bevans - Posted - 07/04/2016:  09:00:06

Hi folks,

I wanted to pass along the news that Homespun Tapes has just released an all-new two DVD set called "Licks-ercises for Bluegrass Banjo." If you're ready to staring working up your own solos along with creating your own licks and using them in songs, this DVD set will help point the way by providing fingerboard studies, right hand exercises and a truck load full of classic licks. What's even better is that I show you how to create your own authentic sounding licks and solos using the accompanying picking and fingerboard exercises. DVD 1 covers Scruggs style while DVD 2 covers melodic and single-string styles and is perhaps the most comprehensive approach to wrapping your brain around these progressive banjo approaches. Purchase separately or buy both projects and save $10. They're ready to ship from my webstore now. Note that each project purchased separately is $29.25 but you can save $10 by purchasing both DVDs together for $50. Here's the link again:

billevansbanjo.com/bill-evans-...-dvds.php

Here's a description of Volume 1, covering Scruggs-style exercises and licks:

Bluegrass Banjo Licks-ercises - Turn Powerful Exercises Into An Arsenal of Banjo Licks: DVD 1, Scruggs style, 90 minutes

Here is a must-have DVD for every aspiring banjo player, regardless of your current playing level. Master musician Bill Evans has put together an almost encyclopedic array of licks, roll patterns, fretting hand embellishments (slides, hammer-ons, pull-offs and chokes) and other techniques that make up the essential building blocks of traditional and progressvie bluegrass banjo styles. Even better, each element you'll learn doubls as a powerful skill-building exercise - without the usual struggle that the term "practicing" implies. On this first of two DVD lessons, Bill explores the three-finger picking styles and techniques pioneered by Earl Scruggs and some of the greats who followed his lead, particularly Sonny Osborne, Ralph Stanley and J. D. Crowe. Start playing the "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" roll, the "Cripple Creek" lick, the "Six White Horses" lick, classic fill-ins and back-ups and many more essential "licks-ercises" that you can use to build authentic sounding banjo solos and accompaniments. This lesson was designed for bluegrass banjo players at all levels, and detailed tab is provided for all examples.

And here's a description of Volume 2, covering melodic and single-string exercises and licks:

Bluegrass Banjo Licks-ercises - Turn Powerful Exercises Into An Arsenal of Banjo Licks: DVD 2, Melodic and Single-String Styles, 60 minutes

Are these exercises that become licks, or licks that become exercises? You be the judge!

In his second “Licks-Ercises” DVD, Bill Evans explores contemporary banjo techniques in both the “melodic” style, developed by Bill Keith, and “single-string” style, pioneered by Don Reno and, more recently, by modern players such as Béla Fleck and others. Bill helps you map out the fretboard and master major scales, octave shifts, chromatic licks, picking and fretting techniques, blues riffs and other invaluable devices. You’ll quickly come to understand the theory underlying these game-changing playing styles.

Bill shows you how to turn the technique-building exercises that he teaches into powerful licks that you can use in everything from traditional bluegrass improvisations to fiddle tunes and blues and jazz-tinged solos. Start playing Red-Haired Boy, Devil’s Dream, Bill Cheatam and any other tune that you want to shine on. Each element you’ll learn doubles as a powerful skill-building exercise - without the usual struggle that the term “practicing” implies.

This lesson was designed for bluegrass banjo players at all levels, and detailed tab is provided for all examples. 

Thanks again everyone for your interest and support!

All the best,

Bill Evans

billevansbanjo.com

Beginning and Bluegrass Banjo Lessons on Peghead Nation:

pegheadnation.com

Edited by - bevans on 07/04/2016 09:33:24

Licks-Excises for Bluegrass Banjo DVD 2: Melodic & Single-String Styles

Licks-Ercises for Bluegrass Banjo DVD 1: Scruggs Style

dilrods - Posted - 07/04/2016:  14:33:45

I think I'll be buying these Bill. Sounds just what I've been recently wanting to work on. Congrats.

KidfromDeliverance - Posted - 07/07/2016:  15:07:09

Bill:

I'm curious about these lessons, but I hesitate to invest in another product without knowing a little more.  I want to be able to apply an array of licks and patterns "at will", to more-or-less improvise a lead or a back-up part.  Mostly, I just don't practice enough, or when I do, it's still mainly pre-arranged lead parts, but I think I'm getting closer, and these lessons seem like they might be good for this.   OTOH, the descriptions suggest an encyclopedic approach, giving all the "ingredients" for viewers to put together on their own.  Not that this is a bad approach, but I already have material like this, and I wanted to know how much these lessons focus on direct, practical application.  Thanks.

Patrick

bevans - Posted - 07/08/2016:  08:27:53

HI Patrick,

Thanks for your interest in the "Licks-ercises" DVDs. I try to do both things with these DVDs in that there are plenty of very usable licks for both lead and back-up playing in all three styles (Scruggs, melodic and single-string) but I felt that it was important to provide a background for understanding how licks can be created in all three styles. For Scruggs style, I focus on roll patterns and chord positions, adding left-hand embellishments (slides, hammer-ons, pull-offs and chokes). For melodic and single-string styles, I start with scales, which are played very differently in these two approaches. For melodic, I show fingerings for first position and up-the-neck melodic playing while for single-string, I show the different ways scales can be fretted according to which left-hand finger you start on and where you are on the neck.

Along the way, I teach a few tunes, from "You Don't Know My Mind" on the Scruggs DVD to "Bill Cheatam" and "Follow the Leader" on the melodic/single-string DVD. A greater emphasis is placed on using licks with chords and combining licks to fit common chord progressions, such as heard in a song like "Blue Ridge Cabin Home." 

While there seem to be a lot of projects out there that offer many, many licks, I felt it is important to analyze each way of playing to show how licks can be generated. There's no question in my mind that if you're fluent with Scruggs rolls and know your chord positions up and down the neck, that you'll better be able to both learn classic licks and generate licks of your own. For melodic and single-string playing, a knowledge of scales, fretting hand positions and picking patterns (especially for single-string), is vitally important to understand what's going on. Without this foundation, these are just....licks!

I hope this answers in some way your questions. I certainly don't want you purchasing anything you don't want or need either!

All the best,

Bill Evans

KidfromDeliverance - Posted - 07/08/2016:  15:58:54

Thanks for the response, Bill.  I'm trying to avoid being overwhelmed with information, and going off in too many directions at once.  If your lessons here offer multiple approaches to the same small number of songs, that would be along the lines of what I would like.  Context, background, and practical application are all so important in learning - but I'm sure you know that.

Patrick

bevans - Posted - 07/08/2016:  16:15:09

Hi again Patrick,

These projects don't offer multiple approaches to a small number of songs. The idea with these DVDs was to create exercises - whether they be Scruggs roll patterns, left-hand exercises or melodic and single-string scales - and learn some classic licks that naturally come from the exercises. Along the way, I'm hoping the viewer will come to understand how you can create your own licks based on the exercises. I do think that these projects offer context, background and practical application however! 

Thanks for these detailed questions. I'm still not sure that this is what you're looking for but I'll offer a money back guarantee if you're not satisfied if you purchase from the webstore. I only want you to have this if it's something that you can use and that will help you in your progress as a banjo player.

All the best,

Bill Evans