Do you play any tenor banjo as well. I find it lends itself so beautifully to the Bach Cello Suites which I love to play in 4ths and 5ths tuning on double bass, bass guitar and tenor banjo. After majoring on clarinet in university I switch many years later to string instruments and a long career playing jazz and classical, but I try to end my day with Bach to take to a place where no other composer takes me. Thanks for your work here.

The first thing I point out to students who come from an instrument like the piano is that you can play a note in a given octave on only one key on the piano whereas you may be able to play that same note on 3 or 4 strings on the banjo, based on where the string is fretted. This is where tablature comes in. But as pointed out in the video, "tab can't teach tone." It is a set of mechanical instructions.

Thank you for your work promoting music literacy and classical genres on the banjo!

I'm grabbing my copy of the Bradbury book (which has been sitting on the shelf for years untouched) and getting to work. Thanks!

I'm a big fan of Frank Bradbury and am glad to see you recommending his 1967 book. His earlier book (which I have scanned and made available on the Internet Archive) goes into more detail on chord structure and harmony. Hidden in this book is Bradbury's bag of tricks or "licks" that he used in his arrangements. For those who have not heard him play, search his name on KZbin as there are some recordings posted. Most of the pieces/exercises in the book were directly ripped off from classic era source material. I am finalizing an article where I detail where he got most of the pieces including their original publications (a few I have not been able to locate or connect to anything). One other detail to mention, the vast majority of the classic banjo repertoire is in Public Domain where as zero bluegrass pieces are in public domain. So it is fair game to record, perform, or use to create new works from, were bluegrass carries with it legality and copyright issues. While it might be a little advanced, a warning about A notation vs C notation might be in order. This has/will cause no end of confusion to people new to the banjo and some period accounts actually attributed the A/C situation to being a large factor in the banjo falling out of popularity for pick played variants.

John, nice job! solid instruction.

Thank you for posting this. While I have not had any formal training, I have been finding that I find fulfillment in playing solo pieces… as opposed to playing in a bluegrass jam. I thought I was alone in this until I rewatched this video… I find that writing and playing a complete solo work is similar to writing a short story. There is an intricate web which attaches the intro to the body and closures. I have even had the pleasure of composing my own pieces (Check me out on KZbin) which are complete solo works. As I progress technically, I hope to further expand these types of pieces. Thank you for what you present to the world.

John, in Frank’s book, Bare fingers or finger picks? Thanks, Doc

I've used violin and flute books. I'd be curious as to what some of these oboe works sound like on the banjo.

Great video John. Please keep making more videos like this

I totally agree!

John, these videos are fantastic! They are a godsend for those of us trying to dabble in classical music. Keep ‘em coming!!!

Very helpful! Thank you!

Great topic! I'm going through the Frank Bradbury book right now, and it's great. A lot of information, and some great tunes in there. Aaron Jonah Lewis also has a few videos here on YT where he goes through the beginning of the book.

Thanks John, I did the same with mandolin - I love the idea of a truly solo (self contained) instrument. Thanks for sharing 👏👏👏👏👏🙏🏿

Tx you M.Bullard for showing this to us. Always amazing perfection playing.

Great job John. I’ve learned part of it.

Best version of this piece. Simply Wow effect.

Aaaahhh screw it, I bought the book after I saw the PDF sample in your description. I’m a piano player diving into banjo so this kind of practice speaks to me. I don’t plan on playing classical, but I’d like to be able to noodle in every key along to my own recordings, or other musicians. Excited to check it out, thanks for the video.

This seems like fun I’ll give it a shot thank you.

But classic banjo is usually tuned gCGBD

Hi John! Just found your channel today! I knew Fred Boyce when he lived for a while in Patrick County, VA close to Stuart. We'd talk banjo playing every time he came in the store where I worked. I doubt he remembers me, but I love his banjo playing. I wonder how he's doing now. Great finding your channel and I look forward to more of your videos. I think it would be cool to learn some classical music and incorporate it into my playing. Cheers!

What is the difference between three banjos?

Your trills are a wonder. Must have taken some serious woodshedding to get them like that.

beautiful

This is one of my favorite lute pieces. I’d love to see you play some Dowland and Purcell on the banjo one day.

Great! Love that banjer!

Have you heard Bela Fleck's rendition of Dans Macabre? It's amazing. Tchaikovsky is also great on Banjo, but I think anything from Bach's Well Tempered Clavier are going to be perfect.

Beautiful playing, John. Thanks for sharing

Nice sounding but strange looking guitar leading the way. The conductor might want to look into a different kind of crutch. Developing calluses on an armpit is a torture no one should have to endure. BTW look for ergonomic handles to avoid further injury.

I confess that until this moment I had never realized that a banjo can sound very much like a lute.

yep very nice🤘

Very nice!

Beautiful ❤

How about credit where it’s due? Much of this tune was tabbed in Pete Seeger’s book. I learned it from him in 1975!

I love Bach and the way it sounds on banjo, would love more books, tutorials, etc!

Beautifully played, John.

Very impressive. I really like your tone!

Nice Q&A John, would love to watch more of these from you. Your music continues to inspire me (considering trying my hands at Couperin’s Mysterious Barricades next) and I listen to your classical albums regularly still. Best, Dan Declan

This is better than any Ted talk ever.

Great video. