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mel Bay Tenor Banjo Cords (Paperback)

I found this book very useful, but just a little difficult. Overall, a really good book.