UncleClawhammer - Posted - 04/17/2012:  19:57:34

In Pete Seeger's How to Play the 5-string Banjo, there is a section on other banjo books. Pete says that Grandpa Jones has a book specializing in frailing, but that he has moved and Pete has not located his new address. Since Grandpa Jones is now dead, I was wondering if his book was still available. I Googled it and there is a book with his name on it from Mel Bay but it has Mark Jones, Grandpa's son, as the author. Is this the same book, or a different one? Anyone with any information on Grandpa's book, you'd be of great help. Grandpa Jones is one of my favorite players and I am interested in banjo tutor books in general. Thanks.

P.S. The book also mentions a banjo manual by Peggy Seeger: The Five String Banjo, American Folk Styles. Does anyone have any info on that?

Jim Yates - Posted - 04/17/2012:  20:28:34

I had Peggy`s book.  I`m sure that I didn`t throw it out, but I haven`t seen it for years.  If I recall correctly, she teaches different picking styles and gives songs in which to apply them.  It is a useful book for folk singers who want to accompany singing.  There are no complete songs tabbed out.  I found it complemented Pete`s book rather than competed with it.

Rick Polston - Posted - 04/17/2012:  21:01:23

quote:

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Originally posted by UncleClawhammer

In Pete Seeger's How to Play the 5-string Banjo, there is a section on other banjo books. Pete says that Grandpa Jones has a book specializing in frailing, but that he has moved and Pete has not located his new address. Since Grandpa Jones is now dead, I was wondering if his book was still available. I Googled it and there is a book with his name on it from Mel Bay but it has Mark Jones, Grandpa's son, as the author. Is this the same book, or a different one? Anyone with any information on Grandpa's book, you'd be of great help. Grandpa Jones is one of my favorite players and I am interested in banjo tutor books in general. Thanks.

 

P.S. The book also mentions a banjo manual by Peggy Seeger: The Five String Banjo, American Folk Styles. Does anyone have any info on that?

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I actually have two copies of the original book I think the one Mark has out now is the same as the original mine have a blue cover with a B&W picture of Grandpa I also have an even older book that I believe is an instruction book by Grandpa. I will try to dig them out and post photos in a day or so.

rendesvous1840 - Posted - 04/17/2012:  21:08:41

Grandpa's book and Marks book are not the same. I don't think Grandpa's has been available in a good long time. Mark wrote his after his Dad passed away. Mark, or Cathy Barton-Para are probably the best to seek an answer from. Cathy will be at Midwest Banjo Camp this June.if you or someone you know is going to it, they may be able to ask her. She taught a class on playing in Grandpa's style several years ago at Midwest, and included one of Marks songs in the class. She has a web site: bartonpara.com/ I expect she is in some contact with Mark, as she was a close friend of both of Marks parents, playing at their dinner theater and touring with Ramona Jones some years back.Here's Marks site jonesrecordingstudio.com/

Paul

Edited by - rendesvous1840 on 04/17/2012 21:11:25

Rick Polston - Posted - 04/17/2012:  21:10:33

quote:

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Originally posted by UncleClawhammer

In Pete Seeger's How to Play the 5-string Banjo, there is a section on other banjo books. Pete says that Grandpa Jones has a book specializing in frailing, but that he has moved and Pete has not located his new address. Since Grandpa Jones is now dead, I was wondering if his book was still available. I Googled it and there is a book with his name on it from Mel Bay but it has Mark Jones, Grandpa's son, as the author. Is this the same book, or a different one? Anyone with any information on Grandpa's book, you'd be of great help. Grandpa Jones is one of my favorite players and I am interested in banjo tutor books in general. Thanks.

 

P.S. The book also mentions a banjo manual by Peggy Seeger: The Five String Banjo, American Folk Styles. Does anyone have any info on that?

