CHAPTER 1
Banjo Basics; Fingerpicks The Shoulder Strap; Holding the Banjo Right-Hand Exercises; The Thumb Pushes; Tablature Right-Hand fingers; Right-Hand Anchor; The fingers Pull Left-Hand Exercises Left-Hand Finger Placement; Chords;The Basic Roll; Chord Diagrams; Chapter Summary
CHAPTER 2
Notes on the Banjo; The G Major Scale; our First Song Camptown Races; Memorizing songs Accompaniment; Counting Time; Strumming Rhythm Our Second Song: Oh! Susanna; Eighth Notes and Pick-up Notes Rhythm Pick Pattern; Note Stems; The Extended Scale Yankee Doodle; The Tie; Call and Response; Annoying Banjos Assigning Right-Hand Fingers; The Bar; more Annoying Banjos The Alternating Roll; Maintaining a Beat; Performing Annoying Banjos; The Repeat Sign
CHAPTER 3
Quarter Notes Versus eighth Notes; Chords in Tab Simple Song; Tapping the Beat; The Hammer-on The Slide; Timing the Slide; Simple song with Added Slides Combining slides and Hammer-ons; Sixteenth Notes; The Pull-off Parts of a Song; Cripple Creek (Part B); A Roll is a Roll; 1st and 2nd Endings; Cripple Creek (Part A) The Forward / Backward Roll; Tag Endings and a Rule of Thumb; Banjos And Gourds Tuning the Banjo Right-Hand Position for Rhythm; Variations to a Melody; "Cripple Creek" Melody Variation Octaves; Arranging a Fiddle Tune Cripple Creek (full arrangement); Transitioning Between Parts; Chapter Summary
CHAPTER 4
The Forward Roll; Boil 'Em Cabbage Down; The G Scale on String 3 Position Playing; Boil 'Em Cabbage Down (Variation); Harmonizing a Melody Syncopation; Extending Rolls; Banks Of The Ohio Varying Familiar Rolls; Golden Wings D, E minor, and A chords; Lead Sheets Approximating the Melody; Long Journey Home (Basic Solo) Embellishing a Basic Melody; Tagging a Solo Long Journey Home (Embellished Solo); Common Song Structures; Finishing Licks Old Joe Clark; The Appalachian Sound and Blue Notes
CHAPTER 5
Playing in ¾ Time; Playing by Ear Filling the Beats; ¾ Time Rhythm Imitating the Singer; Amazing Grace; Cord Substitutions Rolls in ¾ Time; Down In The Willow Garden Additional ¾ Time Rolls; Nobody's Darling
Triplets; Playing with a Bounce; Rolling Rhythm; In The Pines
CHAPTER 6
Using a Capo; Tuning the 5th String Finding Your Key; A New Forward Roll; A New Tag Lick Bury Me Beneath The Willow; Choosing Rolls; Combining Rolls Circle Be Unbroken; More Picking by Ear; Ode To Joy Dotted Notes; A Two-Finger Roll; Great Speckled Bird
CHAPTER 7
Naming Notes on the Banjo; Naming Notes on String Four Moveable Chords: The F Form; The Swing Roll; The 12 Bar Blues Filling the Rest; Naming Notes on String Three and Inlay Markers The Bar Form; Harmonizing the 12 Bar Blues; Naming Notes on String Two The D Form; Combining Chord Forms in a Song; Blackberry Blossom (Part A); Moveable Chord Forms in Rhythm The Boom-Chick Pattern; Blackberry Blossom (Part B) Harmony to "Blackberry Blossom"; Naming Flats
CHAPTER 8
The Generic Major Scale; Chords in Numbers; Roman Numerals and The Guitar Keys Playing Rhythm by Numbers Another 12 Bar Blues; Characteristics of the Blues Reno, or Single-String Style; Reno Style Blues Lead; 5-String Blues Embellished Blues Rhythm; Another Blues Lead; 5-String Boogie The Triplet in Blues; Ending a Blues Solo
CHAPTER 9
Practicing Effectively; Tracking Your Repertoire A Warm-Up Exercise; The Foggy Mountain Breakdown (FMB) Roll Variations of the FMB Lick; Train 45 Swapping D Licks; Common Time Verses Cut Time; Using a Metronome
CHAPTER 10
Melodic Style; A Moveable Minor Form Devil's Dream; Rhythm with Closed Chords; Extending the Melodic Scale Alternative G Melodic Scale; Swapping Finishing Licks; Blackberry Blossom (Part A - Melodic) Combining Single-String and Melodic Styles; Beyond the Key of G Melodically; Arranging Rhythm Playing on the &; Red Haired Boy; Finishing Licks with Pick-up Notes
CHAPTER 11
Playing Up the Neck; The E minor Position; Cumberland Gap Playing Melody with Chord Positions; Boil 'Em Cabbage Down (Up the Neck Variations) Adding Melody Notes to Chord Positions; Mountain Dew The Choke Lick; The C9 and D Augmented Position: 5-String Boogie More Syncopation; Sally Goodin
CHAPTER 12
Beginning and Ending Songs; The Potato Intro; Four Potatoes Allowing for Pick-up Notes; Golden Slippers
Potato Varieties; Partial Melody as an Intro; 4th String Lead-ins Lead-ins with Pick-up Notes; 3rd String Lead-ins; 2nd String Lead-ins 1st String Lead-ins; 5th String Lead-ins; Vocal Tag and Final Ending More Final Endings; Tag Endings; Shave and a Haircut Endings Pre-Endings; Common Pre- and Tag Ending
CHAPTER 13
Embellished Back-Up; Down the Neck Back-Up Up the Neck Back-Up; "Salty Dog" Solos Vamping Back-Up; Arranging "Salty Dog" Salty Dog (Full Arrangement) Rolling Back-Up Vamp and Fill Back-Up; Rolling Back-Up with Fills Backing Instrumental Solos; Solos for "New River Train" Arranging "New River Train" New River Train (Full Arrangement)
CHAPTER 14
Areas of Further Study; More Songs; Little Maggie When The Saints Go Marching In Bill Cheatham When You And I Were Young, Maggie Red River Valley
End of Chapter Quizzes (Chapters 1-4)
End of Chapter Quizzes (Chapters 4-7)
End of Chapter Quizzes (Chapters 8-11)
End of Chapter Quizzes (Chapters 12-13)
Song Lyrics; Acknowledgments
Track Listing, CD #1
Track Listing, CD #2; Index of Songs
Tablature Guide
Common Chords in G Tuning; Moveable Chord Forms
About the Author