Hello there...well I started about 2 weeks ago learning to play the banjo...been working on Round Peak rolls...and some normal bum ditty ....i set up my banjo with a fiberskyn head and some nylgut strings...not really knowing about Classic Banjo...i was heading towards fretless playing after hearing some wonderful music.

I'm a jazz piano player by trade for over 45 years...and really didn't pay much attn to the banjo...and then going to the internet I found this music to be more than…

Hello there...well I started about 2 weeks ago learning to play the banjo...been working on Round Peak rolls...and some normal bum ditty ....i set up my banjo with a fiberskyn head and some nylgut strings...not really knowing about Classic Banjo...i was heading towards fretless playing after hearing some wonderful music.

I'm a jazz piano player by trade for over 45 years...and really didn't pay much attn to the banjo...and then going to the internet I found this music to be more than…

some news from Remi & me ; we ' ll be in Cremona at the end of the month ; It 's  a bluegrass festival but Rémi like that

he hadviews on my old Ibanez 'banjo for some times ; i used to buy for him a fretless U-bass , a Flatiron F mando and a D40 Guild guitar ; he play all these but ………….

we will play 30 mn of CB  ' tunes in Cremona ; only 30 mn because there are several bluegrass & folks

bands from Italy mainly . we are the lonely CB band…

Working through the Wiedt book and looking at videos that have been posted by members here has given me a push to try a few other pieces and I've got three in the works:

• Kaloola--memorized but still working on playing it cleanly and consistently
• Sunflower Dance--memorized, but I believe I need to tweak some of the right-hand choices to make it flow better and feel more comfortable
• Pink Lemonade--still reading…

Week 6

Elfin Waltz (Banjo 2)

- - - - -

With this week's addition to the practice list, I believe we will have covered the whole book. 

I finally printed a copy and bound it together with the first forty pages of Herbert J. Ellis, Ellis's Thorough School for the Five Stringed Banjo (London: John Alvey Turner, n.d). More about that later.

My plan is to spend this week working on the new material and then to take the next two weeks to…

Week 5

Elfin Waltz (Banjo 1)

- - - - -

I confess. I jumped ahead and started playing through Elfin Waltz this week, both parts, and I like it. It feels more musical than some of the other pieces and the second banjo part takes my fancy.

One challenge will be to follow the right hand fingering in the second part of measures 2 and 4. It's easy for me to move a string using middle-index, but it's much harder for me to do it using index-middle. I see…

Week 4

The Fairies (Banjo 2)

- - - -

This coming week my plan is to work on the accompaniment to The Fairies, print out a good copy of the book so that I can easily work on the exercises, and review. I have cleaned up the sheet music from Week 3, but I want to compare it with the notation in A to make sure I haven't removed any notes that were in the original -- right-hand finger choices, for example -- and I haven't had a spare moment to do it.

Week 3

Exercises on time 4

The Fairies (Banjo 1)

[A clean copy of the notation will be posted soon.]

- - - -

It's silly, really, but having a schedule worked out in advance and posting it here every Friday is, at the moment, making it really easy for me to stay focused on working on something I've wanted to do for a long time.

I'm looking forward to adding The Fairies to the mix this week. Onward!

Week 2

Exercises on time 1-3

Mosquito Jig (Thanks to Trapdoor2 for the notation linked below.)

Mosquito%20Jig_weidt%20elementary%20C.pdf

- - - -

This week, I'll be adding the exercises and tune above to the things I'm already working on from Week 1. I just played through Mosquito Jig a few times and it looks like an…

Study Schedule for Week 1

Exercises for learning to read the notes: 1

Chords and exercises in C Major: 1

The Yodler; Amusement Waltz

Weidt in C TUTOR

Some time ago, I tossed out the idea of creating a collaborative group to study the Weidt books. Then I got really busy--too busy to tackle something new--so, in my mind, I set June 1st as the date that I would try to get things going.

Well, it's June 1.

I've put together a reasonably-paced study schedule (see below) and I'm ready to dive in. Anyone else who would like to join me is welcome to.

I will create a new blog post at the…

LIPOFF Rio Banjo With Mother Of Pearl Detail

Let's all get together to exchange ideas and tips on learning to play "Classic Style Banjo".

Very sad about Hal.   He was a legend and a trail blazer in banjo web world.   His " Classic Banjo " website is a real treasure.   He also happened to be a bloody nice bloke.   We are going to miss you mate.   You have certainly left a void in the banjo world.

Condolences to his family. 

I have been a way for a while - I got distracted trying to learn some AJ Weidt pieces on the tenor banjo - but I now have the itch to start playing the 5-string banjo again.   

I thought I'd share some Playlists I created on YouTube for Sunday listening/watching: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLb6ujCgXt0SQrmdTyZ3WOJqLe2h2HxeYJ

Here is another one which is more ragtime…

i open  a " Strange part "   , serial blog   ' bout banjo 'parts  with   this resonator

Was on an Abbott ' 5th string   i have ; i think original to it .

The Marquetery  is ...  inside ............ , with  a varnish on  ;   and it is the type of marquetery we can see on  a Windsor banjo ............. So .......  mistery…

I have just posted on You Tube, Tyro Mazurka.   I videoed it some time ago, but my fingers will not let me play it now.  My grand children wanted to hear it.

Just type in 'Lonburg'.

Hi all!

Long time but believe me, I have been practicing a lot, so in the future I promise new videos. I have been working on new tunes and I also would like to learn a tune I watched on the Rob´s Youtube page...¿Someone might have the score of "Mazurka" (wihtout more names)? I was not able to find one in the music library. Also, I am open for suggestions for mazurkas.

Thanks for the help and as usual, all of you have posted amazing videos! Sometime I…