Mel Bay Pawhammer Banjo: Three-Finger Clawhammer for Bluegrass, Melodic Style, and Ragtime - Kahn - Banjo - Book

Author: Steve Kahn
Format: Book
Instrumentation: Banjo

This book opens an entire new world for the clawhammer banjo player. In Mel Bay's Pawhammer Banjo, the banjoist will discover new realms in clawhammer play with the use of a technical extension called "pawhammer" developed by Steve Kahn. With this extension in hand, a banjo player will be able to play notes on higher strings after playing the middle- or index-fingernail stroke. This removes a longtime drawback in clawhammer play and allows the playing of not only many new bluegrass and traditional tunes, but the entire field of ragtime. Through meticulous technical descriptions, photos, and arrangements of fourteen tunes from both the bluegrass/traditional and ragtime fields -- with seven favourites from Scott Joplin, including "Maple Leaf Rag" and "The Entertainer" -- author Steve Kahn carefully teaches the new skills involved in "pawhammer" banjo technique.

Contents:

• Part I ... Bluegrass and Melodic Style
  • How to do it
  • Photos of preparation and playing
  • Exercises
  • Rolls
  • Key to the kingdom: the M-Pk-T pattern
  • The "pinky brush" (PkBr)
  • Tunes
    • Arkansas Traveler
    • Casey Jones
    • Cripple Creek
    • Cumberland Gap
    • Twain Harte Tune (Steve Kahn)
    • Deputy Dalton (Alan Munde)
• Part II ... Ragtime
  • Accompaniment ("comping")
  • A different playing-hand position
  • Muting: playing hand
  • The damped Br stroke
  • Muting: fretting hand
  • More about the "pinky brush" (PkBr)
  • Two-stave notation: why two staves?
  • Ragtime "bum-diddy"
  • Another note
  • More tunes
  • Learning the tunes
  • Tunes (all by Scott Joplin except where notated)
    • The Easy Winners
    • The Entertainer
    • Gladiolus Rag
    • Maple Leaf Rag
    • Pineapple Rag
    • Ragtime Dance
    • Solace
    • Ragtime Fragment (Steve Kahn)