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Here is a copy of the Peggy Seeger book you can get, probably not a bad buy I would say they don't come up for sale too often

bonanza.com/listings/PEGGY-SEE.../63102641

Rick Polston - Posted - 04/17/2012:  21:15:43

quote:

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Originally posted by rendesvous1840

Grandpa's book and Marks book are not the same. I don't think Grandpa's has been available in a good long time. Mark wrote his after his Dad passed away. Mark, or Cathy Barton-Para are probably the best to seek an answer from. Cathy will be at Midwest Banjo Camp this June.if you or someone you know is going to it, they may be able to ask her. She taught a class on playing in Grandpa's style several years ago at Midwest, and included one of Marks songs in the class. She has a web site: bartonpara.com/ I expect she is in some contact with Mark, as she was a close friend of both of Marks parents, playing at their dinner theater and touring with Ramona Jones some years back.Here's Marks site jonesrecordingstudio.com/

Paul

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My bad - I have not actually looked at Mark's book, a music store in Sevierville had a copy of the old Grandpa Jones book and I did not get it (I already had two) but got to thinking it was still the original price so some months later when I was back there I stopped in to grab it and they had the Mark book, the guy said its the same just a different cover but based on several other things he was telling me about banjo's he was probably wrong on that as well.

wuzapicker - Posted - 04/17/2012:  21:37:28

quote:

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Originally posted by UncleClawhammer

In Pete Seeger's How to Play the 5-string Banjo, there is a section on other banjo books. Pete says that Grandpa Jones has a book specializing in frailing, but that he has moved and Pete has not located his new address. Since Grandpa Jones is now dead, I was wondering if his book was still available. I Googled it and there is a book with his name on it from Mel Bay but it has Mark Jones, Grandpa's son, as the author. Is this the same book, or a different one? Anyone with any information on Grandpa's book, you'd be of great help. Grandpa Jones is one of my favorite players and I am interested in banjo tutor books in general. Thanks.

 

P.S. The book also mentions a banjo manual by Peggy Seeger: The Five String Banjo, American Folk Styles. Does anyone have any info on that?

---

Amazon dot com has the Mel Bay edition for sale.  I don't imagine there would be two different by Mr. Jones.  I may be a reprint.

amazon.com/Mel-Grandpa-Jones-5...786667079

In 1969 when i started to learn, the music store in Elkins WVa had three or four different banjo books.  I'm sure the Grandpa Jones book was one, but my Mother bought me the Pete Seeger book, red cover probably because it was cheaper.  None of us had ever heard of Pete Seeger before that.  I don't know that I learned anything from that book, but I enjoyed looking at the pictures.  At that point I was learning from my Grandfather and the book didn't mean much to him.

RG - Posted - 04/17/2012:  22:22:50

I have an original Grandpa Jones book (printed in the late 50's I think) because I like to collect various music books, not a lot in there regarding technique or playing style to be honest...

Edited by - RG on 04/17/2012 22:24:17

janolov - Posted - 04/17/2012:  23:35:37

quote:

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Originally posted by UncleClawhammer

In Pete Seeger's How to Play the 5-string Banjo, there is a section on other banjo books. Pete says that Grandpa Jones has a book specializing in frailing, but that he has moved and Pete has not located his new address. Since Grandpa Jones is now dead, I was wondering if his book was still available. I Googled it and there is a book with his name on it from Mel Bay but it has Mark Jones, Grandpa's son, as the author. Is this the same book, or a different one? Anyone with any information on Grandpa's book, you'd be of great help. Grandpa Jones is one of my favorite players and I am interested in banjo tutor books in general. Thanks.

 

P.S. The book also mentions a banjo manual by Peggy Seeger: The Five String Banjo, American Folk Styles. Does anyone have any info on that?

---

 It seems to be e reprint available. I saw it in a music shop in Sweden (!) so I guess it should be available in US too. It is available at Elderly: elderly.com/books/items/02-99957.htm  . It contains no tabs but some description of the playing and lyrics and chords to the songs.

