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The banjo reviews database is here to help educate people before they purchase an instrument. Of course, this is not meant to be a substitute for playing the instrument yourself!
7235 reviews in the archive.
Where Purchased: New England Mobile Book Fair
This is an amusing and very helpful banjo book for the beginner (like me.) It is predicated on a fantasy banjo camp, with a series of workshops (each just a few pages long) written by various very talented instructors. What I found particularly useful about this format was that it lets you start in lots of different ways, and I think gives you a well rounded idea of what learning to play the banjo is all about. What is less satisfying is that once you get going along any particular path, you are already there.
BUT...I learned a LOT in the process, and I feel like I have a much better idea of what to look for next (including a trip to a real banjo camp...) Well worth the price and the time I have put into working through this book and CD.
My only beefs: the "slow" versions of songs on the CD are not nearly slow enough for me or, I would imagine, most beginners. Also, the website referenced in the book does not exist, although who needs it when we have the Hangout?
Overall Rating: 8
Where Purchased:
I bought this book because I browsed through it at a retail store. The store owner thought it was pretty cool. So, for $20, why not?
It's a book that is primarily an excursion in the author's learning experience, as he says, " A banjo book written by a beginner banjo player." It's a combination of wonderment, and beginner enthusiasm. It is written as a sort of eye-witness account of an imaginary banjo-camp, which seems to fit our culture's fascination with vicarious instant gratification and group-learning experience.
If you are looking for a detailed how-to, pass this book by.There are other books for that. But, if you are a beginner who is unfamiliar with styles, pickers and methods, this book will give you a taste, kinda like a appetizer sampler at Applebee's. And for those of us who have been around for awhile, it is a nice compact reference of some of the more influential players of our time. Refreshingly, there is virtually none of the minutiae that infests the BHO concerning pre-war sound, tone rings, rims, which picker plays what, etc.
The book is a nicely written and lavishly illustrated paperback, a little on the artsy-fartsy side, but it's fun and interesting, sorta like a weekend at a banjo camp where you might be too busy to spend a lot of time in one chair, but want to see who-all is there and kinda what they're doing, so you can get excited about some part of it and start pursuing your own specialty.
The accompanying CD could have been more inclusive, but like I said, there is not all that much music in this book. The author's narrative and his hard-edged vocal quality take a little getting used to for someone used to dulcet Southern accents, but he seems like a guy who is truly in love with the banjo.
I believe this book would be helpful to someone who just decided that banjo-picking would be something cool to learn, but really hasn't been around it much. I find it contains much useful and accurate information presented in a clear and concise manner. If you are planning to attend a banjo camp or workshop this might be a good preview.
Overall Rating: 8
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