Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: For Dummies; 2 edition (January 28, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1118746333
ISBN-13: 978-1118746332
Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 0.7 x 9.3 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (79 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #28,617 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #2 in Books > Arts & Photography > Music > Instruments > Strings > Banjos #303 in Books > Arts & Photography > Music > Theory, Composition & Performance > Instruction & Study
This book is very clear in its presentation of the many steps involved in learning the 5-string banjo. It leads you through with great attention to detail and a lot of humor. I received my new banjo recently (also through ) and am hard at work learning the basics. It's fun to peek ahead at what's coming next--at the same time, it's sobering to realize how much there is to learn before I'll sound like a real bluegrass banjo player (if ever!).There is one problem with the electronic version of this book, namely, that the tablature listings of the various banjo "rolls" and songs are really too small to read conveniently. I have used a magnifying glass to puzzle them out on my Kindle, but that's an inconvenience, to say the least. It doesn't help to increase the size of the text because the tablature is a diagram separate from the text and remains the same size no matter what the text size is. I have encountered a similar problem previously with charts and tables in the electronic versions of various technical books. So I don't blame this annoyance on the Banjo for Dummies book but rather on 's electronic publishing format. I am planning to buy a paper version of the book and would recommend a paper copy instead of the electronic copy for other potential buyers.The on-line video assistance is another feature of this book that makes it stand out. It's almost like having a private teacher.
I was recently bitten by the banjo bug, and got this book to guide my new obsession. Bill Evans is a bit wordy, but definitely goes out of his way to remove all confusion over each topic as it's introduced: in comparison, a few other books I purchased seem downright curt. It's written in a very relaxed tone, and emphasizes the "whatever works for you" approach to banjo (the "informal" nature of the instrument was what initially drew me in -- that good ol' country twang!).I really liked how he alternately gives attention to both the clawhammer / frailing and bluegrass styles, as many books focus on one or the other. Initially I thought I would just skip over the bluegrass sections, but soon found myself enjoying them just as much as the old-timey frailing.The freely-available online videos and sound clips (www.dummies.com/go/banjo/) are also a huge bonus -- it's one thing to read about proper hand placement, but quite another to be able to watch the setup on video.
Purchased to accompany the gift of a banjo. The recipient has been playing now for several weeks and found this book very helpful. It's descriptive enough to get a good start, but anyone who wants to play well will have to supplement with youtube, lessons, etc.
This is a written digital book if that makes sense. A lot of the book has links you can go to during the lessons, but my firewall at work blocks a lot of sites so the book is a great stand alone as well.I hope my co-workers like the banjo!
I love For Dummies books. I used Guitar for Dummies while I was overseas and I was able to learn guitar quickly. I made sure the only Banjo book I bought was for Dummies. I have tried learning guitar in the past and never stuck with it out of frustration of trying to read music scales. These books are catered more to the folks who dont know how to read music. They use tabs which is way easier. I have been using this for a couple of days now and I can already tell it is as good as the guitar edition.
the book took me to where i need to be to start playing, after a little reading with it [round 2 weeks], I was learning songs from YouTube. I recommend this for anyone with no experience with the banjo.
I received a banjo for Christmas. With it I received this book. I have never played the banjo before but have always wanted to learn. I do have a musical background so do I read music and I do play guitar so I am somewhat familiar with stringed instruments. This book really does lay down the basics and provides the opportunity to grow and become a real banjo player. Even if I had no musical background this book would have been an excellent source of knowledge that would enable learning basic skills and developing a banjo playing technique. If you are new to the banjo, regardless of your previous musical experience this book will help you to become the banjo player you desire to be. Highly recommended.
This book is a great way to get started learning the 5 string banjo. I had been struggling with learning off the internet and other books for a couple of years, but they all seem to leave out important things and focus mainly on reading tabular. This book starts from the basics and teaches you to play by ear as well as tab. It covers chords and theory also. If you start at the beginning and work your way through, you should be playing in no time!
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