Mel Bay Back-Up Banjo

by Janet Davis

With its wealth of information on how technique can be tastefully applied, Back-Up Banjo is the definitive book on the subject of banjo accompaniment. Since a banjo player in a band plays accompaniment at least 75% of the time, it is extremely important to master playing in this style. Janet Davis offers specific suggestions for accompanying a vocalist or instrumentalist in a variety of styles-- and then provides musical examples illustrating her points. Janet breaks her concepts down into their basic components, making them crystal clear in lay terms. The various back-up techniques are separated into categories determined by song tempo, by lead instrument being accompanied, and by the area of the fingerboard in which the chords are being played. In notation and tablature.

This set includes a companion 2-CD set which demonstrates the examples in the book.

240 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1981

Reviews

[Ken Blucker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Janet Davis's Banjo books always do a great job of breaking down the concepts and building them back up. Back up banjo starts with simple vamping concepts and then escalates to rolling, Scruggs-style back up. This is the best and most detailed explanation of back up banjo I have yet to read. The tabs are used as a learning tool to see how to add complexity and variation to your back up. It's a must read for anyone interested in jams.