U. S. School Of Music Banjo Course, Lessons 49 To 96

[Joel Hooks]

Here is an interesting work, it is a correspondence course for the banjo.  I am fairly certain that it was written by Zarh Myron Bickford.  The writing style is similar to his articles and many of the pieces are taken right out of his Banjo Players Favorite.

Sadly, I did not get lessons 1 to 48.  While I do not have the intro, based on other courses offered by U.S. School of Music, the idea was the student would have a lesson every two weeks and this was a two year course. 

The lessons are pretty darn good. I'd love to be able to track down the first half of this and complete the series, I think It would be something I would recommend for learning along with the Bradbury method. 

If anyone has this in their piles, please let me make it available. 

https://archive.org/details/u.-s.-school-of-music-banjo-course-less...

[Jody Stecher]

I have one of Bickford's mandolin books and I like it. I have the impression that he has a good understanding of what it is to be a beginner and know nothing. Although he sometimes wanders off on philosophical tangents his actual advice on playing the instrument is practical and detailed, and easily understood. I hope you find volume 1 of his US School of Music banjo method. I'd like to play through it. 

[Joel Hooks]

At least he does not wander off on Theosophical tangents, that might get a little weird.

This course follows a similar format as the Charles Atlas course (coincidentally first published in that same year, 1922), and that one goes off on some weird tangents. 

These banjo lessons are making an attempt to give a little more rounded musical education.  I like the info on the types of pieces that are being offered, even if it is brief. 

This half of the course that I have shows some thought.  The description and history of A notation and why it exists is all correct and good as well as his recommendation of learning it being useful (which it is). 

He also gives a short description of stroke style, which is rare for 1922.  The "A Jig" piece (lesson 77)  is from Frank Converse's Analytical Method, original title "Narragansett Jig" (for "banjo style in Converse), and the following (lesson 78) "Arkansaw Traveler" is also pulled from Converse. 

[Francky Algoedt]

Great stuff , hope we can discover the other parts of this course ..... something for the library....

Greetings from Flanders Fields