I have Peggy Seeger's old book. I haven't seen it in any music shop or on-line. It contains no tabs, but very good verbal descriptions of a lot of banjo styles. The songs contain melody, lyrics and chords. I have used it a lot when learning songs.

Jon A. - Posted - 04/18/2012:  13:13:22

I have a copy of Peggy Seeger's book.  It doesn't have a lot of information about technique, but has pretty good advice about playing accompaniment and picking out melodies.  She also explains chord progressions in a way that I found easy to understand, and has a really useful graphical representation of chord charts, and how they relate to each other in a circle of fiths way.  (It expounds on the information she authored that is in the appendix of Alan Lomax's Folk Songs of North America.  Although I eventually found a copy on ebay, I first got a copy by requesting an inter-library loan from my local library, which is also how a got a copy of Art Rosenbaum's Old Time Mountain Banjo, his first, and now out of print, book.

Edited by - Jon A. on 04/18/2012 13:15:05

rendesvous1840 - Posted - 04/19/2012:  00:21:08

I forgot to mention the banjo information in the Alan Lomax book. Glad Jon A was around to catch my fumble.
Lomax had a few people write playing hints for guitar, banjo , maybe a couple other instruments as well. I may have to dig that one out and refresh my memory.
Paul

Pluckin Mutha - Posted - 04/19/2012:  09:45:48

quote:

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Originally posted by Jim Yates

I had Peggy`s book.  I`m sure that I didn`t throw it out, but I haven`t seen it for years.  If I recall correctly, she teaches different picking styles and gives songs in which to apply them.  It is a useful book for folk singers who want to accompany singing.  There are no complete songs tabbed out.  I found it complemented Pete`s book rather than competed with it.

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I never throw anything out. It is a useful book. As Jim said there are no tabs, there are songs and chords.

I bought mine at Waddington's Music in Hamilton for $2.75, around 1972 I think.

Mutha

Click on photo to enlarge

Peggy Seeger Book

Rick Polston - Posted - 04/28/2012:  13:25:54

I found the books!  Just click on the photo for a larger view

Edited by - Rick Polston on 04/28/2012 13:40:31

musekatcher - Posted - 04/29/2012:  06:17:44

I was interested in the publication dates for the originals, just to support a timeline.  I found this review of Mark Jones' book:

"Rather, this book is a brief introduction to Grandpa Jones's style of banjo playing (called "frailing" or "drop-thumb"), written at a time when there were few or no such books about that style. (Jones learned frailing by hand from an older player, called Cousin Emmy; he'd been asked many times since if he could recommend a book that taught this style. Not knowing of any, Jones finally decided to write one of his own. That book, published in 1954, became the basis of this one.)"

Wiki indicates Pete Seeger's banjo book, 1st edition came out in 1948, 3rd edition in 1962.  Paul Champion's Kingston Trio banjo book came out in 1964, and Earl's in 1968.

Rick Polston - Posted - 04/29/2012:  20:04:15

quote:

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Originally posted by musekatcher

I was interested in the publication dates for the originals, just to support a timeline.  I found this review of Mark Jones' book:

"Rather, this book is a brief introduction to Grandpa Jones's style of banjo playing (called "frailing" or "drop-thumb"), written at a time when there were few or no such books about that style. (Jones learned frailing by hand from an older player, called Cousin Emmy; he'd been asked many times since if he could recommend a book that taught this style. Not knowing of any, Jones finally decided to write one of his own. That book, published in 1954, became the basis of this one.)"

Wiki indicates Pete Seeger's banjo book, 1st edition came out in 1948, 3rd edition in 1962.  Paul Champion's Kingston Trio banjo book came out in 1964, and Earl's in 1968.

 

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I was thinking I had read several places that it was thought that Pete Seegers book was possibly the first known 5 string Banjo Instruction book.

UncleClawhammer - Posted - 04/29/2012:  20:15:48

There are banjo books dating back to the 19th century.