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VHS Format
Recorded in High Fidelity Digital
1 Hour & 55 Minutes in Length (Almost 2 complete hours!)
Level: Beginning to Intermediate
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Copyright ®2002 Mickey Cochran

LEARNING TO PLAY BANJO SHOULD BE FUN AND EASY! THIS VIDEO PROVES THIS TO BE TRUE.

Here it is! The first instructional video on 5-String Banjo that focuses on playing banjo within most any setting. Learn how to play banjo within most any musical genre including: bluegrass, rock, country, blues, ragtime and jazz. Let this video lead you by the hand through exercise after exercise and make it easy to learn further melodies on your own...this video will prepare you to play with others by introducing how to combine roll patterns with chord progressions and develop the technique to play fast and slow leads.

  NEW! Instructional Video for 5-String Banjo

Above Photo: Mickey Cochran with his Deering Maple Blossom 5-String Banjo.
Photographer: Alex Kinnan.

Seven chapters in all covering the following and then some:

This video's objective is to offer a complete overview of the 5-String Banjo as it applies to most any style of music. From a basic point of view, offering set-up instructions and proper positioning for both right hand and left. With this video, you'll learn all of your basic chord positions, which covers two most common major keys, along with basic scale patterns. After learning how to properly use a capo, the positions you learn within the keys of G and C can easily be transposed to any key.

All basic Chord positions within the two most common keys of G and C are visually presented. After learning how to transpose with a capo, you'll be able to play within any key. Not only will you learn your chord positions and keys, you will also learn how to apply right-hand roll patterns to these chord positions giving you a wide array of pattern possibilities to apply while playing with others.

Additionally, this video introduces exercises that make the learning process far less frustrating. By the time you've accomplished the exercises, melodies become far easier to tackle. Basic exercises and advanced exercises are introduced throughout the video establishing a strong foundation for learning many other melodies on your own. One of the most revealing segments within this video is "New Dimensions in Banjo" which illuminates how the 5-String Banjo applies to most any style of music including: Bluegrass, Rock, Jazz, Ragtime, Blues and Classical. Currently, there are no banjo instructional videos that provides such a comprehensive approach to learning 5-String Banjo within most any genre of music imaginable.

A Banjo Introduction

Chapter I "Introduction and Overview"

1. Intro Tune: "Santa Fe Rails"
2. General Overview of the 5-String Banjo
3. Medium: Choice of Picks
4. Scheduling Practice
5. Practice Road Maps
6. Methodology Defined
7. What This Video Is About

Introduction Tune:
"Santa Fe Rail"
by Mickey Cochran

Chapter II "Learning to Tune"

1. Banjo Character: The 5th String
2. Demonstrating the Drone String
3. The Electronic Tuner Intro
5. Tuning to the Video
6. Relative Tuning
7. Learning to Play Harmonics
8. Proper Bridge Placement "Intonation"
9. Tuning Tools: Electronic Tuners
10. Tuning Tools: Adjusting Intonation
11. Methodology vs. Songbook

Chapter III "Foundations of Playing
the 5-String Banjo"

1. How to Properly Hold Your Banjo
2. Right-Hand Technique and Position
3. Left-Hand Technique and Position
4. Your First Exercise

Develop good habits from the start by learning to
properly hold your banjo.
Having a solid right-hand position will
increase your facility and ensure that
the learning process will be smooth and easy..
Having a solid left-hand position will increase your
facility for both speed and
better stretch.
Time to start developing technique.
Here's your first exercise that will lay the foundation
for becoming an accomplished banjo player.
Keep in mind your proper hand positions as you
approach this exercise.

Chapter IV
"Right-Hand Patterns"

1. Intro To Your First Rolls
2. The Forward Roll Two Variations
3. The Forward/Reverse Roll Two Variations
4. The Thumb In and Out Roll
5. The Backward Roll

Chapter V
"Chordal Exercises"

1. Your First Chordal Exercise "Key of G"
2. Key of G with Forward/Reverse Roll
3. Your Second Chordal Exercise "Key of C"
4. Key of C with Forward/Reverse Roll
5. Closed Position Chordal Exercises
6. G Chord Progression 2nd Position
7. Forward Roll Applied to the "Key of G"
8. Ragtime Chord Progression "Key of G"
9. Ragtime Chord Progression "Key of C"

Chapter VI
"Developing Technique"

1. Single String Technique
2. Scale Exercises
Keys of "C", "G", "D" and "A"
3. Closed Position Movable Scales
4. Single String Melodies
"Oh Susanna"
5. Chromatic Single String Exercise
6. Hammer-On, Pull-Off & Slide Exercises
7. "Will the Circle Be Unbroken"

Chapter VII
"New Dimensions in 5-String Banjo"

1. Demonstrating the Possibilities
2. Rock Banjo
3. Ragtime Banjo
4. Bluegrass Banjo
5. Jazz Banjo
6. Blues Banjo
7. Classical Banjo

Rock Banjo Demo—Demonstrating a Rock Piece
played in 3-finger style...As played on a
Deering Vega #2 Open-Back
Original Piece by Mickey Cochran
"Deering Rocks"

Ragtime Banjo Demo—Demonstrating a Ragtime
Chord Progression played in 3-finger style...
As played on a
Deering Boston Resonator Model
Tune Title:
"Salty Dog Blues"

Melodic Banjo Demo—Demonstrating a traditional fiddle piece played in 3-finger style...in both Melodic and Single String Style.
As played on a Deering Crossfire Electric Model
Tune Title: "Red Haired Boy"

Jazz Banjo Demo in the
Traditional Chord Melody Solo Style...
As played on a Deering Goodtime Special..
Tune Title: "Greensleeves"

Blues Banjo Demo played in 3-Finger Style...
As played on a Deering Vega #2
Tune Title: "Blues Indeed"

Classical Banjo Demo played in 3-Finger Style...
As played on a Deering Boston 5-String
Tune Titles: "Joy of Man's Desire" Bach
"Malagueña Variation"

Chapter VIII
"Other Tools for the 5-String Banjo"

1. The 5th String Capo
2. The Standard Capo

In closing:
Thanks for spending your time with me in learning to
play your 5-String Banjo.
I hope you've gained inspiration and have further desire
to progress in your Banjo
studies.
Hopefully I've accomplished my goal in providing a
methodology approach to
learning by including many daily exercises which
contribute to a solid foundation in becoming an
accomplished Banjo Player. Keep on Pickin''', Mickey

A Special Thanks to:

Barry Hunn with Deering Banjos
&
Deering Banjo Company

Instruments Used on This Video:

1. Deering Custom Maple Blossom
2. Deering Calico
3. Deering Goodtime Special
4. Deering Vega #2
5. Deering Crossfire Electric
6. Deering Boston
For further info on these Banjos
Contact: Deering Banjos
Phone: 619-464-8252
Web: www.deeringbanjos.com
3733 Kenora Drive
Spring Valley, CA 91977-1829
Contact: Morgan Monroe Banjos
Web: http://www.morganmonroe.com

Copyright ®2002 Mickey Cochran

All rights are reserved on this video for all audio files, all tunes,
all photography and all videography.
Please enquire if interested in reproducing this video for review...
and, thank you kindly for not reproducing without permission from the author.
Keep on Pickin', Mickey Cochran


Videography: Alex Kinnan
Production/Design: Mickey Cochran

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