by Bill Evans » visit Bill's website
Bill Evans has taught thousands of bluegrass banjo players in both group and private lessons in a performing career that has extended across thirty-five years of accomplishments. The author of Banjo For Dummies, Bill has taught at most every major banjo and bluegrass camp and workshop in the world and for the last ten years he has co-hosted his own annual camp, the NashCamp Banjo Camp, each fall in the Nashville area. When he is not out on the road teaching or performing... more at All About Bill.
by Bob Carlin » visit Bob's website
Tabs and commentary from the playing of Bob Carlin, one of the best known clawhammer
style banjoists performing today. Three-time winner of the Frets
Magazine readers poll, Bob has taken the distinctive southern banjo
style to appreciative audiences all over the US, Canada, Europe,
Australia and Japan. Each column focuses on a particular traditional
player with whom Bob has studied, one of the 25+ albums that feature
Carlin or a topic important to improving your playing. Past columns
have included tunes from Kyle Creed, Fred Cockerham, Tommy Jarrell,
John Hartford and the Beatles. (Level: Intermediate/Advanced)
by Bob Piekiel
The column for devotees of the banjo music of the legendary
Earl Scruggs. Earl's Way provides transcriptions of Earl’s playing
drawn from studio as well as live performances. You’ll find tabs of
interesting lead breaks, catchy backup, and explanations of unusual
licks from a wide sampling of Earl's recordings. Bob Piekiel brings
you Earl Scruggs’ banjo style in meticulous detail, conveying the
magic of this iconic figure to pickers new and old.
by Casey Henry » visit Casey's website
Casey Henry, a second generation BNL columnist, picked up
"On The Road" where her mother Murphy left off, writing about her adventures and challenges in banjo teaching, learning by ear, and the life of a touring bluegrass musician. As BNL’s youngest regular columnist Casey brings a Gen-X perspective to traditional Scruggs-style playing. Her stories and anecdotes are often educational, sometimes controversial, and always entertaining.
by Donald Nitchie, Editor
Donald Nitchie was raised in-house (Banjo
Newsletter-wise) and has edited the magazine since 1993. His monthly
editorial consists of any and all things newsworthy in the banjo
world, with capsule reviews of recent recordings, books and
products, and anything else that’s on his mind.
by Eddie Collins » visit Eddie's website
Articles
of inspiration and instruction specifically focusing on the
issues faced by beginning and intermediate players. Tabs are in
3-finger style when included. Each month, the Beginner's Corner
addresses topics based on Eddie's interactions with hundreds of
players. Author of more than 15 instruction books, Eddie Collins
continues to host workshops throughout the United States as he
has for the past 25 years. Read Eddie’s "Frequently Asked Questions" for Beginners.
by Fred Geiger
Chorducopia focuses on the practical application of music theory to the banjo, with Scruggs style as a point of departure. The intermediate-to-advanced tabs explore material from the worlds of bluegrass, jazz and popular music. Fred Geiger, whose eponymous album on Ridgerunner appeared in 1977, has been playing and teaching bluegrass banjo since the 1960s.
by Hugh Strawn » visit Hugh's website
Tabs of tunes indigenous to the Ozark region ranging from beginner to advanced, featuring a variety of tune types, often with suggested alternatives and variations for the basic tab. Hugh adds, "I attempt to provide background information on the tunes when possible and from the perspective of an Ozark transplant, will occasionally relate personal stories and experiences in an attempt to impart a better understanding of the Ozarks culture as I have experienced it, as well as its music, its
musicians and people."
by Roger Siminoff » visit Roger's website
Roger H. Siminoff has been designing, building, playing, and researching musical instruments for more than 50 years. A highly respected inventor and author of 10 books on the construction and acoustics of acoustic instruments, Siminoff is one of America's foremost authorities on string instruments and their design. Roger's Tech Talk column brings expertise on the 5-string banjo to the pages of BNL, and provides knowledgeable discussions on how the banjo works, accompanied by technical drawings and photographs.
