Earl Scruggs and the 5-String Banjo: Revised and Enhanced Edition - Book with online Audio

Every banjo picker born after 1940, and every fan, student or performer of bluegrass music owes Earl Scruggs (1924 - 2012) an outstanding debt. Few musicians have ever accomplished for their particular instrument what Scruggs did for the 5-string banjo. He developed an extraordinary playing style from a suite of syncopated rhythmic devices that plucked virtue from the instrument's acoustic limitations, firmly established the banjo's role in the bluegrass ensemble, and revitalized the popularity of the instrument, in eclipse since the advent of swing music and electronic amplification in the early 1930s. Principal in his legacy is the instructional work "Earl Scruggs and the 5-String Banjo". Written in collaboration with Dr. Burt Brent (who wanted to expose the "anatomy" of Scruggs style) and Warren Kennison, Jr. (who transcribed the songs and exercises into tablature), the book was originally published in 1968 by Peer International Corporation and revised in 2005. The Hal-Leonard edition includes an audio CD of 60 lessons presented by Earl himself. In addition to practical lessons for playing the banjo, the book includes a treasury of autobiographical anecdotes, a recapitulation of Scruggs' career and valuable information about the instrument itself from "Getting Acquainted With Your Banjo" to "How to Build a Banjo". There are detailed instructions for maintenance and repair, as well as intricate descriptions of optional banjo hardware, such as Scruggs tuners, capos and 5th string hooks. Louise Scruggs (Earl's wife) contributes a "Brief History of the 5-String Banjo". There are lucid, well-illustrated chapters on the elements of musical structure, chords, inversions, tunings, and tablature. And there is of course a "Song Section" featuring the rudiments of 44 tunes recorded by Scruggs that Earl invites us to "try playing". The heartbeat of the workbook is "Exercises in Picking", a 32-page section, supported by the audio CD, that provides as fine a starting point for the fledgling player as there is to be found anywhere. Atop each final measure in the practice exercises rides the laconic direction "Play many times" where the word "many" represents a value lying somewhere between 100 and 1,000,000. Earl's music is pervasive. You may not recall when you first heard it - perhaps it was "The Ballad of Jed Clampett" from "The Beverly Hillbillies" or "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" in "Bonnie and Clyde" - but you have Scruggs licks dancing in your head, as do we all. In his 2004 liner notes for the album "The Essential Earl Scruggs", Bela Fleck writes, "He creates the impression of a nonstop cascade of notes... His playing is so technically advanced, still you can hear the mud and dirt, wood and metal, flesh and bone... We're all still trying to sound like Earl." From his debut on Nashville's "Grand Ole Opry" program in 1945 until his last days, this plainspoken genius from the Appalachian foothills of North Carolina never stopped amazing the musical world. With the aid of "Earl Scruggs and the 5-String Banjo", future musicians will forever be able to locate bluegrass at its roots to cultivate their own artistry.

Earl Scruggs is the best. Scruggs-Style three finger method revolutionized the banjo sound. You can learn it from this book. As Earl says in the preface, "A strong, positive attitude toward learning to play" and "practice, practice, practice" will do it for you.I used to play the tenor banjo until I saw the Scruggs Review perform in Cambridge, MA. At 16 years old, I was amazed at the sound Earl Scruggs could get out of a 5-string banjo. I bought this book originally in 1975 and again recently for the revised edition.Every banjo player should own this book. It does more than teach Earl's style. It details his life and experiences as he taught us all what a wonderful instrument the 5-string banjo can be.It has a lot of condensed information in it. You need to bring some knowledge to the table. The book does music theory in a chapter. Don't despair. You will be able to get it. But you may need secondary resources to answer some questions.The tablature and song sections are perfect. The right-hand rolls are easy to learn. Earl Scruggs presents 5 basic rolls - forward, backward, reverse, alternating thumb and the Foggy Mountain Roll.The stories are great too. The story of Bill Monroe introducing Earl Scruggs on the stage at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville is country music legend. You should visit the Ryman if you haven't yet. It just feels good to be in that great room. The story about Earl's Foggy Mountain Breakdown being used in the movie Bonnie and Clyde is included. The Ballad of Jed Clampett from the Beverly Hillbillies is discussed. Earl Scrugg's version of the song hit #1 in the 1962 Billboard country singles chart.Buy the book. Learn Foggy Mountain Breakdown. Visit the Ryman and be happy.

