Instructional Material
All Fred's books have tablature unless otherwise noted. Most have music notation too.
Banjo Methods
Complete Bluegrass Banjo
Starts at the beginning with rolls, chords & licks, works up to advanced levels. Lots of tunes, tab & music. Learn backup & soloing, how to improvise, plus: music theory, melodic & single-string styles, different tunings, Scruggs tuners.
- Book/CD$17.95
Fretboard Roadmaps for 5-String Banjo
Learn to play in all keys, up & down the neck, understand chords & progressions, moveably, major & melodic scales, chord-based licks & more. CD has over 50 tracks!
- Book/CD$12.95
Bluegrass Banjo CD Lessons
6 one-hour CDs; ear lessons (very little tab provided), $10 each, $50 for the set of 6. Crammed with info!
CD 1: THE BASICS - tuning, easy chords, basic rolls, simple backup.
CD 2: BACKUP - backup licks, tag endings, connecting runs, chop chords, backup in first position & up the neck.
CD 3: PLAYING MELODY - picking songs in G and C; scales, adding rolls to the melody, making up your own arrangements.
CD 4: PLAYING MELODY UP THE NECK - moveable scales allow you to play up the neck in G and C; find the melody & add rolls & licks.
CD 5: PLAYING IN ANY KEY - master the fretboard, play lead & backup in all keys...plus a few new tunings.
CD 6: ADVANCED TECHNIQUES - melodic playing, single-string picking, Travis picking, harmonics & more.
- Set of 6 CDs$50.00
- CD 1 - The Basics$10.00
- CD 2 - Backup$10.00
- CD 3 - Playing Melody$10.00
- CD 4 - Playing Melody Up The Neck$10.00
- CD 5 - Playing In Any Key$10.00
- CD 6 - Advanced Techniques$10.00
Instant Banjo
A beginner's intro to all styles: folk, clawhammer, double-thumbing & bluegrass. Lots of tunes, tab, chord grids, photos, fits in your banjo case.
- Book$5.95
- CD$10.00
Bluegrass Banjo Video
Starting at the beginning (tuning up), this one-hour lesson teaches basic rolls, licks & chords, backup techniques, scales & tunes. By the end, you're playing up the neck. Shows you how to make up your own backup parts & solos.
- Video$29.95Coming Soon
Banjo Transcriptions
Alison Krauss "So Long, So Wrong"
Banjo & guitar transcriptions of the album, plus guitar versions of mandolin & fiddle solos. Tab and music.
- Book$21.95
Banjo Arrangements
Gospel Banjo Bluegrass
24 tunes played two ways (in G and C). Many of the tunes include a third version played further up the neck. Amazing Grace, Circle Be Unbroken, Wayfaring Stranger, Saints Go Marching In, I Am A Pilgrim, Precious Memories, and more.
- Book and CD$19.95
Ragtime Banjo Bluegrass
13 favorite rags played finger-style, many with guitar, Dobro, mandolin & bass accompaniment. Lots of variety & flavors, fun for bluegrass or ragtime fans.
Bluegrass Banjo Inventions
17 tunes, Scruggs & melodic style, from bluegrass to Bach, swing, old-time, with guitar, bass, Dobro, mandolin & fiddle & vocals, several double banjo tunes. Lots of surprises.
Ragtime, Blues & Jazz for Banjo
16 blues & jazz tunes for 3-finger pickers, plus 13 rags: Stealin', Stagolee, Bill Bailey, Maple Leaf Rag, Leola, St. Louis Tickle, Ragtime Dance..., plus some bluegrass blues.
- Book$11.95
- CD$10.00
Beatles for Banjo
18 hits, arranged as fingerpicking solos, mostly 3 finger style, a few using clawhammer or basic strum. Across the Universe, Blackbird, A Hard Day's Night, Here Comes the Sun, Hey Jude, Let It Be, She Loves You, Strawberry Fields Forever, Ticket to Ride, Yesterday, and more. Not just a strum-along book, these are very pretty instrumental arrangements.
- Book$9.99