Becoming Banjo Worthy
by: Trina Emig
Your complete guide to learning
5-String Bluegrass Banjo

This book contains 4 CD’s worth of musical instruction.

This book is written as a stand alone guide for learning Scruggs style banjo. It is written from the beginner’s point of view at the beginning but it covers many aspects of playing so that even those who have played banjo for a while will be able to find valuable advice throughout this book.
This book covers:
1. What to look for when buying a banjo.
2. Proper right hand techniques including putting on picks, the basic roll patterns, and countless exercises for developing the right hand.
3. Proper left hand techniques including pull-offs, hammers, slides, and 99% of the chord positions you will ever need to know on one simple chord chart.
4. 17 complete songs:
             1. Boil Them Cabbage Down
             2. Cripple Creek
             3. Cumberland Gap
             4. John Hardy
             5. Buffalo Gals
             6. Wildwood Flower
             7. Worried Man Blues
             8. Foggy Mountain Top
             9. Will The Circle Be Unbroken
            10. Grandfather’s Clock
            11. Aunt Dinah’s Quilting Party
            12. Hard Times
            13. Hand Me Down My Walking Cane
            14. When the Saints Go Marching In
            15. Banks of the Ohio
            16. Freight Train
            17. Old Joe Clark
5. Playing backup behind the singer.
6. Different picking styles such as in the slow version of Banks of the Ohio in which chord patterns and chord transitions are emphasized.
7. Simple banjo setup that every banjo player needs to know such as changing strings, positioning the bridge properly, and replacing the head.

Review:
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for the beginner and sloppy veteran, June 27, 2012
By
banjo boy “bb” (Milford, OH United States) – See all my reviews
This review is from: Becoming Banjo Worthy (Spiral-bound)
While I have worked at my banjo for the last several years, I have become more aware of how sloppy I really am. I have taken this book back to the beginning and have added it to my practice routine. I am currently working on cleaning up my rolls and Boil Dem Cabbage down…playing along with Trina and Ma Crow on guitar. I already see how that it can help me to play more cleanly and clearly. I plan to keep adding chapters of the book to my practice routine.

I really like the format of the book and the overall teaching approach. It is simple to follow yet informative and helpful. Often at festivals, etc. I am approached by those who want to learn I am usually reluctant to recommend a book but now that problem is solved. I will recommend this book highly in the future as a great place to start. This book gives solid basics that are so important such as hand position and the importance of learning solid roll first. Also, Trina provides solid instruction on banjo maintenace, including the proper way to put on a string.

I have used other methods for learning songs, backup, jam along etc but like this book for its simple, easy follow method. Other books and videos have been very helpful but it is not as much they could be without a solid foundation. It appears to me that this book can only strengthen the quality of my play.