Earl Scruggs HAS to be the MOST imitated musician on the planet; when you consider all the 5 string banjos being made in the world, and HOW they are going to be played by the people purchasing them. Granted, some will be played in the traditional Clawhammer/Framming/Drop-Thumb styles which predated Bluegrass by several decades....but the remaining 99.99% will almost certainly be played in the 3 finger style of Earl Scruggs, the author of this nearly 40 year old book. Although many of today's modern 5 string banjoists have expanded the idiom somewhat, into the 'chromatic' or 'melodic' realm and attempt arrangements of jazz and new-age pieces adapted for the instrument...it is STILL the playing of Earl Scruggs that remains as the foundation of it all. The book is well written, well illustrated, easy to follow, and the accompanying CD (or tape) with it is a special treat with Earl himself, speaking each step of the way (in his pleasant down-home North Carolina accent)This book and CD will get the aspiring picker up and running in a very short time, as Earl starts with the tuning, then the basic fingerpicking patterns, which in combination, and with speed added, will develop into some very good sounding music...played by YOU!You absolutely CANNOT go wrong with this book...millions of copies have already been sold worldwide. What many people don't know, is that Earl is also an incredible fingerpicking guitarist with a style all his own. I would like to see him publish a book of his guitar stylings--I'll be the FIRST to buy a hardcover of it.

Earl Scruggs è il più grande Banjoista di tutti tempi e ha scritto questo metodo che va seguito pedissequamente per poter vedere presto notevoli progressi

Très bon cours

Tanto si estás empezando como si ya llevas años tocando, este libro es un clásico entre los clásicos para los banjistas de bluegrass. Escrito por uno de los maestros del género, las explicaciones son claras y detalladas, MUY detalladas. La calidad del cd de audio es suficiente.

学生の頃バンドを組んで弾いていた５弦バンジョーは、３０数年前に止めケースに閉まったままとなっていました。今年６月に元バンド仲間のライブを見に行く機会があり、ちょっと刺激を受け帰宅。久々にバンジョーを出すと見るに見かねる状態で…。そのままちょっと弾いてみると指もまったくが動かないし、基本もすっかり忘れ、自分自身も悲惨な状態…。こりゃ駄目だと思い、昔持っていたこの本を再度購入し基本から練習開始。CD付きを購入したので、教本と照らし合わせながら聞いて練習しています。ヘッドもブリッジも弦も新品に交換し、金属部品はピカールで磨いて綺麗さっぱりしました。超速弾きは無理でも、いつか歌いながら弾ける位までには戻りたいなと仄かな夢を抱いております。

The thing about learning to actually play an instrument as opposed to just operating it by rote, is the need to develop skills targeted to goals. Sure, you can just bang away if you have infinite time, but if you want discernible, enjoyable progress, you need a development plan that works. This book by Earl Scruggs is as good a learning and development plan as I have ever encountered, in any field - including computers, telecommunications and sociology. By working through, following his advice and lessons, listening to the accompanying CD, and practicing quite a lot, I'm actually learning to play. It has been only 4 weeks and I can play quite a few licks and progressions and a couple simple tunes.Naturally, there's more to being a banjo player than just making the right sounds. You have to understand how it works, it helps to know how it fits into the history of music and to appreciate the prospects of advanced learning. This book is a gateway to all of that. I'm 62. I'm having a riot. And I give a lot of credit for my progress to Earl Scruggs and his excellent book.