Instructional Banjo Videos and DVD

Great Banjo Lessons DVD

 Great Banjo Lessons DVD

The lesson segments progress from very basic to advanced, and will give players a full range of bluegrass banjo techniques.

Tunes include: Soldier's Joy; John Hardy; Little Rock Getaway; El Randa; Turkey Knob; and Little Maggie.

Taught by Bill Keith, Pete Wernick, Tony Trischka, Eddie Adcock, Don Wayne Reno, Sonny Osborne and Ralph Stanley.

All Levels. Includes Tab.
90 mins.
DVD - All Region.

DVD - $19.95
Pete 'Dr. Banjo' Wernick gets total novices to make good banjo music almost immediately. With only two chords, Pete has newcomers strumming and accompanying ten bluegrass standards. By learning just one more easy chord, they are now able to play along with almost any bluegrass song. Next, it's time for the basic banjo rolls that really start sounding like bluegrass picking. This super-easy lesson has been time-tested at Pete's many workshops and music camps, and it works! Includes play-alongs with guest students. Includes chords + lyrics.

Level 1.  60 mins.
DVD - All Region.

Tony Trischka's Essential Practice Techniques for Bluegrass Banjo Video

DVD Only - $29.95
Here's a lesson that's a “must-have” for bluegrass banjo players at all levels. This nuts-and-bolts practice session is designed to help players improve their timing, strengthen their hands and play with precision, power and rhythmic sophistication. It is filled with exercises, etudes and workouts covering many of the building blocks of bluegrass banjo.

Level 2. Includes Music + Tab.  50 mins.
DVD - All Region.

Clawhammer Banjo Repertoire & Techniques Vol. 2 Video

VHS - $29.95 99 cents

DVD - $29.95
Volume 2 is a continuation from Vol. 1 directly above. Vol 2 covers advanced techniques including thumb rolls .... EXCELLENT!

VHS - NTSC Format Only (Canada & USA)
DVD - All Region.

DVD - $29.95
Taught by Mike Seeger with special guests Doc Watson, Kirk Sutphin, Greg Hooven, Etta Baker, and Joe and Odell Thompson. Mike Seeger's expertise in two- and three-finger picking, clawhammer, and other old-time styles comes across clearly in this instructional session. Special workshop performances by some of the country's top traditional players give banjo students rare insight into the subtle beauty of this uniquely American music. Sixteen songs, including: Molly Dear • Reuben's Train • Tom Dooley • Baptist Shout • Snow Drop • Marching Jaybird • John Brown's Dream. Produced by Smithsonian/Folkways and Homespun Video. Includes Tab.

Level 2. 90 mins.
DVD - All Region.

Five-String Banjo for Beginners Video by Happy Traum

VHS - $29.95 99 cents

DVD - $29.95
Pick and sing along with Happy Traum with these clear, easy, hands-on lessons. Happy teaches a wide variety of country and folk tunes in traditional banjo style. Learn right-hand picking patterns, hammer-ons, slides and pull-offs, and more. Songs: My Home's Across the Smoky Mountains, Handsome Molly, Cumberland Gap, Jesse James, Black-Eyed Susie, Banks of the Ohio. Includes music + Tab.

Level 1. 90 mins.
VHS - NTSC Format Only (Canada & USA)
DVD - All Region.

Banjo Arrangements of the Kingston Trio: Learn to Play 9 Classic Folk Songs Video

DVD Only - $29.95
A fun and easy lesson for those who love the signature sound of the Kingston Trio and want to sing and play their songs on their banjo. Veteran Kingston Trio member George Grove teaches classic folk hits Tom Dooley; M.T.A.; A Worried Man; Three Jolly Coachmen; Hard, Ain't It Hard; Corey, Corey and more. Beginner Level. Includes Tab.

90 mins.
DVD - All Region.

How to Play The 5-String Banjo Video

VHS - $29.95 99 cents

DVD - $29.95
Artist: Pete Seeger. With special guest appearance by Doc Watson. America's most beloved banjo picker teaches his techniques: up-picking, frailing, whamming, double-thumbing, hammering-on and pulling-off, two-finger and three-finger picking-plus more than a dozen songs. Produced by Smithsonian/Folkways and Homespun Video.

Includes Tab. Level 2. 60 mins.
VHS - NTSC Format Only (Canada & USA)
DVD - All Region.

