4 comments on “Banjo Music Reading Part 1”
Add yours →
Comments are closed. You can not add new comments.
Perfect…
HI Ron,
Great article. Continuous improvement is never easy but necessary.
Looking forward to part 2.
So, I’m a retired classical musician (horn) who has taken up banjo as a fun hobby. I can read music well, obviously, but don’t play banjo very well at all, yet. A local concert band is playing Rhapsody in Blue this year and looking for a banjo player. I’ve seen a bit of the music, and it sure doesn’t look anything like the banjo music I’ve seen. My question is, does the banjoist just play the notes that are written there, or is he/she rolling on those chords? I’ve legitimately never even noticed a banjo part in any recording I’ve ever heard… Just wondering if I’d be good enough to cover that part or not. (also, is it written for a tenor banjo?) Thanks for any info you can pass along!
Andrew; Excellent! I’ve gotten to play that part (but that’s a long story). Yes, it is for tenor banjo, and it is strummed with a flat pick, not rolled; if this is a new technique for you, I would be glad to help in any way possible. The original recording was by the Paul Whiteman Orchestra; Michael Pingatore was their banjoist, but you rarely hear him in any recordings. His role was to provide a solid rhythm for the orchestra, but apparently they didn’t believe in letting the audience hear him!
Perfect…
HI Ron,
Great article. Continuous improvement is never easy but necessary.
Looking forward to part 2.
So, I’m a retired classical musician (horn) who has taken up banjo as a fun hobby. I can read music well, obviously, but don’t play banjo very well at all, yet. A local concert band is playing Rhapsody in Blue this year and looking for a banjo player. I’ve seen a bit of the music, and it sure doesn’t look anything like the banjo music I’ve seen. My question is, does the banjoist just play the notes that are written there, or is he/she rolling on those chords? I’ve legitimately never even noticed a banjo part in any recording I’ve ever heard… Just wondering if I’d be good enough to cover that part or not. (also, is it written for a tenor banjo?) Thanks for any info you can pass along!
Andrew; Excellent! I’ve gotten to play that part (but that’s a long story). Yes, it is for tenor banjo, and it is strummed with a flat pick, not rolled; if this is a new technique for you, I would be glad to help in any way possible. The original recording was by the Paul Whiteman Orchestra; Michael Pingatore was their banjoist, but you rarely hear him in any recordings. His role was to provide a solid rhythm for the orchestra, but apparently they didn’t believe in letting the audience hear him!