New bluegrass banjo instruction book

New bluegrass banjo instruction manual for BEGINNERS:

"Beginning Bluegrass Banjo:

A Programmed Repertoire of Ten Essential Solos"

Thirty five pages of clear instructions designed for beginners with tablature for how to play 10 classic bluegrass banjo solos, including the following:

Cripple Creek, Foggy Mountain Breakdown, Blackberry Blossom, Old Joe Clark, Salt Creek, Clinch Mountain Backstep, Ballad of Jed Clampett, John Hardy, Turkey in the Straw, and Whitewater

These are all standard and popular solos that are often played at jam sessions.

The instructional technique used in the manual is a series of 15 short lessons that teach these classic bluegrass banjo solos constituting a beginner's repertoire. The program is not bogged down with music theory. The purpose is to get the beginning player picking as soon as possible.

This web page(see below) has 30 tracks corresponding to the manual (There is no CD accompanying the manual. All tracks are here on this page...) The tracks below include comments on technique and all the tunes played at normal speed and then again at a nice slow speed. At both speeds, the banjo is recorded on one channel and the back-up on the other so you can turn down the banjo and play along with the backup. There are even tracks on how to tune the banjo.

(See below for the table of contents)

This is a self-published work. It is mailed in the form of 35 photocopied pages that you can insert into a binder.

I guarantee your satisfaction.

HOW TO ORDER THE MANUAL:

FOR RESIDENTS OF USA: Send $25(plus $5 shipping, total =$30), cash or personal check or bank check made out to Ben Freed to the address below, OR, you can use PayPal to pay the $25(plus $5 shipping)by clicking this "ADD TO CART" button(You do not need a PayPal account to pay by PayPal. Paypal will accept your credit card info...

FOR NON-USA RESIDENTS: No personal checks or bank checks accepted!!!!. Send $35 cash, INCLUDES SHIPPING, US CASH ONLY BY MAIL TO MY ADDRESS BELOW, or use PayPal to pay in US dollars($35)

Mail payment to: Ben Freed 45 Evergreen Row Armonk, NY, 10504. USA

Or use Paypal:

Questions? click here to email Ben at.... BenFreed@optonline.net

"Beginning Bluegrass Banjo: A Programmed Repertoire of Ten Essential Solos

Table of contents

Introduction

Lesson 1: Banjo anatomy, and your first banjo

Lesson 2: Tuning the bluegrass banjo

Lesson 3: Getting ready to play

Lesson 4: How to read the tablature in this book

Lesson 5: Suggestions for beginners

The Tunes:

Lesson 6: Cripple Creek

Lesson 7: Foggy Mountain Breakdown

Lesson 8: Blackberry Blossom

Lesson 9: Ballad of Jed Clampett

Lesson 10: Old Joe Clark

Lesson 11: John Hardy

Lesson 12: Salt Creek

Lesson 13: Turkey in the Straw

Lesson 14: Clinch Mountain Backstep

Lesson 15: Whitewater

Mp3 tracks that the manual refers to:

1. 01-AudioTrack 01.mp3 the “note matching” method of tuning the banjo

2. 02-AudioTrack 02.mp3 tuning by listening to the octaves

3. 03-AudioTrack 03.mp3 tuning by listening for the “racetrack song”

4. 04-AudioTrack 04.mp3 counting the timing

5. 05-AudioTrack 05.mp3 putting the right and left hand notations together

6. 06-AudioTrack 06.mp3 “hammering on”

7. 07-AudioTrack 07.mp3 the “slide”

8. 08-AudioTrack 08.mp3 the “push off”

9. 09-AudioTrack 09.mp3 sustain

10. 10-AudioTrack 10.mp3 using a metronome

11. 11-AudioTrack 11.mp3 Cripple Creek played fast

12. 12-AudioTrack 12.mp3 Cripple Creek, played slow

13. 13-AudioTrack 13.mp3 Foggy Mountain Breakdown, played fast

14. 14-AudioTrack 14.mp3 Foggy Mountain Breakdown, played slow

15. 15-AudioTrack 15.mp3 Blackberry Blossom, played fast

16. 16-AudioTrack 16.mp3 Blackberry Blossom, played slow

17. 17-Audio Track 17.mp3 Old Joe Clark, played fast

18. 18-Audio Track 18 Old Joe Clark, played slow

19. 19- Audio Track 19 John Hardy, played fast

20. 20- Audio Track 20.mp3 John Hardy, played slow

21. 21- Audio Track 21.Mp3 Salt Creek, played fast

22. 22- Audio Track 22.Mp3 Salt Creek, played slow

23. 23-Audio Track 23.Mp3Turkey in the Straw, played fast

24. 24-Audio Track 24.Mp3Turkey in the Straw, played slow

25. 25-Audio Track 25.Mp3 Clinch Mountain Backstep, played fast

26. 26-Audio Track 26. Mp3 Clinch Mountain Backstep, played slow

27. 27-Audio Track 27.mp3The Ballad of Jed Clampett, played fast

28. 27- Audio Track 28. mp3 The Ballad of Jed Clampett, played slow

29. 29-AudioTrack 29.mp3 Whitewater, played fast

30. 30-AudioTrack 30.mp3 Whitewater, played slow

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Praise for my instructional manual:

Ben: I think all this is really exceptional!! I am working on the beginning banjo songs I ordered from you and about most of the way thru.

Also, I recently ordered the 99 tab booklet and have recorded the mp3 off the internet to hear the songs I would like to learn.

I am currently taking lessons from John Hickman but I would like you to know that I have really speeded up learning the banjo because of you. Of course, practice helps too!!

Your teaching method is the best I have found anywhere. Even John says I have made the most progress of any of his students except one and he already was on his way while I didn't even know how to put the finger picks on but I do have a music background in piano so that helps, I imagine.

Thanks again for all you do to promote the banjo.... M. in Oklahoma

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