Customer Reviews

The Ultimate Banjo Songbook: 26 Favorites Arranged for 5-String Banjo

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4 star:		(1)
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Janet Davis always puts her all into the books and accompanying CDs she prepares. Whereas most books of this type give 1 banjo tab for each tune and then move to the next song, Janet provides enough material on each tune to keep even the most advanced banjo player busy. She provides several breaks on each tune - from conventional to way out jazz solos. She also provides alternative licks that can be swapped into tunes. This gets the banjoist away from learning tabs by rote memory, and starts the player thinking "what other variations could I swap into what I'm playing?".

As examples, the book and accompanying CDs give a harmony banjo part for Foggy Mountain Breakdown and arrangements of Blue Moon of Kentucky in both 3/4 and 4/4 time. The song choices also show Janet's lack of stylistic constraints. The songs span from the most popularized bluegrass tunes such as Dueling Banjos to straight bluegrass like Fireball Mail to jazzy banjo tunes like Alabama Jubilee and Limehouse Blues. The books goes all the way to the Everly Brothers' Bye Bye Love and the Beatles' Yesterday. Even Bela Fleck's UFO-TOFU is included.

The book also mixes traditional Scruggs-style banjo with melodic and single string styles. This will be a resource I go back to for years to come. This book is probably best for intermediate and advanced players.

I have been picking for about 3 years without formal instruction, and have found Janet Davis one of the best to learn from. This book provides a nice collection for intermediate players, and I find the tunes just right- a little out of reach, not easy and tedious- good for learning. (I have found Trischka's tools out of reach...) The discs that come with the book are fine- usually a set with guitar and then one banjo solo. Tab is nicely and neatly printed. The tunes are familiar and sound great. Recommended.

I'm very impressed with this book. Each of the 26 songs has multiple versions as well as alternate licks that can replace other licks to make the song your own. I like that style of teaching. I often teach my own students how to think of a riff as a vocabulary word and then to think about all the different ways they can use that word. This book really shows that any song can be played multiple ways. I think that really opens up your mind and your ears and makes your playing more natural and free.

I will say, however, that this is not a book for beginners. Playing anything in this book will place you solidly in the intermediate to advanced playing range. However, I like that. There are great beginning banjo books out there (Janet Davis's "You can teach yourself Banjo" is one of the best) but once you advance beyond that point it's sometimes difficult to find a book that can take you to the next level. This book will really push you.

I once played in a band where we had some really difficult music to learn. The piano player told me "Yes, this music is tough. But when you're able to play it think how good you'll be!" This book makes me remember that advice. It will really challenge you, but once you learn any of the songs you'll know that you're a better player than when you started.

Just think how good you'll be.

This book (with CDs) is my favorite. I'm an old guitar hack who took up the banjo 2+ years ago. This book is very challenging and very rewarding. My banjo teacher often asks where where i get the arrangements in this book, since i like to add the songs from this book to my repertoire. This book is fun, interesting and challenging - ranging from "advanced intermediate" to really tough. It really exercises your Scruggs style plus has some fun melodic songs like "Roanoke". I just bought my second copy of this book because i cracked one of my CDs, plus the book was "well used".

This book is from an author of great talent and skill.We get to learn great versions and licks to many songs.Miss Davis is the best!!!!She IS the ultamate teacher!!!!

Janet Davis has put together a winner with this song book! Many popular standards are covered with many ways to play them. I have played a few years exclusively in the Scruggs style with the 3 finger roll patterns but this book has opened some new options for me. I appreciate the songs rendered in the chromatic and triplet styles which I never attempted before. Janet also presents alternate ways to play the songs that really can help keep the learning experience fresh and challenging for us progressing pickers. I appreciate the quality of the book; it has a nice little historical account of each song it presents along with very legible tabulature (which many songbooks fall short on !). The CD's are top quality and I enjoy just listening to Janet's clean, expressive picking on my drive to work. Inspiring!! This is not really a beginners book but for one who has learned "Cripple Creek" and one or 2 others in Earl's book, for example, this book should be beneficial to them as they continue to explore the beautiful possibilities of the 5-string banjo. I know I will be "woodshedding with Janet" for some time to come.

This is a great source for any banjo player who looking for songs to play on the. banjo