American Banjo: Three-finger and Scruggs style

[Claude L. Medearis]

I bought the book this week. Mel Bay, 2007.

I was hoping for some history and comparisons of the various styles, but it turned out to be a collection of tablature, transcribed by Steve Garner, from the album Mike Seeger  recorded for Smithsonian Folkways in 1956. The text is limited to a two  page introduction.

As tablature, of course, you have to tune your banjo the way the song was played, and the tunings for each song is written on the music.

The original recordings were made by various artists, such as Snuffy Jenkins and Junie Scruggs, and several styles of finger picking are featured. There are two different versions of Cumberland Gap, for instance: one by Joe Stuart and one by Snuffy Jenkins. Several of the songs have multiple versions.

The author recommends buying the recordings to get an idea of the original performances.

It's spiral bound so it lies flat on your music stand, and can easily be found used for about $80. Or you could order a new copy for about $20. Tough choice, right?