Learning Tenor Banjo Video

DVD Only - $29.95
Artist: Buddy Wachter. Four-string banjo players tend to be fiercely devoted to one type of banjo or the other, so we have produced a separate video for each instrument. The tenor banjo has a shorter neck and higher, sharper sound than the plectrum, good for being heard in a band situation. This lesson includes theory, basic chord formations, picking and strumming exercises, plus other invaluable knowledge necessary for playing virtually any tune on the banjo.

Includes Chords & Music. Level 1.  60 mins.
DVD - All Region.

The Banjo According to John Hartford 1 Video

DVD Only - $29.95
Volume 1 of a 2 DVD set. The late John Hartford was the extraordinary fiddle and banjo man who danced, played and sang to delighted audiences at festivals and concerts around the nation and the world. A thoughtful and knowledgeable musician, John imparts a treasure-trove of ideas and techniques, and banjo arrangements to some of his most requested songs, including the classic hit “Gentle on My Mind.” Includes Tab.

Level 3.  60 mins.
DVD - All Region.

The Banjo According to John Hartford 2 Video

DVD Only - $29.95
Volume 2 picks up where Volume 1 left off. The late John Hartford was the extraordinary fiddle and banjo man who danced, played and sang to delighted audiences at festivals and concerts around the nation and the world. A thoughtful and knowledgeable musician, John imparts a treasure-trove of ideas and techniques, and banjo arrangements to some of his most requested songs, including the classic hit “Gentle on My Mind.” Includes Tab.

Level 3.  60 mins.
DVD - All Region.

The Banjo According to John Hartford 1 & 2 Video

DVD Only - $49.95
Complete two DVD set. See descriptions immediately above.
DVD - All Region.

Classic Bluegrass Banjo Solos Video

DVD Only - $29.95
Tony Trischka teaches eleven classic pieces, prime examples of banjo playing at its best. You'll learn them, note-for-note, just as they were played by some of the greatest players in the history of the instrument. By learning these tunes you'll not only expand your repertoire, but in the process will also become more flexible in your ability to mix up various rolls, play in several keys without a capo, and move more freely around the neck. Songs include: John Henry • Sitting on Top of the World • Gold Rush • Bye Bye Blues • Dixie Breakdown • and more.

60 mins.  Level 3. Tony Trischka
DVD - All Region.

DVD Only - $19.95
With his easy-to-follow, good humored manner, David Holt gets you started on 5-String Banjo. You will learn the parts of the banjo, how to hold it, and how to get it in tune ... and start to play! Learning simple chords, strums and basic clawhammer picking, David teaches traditional favorites.

45 minutes. Includes Tab. Level 1.
DVD - All Region.

DVD Only - $29.95
Artist: Pete Wernick. This video is perfect for those who have never touched a banjo before, but want to play the compelling sounds of bluegrass. 'Dr. Banjo' teaches basic chords, right-hand rolls and great tunes such as: Buffalo Gals • Mama Don't 'Low • Columbus Stockade • Shady Grove • Little Maggie • Lonesome Road Blues • Roll In My Sweet Baby's Arms • and many others.

DVD - 100 mins.
Includes Tab. Level 1.
DVD - All Region.

The Banjo of Eddie Adcock Video

VHS only - $29.95 99 cents
Eddie Adcock forged new pathways into traditional three-finger picking by developing a style that combines traditional Scruggs-style bluegrass with country, folk, jazz, blues, gospel and rockabilly sounds. On this fascinating lesson, Eddie takes some of his most requested instrumentals and analyzes the chord shapes and licks in a way that will open up new techniques and a myriad of ideas for learning pickers. Eddie teaches, in note-for-note detail, some of the banjo tunes that have been most requested over the years: Eddie's Bounce • Turkey Knob • Pallet on the Floor • Heartaches • and Bluebell.

75 minutes. Includes Tab. Level 4.
VHS - NTSC Format Only (Canada & USA)

DVD Only - $29.95
Author: Bill Keith. This lesson in basic music theory will help learning banjo players find melody and harmony notes and fully understand the fingerboard. Combining this knowledge with basic rolls, harmonized scales, pentatonic runs and licks, and more will allow anyone to develop powerful and creative bluegrass solos – by ear.

60 mins.
DVD - All Region.

All video tapes are VHS NTSC format (Canada & USA). See Video Formats to check which countries use NTSC, PAL or SECAM formats.  DVDs are All Region or Region 1 as marked.

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