by Tom Adams » visit Tom's website
Tabs and commentary from the International Bluegrass Music
Association's 3-time "Banjo Player of the Year". Tabs range in
diversity from straight-ahead bluegrass as played by Tom on more
than two dozen albums during his 20-year recording career to Tom's
unique arrangements for Banjo Newsletter of songs by artists in the
country, pop, rock and folk genres. From the classic Stanley
Brothers sound to alternative rock/punk Green Day, there's always an
interesting tab for the 3-finger player. (Level: Intermediate/Advanced)
An intermediate to advanced column by BNL
Associate Editor, Ian Perry, examining the wide variety of
situations with which banjo players are often confronted, such as
playing slower tunes and navigating different keys. The goal of the
column is to expand the reader’s knowledge of the fingerboard and to
explore the possibilities of the 5-string banjo, played 3-finger
style. Tab exercises and/or tunes accompany the descriptive text. A
video of each month’s tune (including the left-hand fingering) can
be seen on Ian’s personal website.
Janet Davis essentially pioneered the formal study of back-up for the 5-string banjo.
Janet's Back Up column is concerned primarily with back-up (accompaniment) techniques,
which is what you do 75% of the time when playing bluegrass. Usually, a lead and a
back-up arrangement are included to demonstrate the techniques and licks. Through the
years, this column has offered instruction for beginning, intermediate and advanced
levels players, covering bluegrass as well as jazz and other types of music. Janet has
written numerous best selling books for the 5-string banjo, including "Backup Banjo"
and "Splitting the Licks."
Tabs and commentary from well known Don Reno style picker and
instructor, Jason Skinner. With nearly 20 years of experience
playing exclusively Reno style, Jason shares his extensive knowledge
of this famous 3-finger style that consists of single string
playing, jazzy chord based solos, guitar style licks, and other
unique techniques. Tabs range from standard bluegrass tunes to old
jazz standards. Jason teaches many of Don Reno's classic tunes and
breaks but also focuses on how to apply Reno style techniques to
your own playing. (Level: Beginner to Advanced)
The Old Time Way is a quarterly feature of
Banjo Newsletter focusing on Southern Appalachian style old-time banjo
playing. OTW includes tablature, recording and product reviews, features
on old-time banjo players, and topics of particular interest, like the
open back buyers guide. Guest columnists have included Bob Buckingham,
Bob Carlin, Joe Ayers, Bill Dilloff, John Adams and others. The OTW is
edited by Dan Levenson, a full-time banjo player who has been involved
with traditional music all of his life, with 10 recordings and 7 Mel Bay
publications, including the upcoming volume of Kyle Creed Tunes.
Tim Jumper's column aims to provide interesting and unusual tabs that
both expand the repertoire for clawhammer banjo, and extend it beyond
the boundaries of the old-time Southern canon. (Level: Beginner to
Intermediate). Although clawhammer technique is rooted in the
Appalachian tradition, Tim feels that it can successfully be applied to
any musical genre, from Bach and the Blues, to the Beatles and beyond.
As a performer, instructor, and author ("How to Play Banjo" and "Banjo
Player's Songbook"), Tim Jumper has been involved with the 5-string
banjo for over forty years.
A pioneer of the 5-string banjo style known as "melodic clawhammer," Ken Perlman is
considered one of the top clawhammer players in the world, known in particular for his
skillful adaptations of Celtic tunes to the style. An acclaimed teacher of banjo
skills, he has written some of the most widely respected banjo books of modern times
-- including Clawhammer Style Banjo, Melodic Clawhammer Banjo, and Everything You Wanted
to Know About Clawhammer Banjo. He has been on staff at prestigious teaching festivals
around the world, helped direct the Maryland Banjo Academy, and organized and directed
several banjo camps in his own right, including American Banjo Camp, Midwest Banjo Camp,
and Suwannee Banjo Camp.
Pete's unique perspective on a variety of issues, from banjo tone to
gigs with Hot Rize and Flexigrass to recording, best ways to learn
banjo, jamming topics, respect for the melody, and his work with
Steve Martin. His experience includes hosting over 150 music camps,
touring all of the United States and 15 foreign countries, and
serving for 15 years as President of IBMA. Pete takes your questions
and gives you his best answers.
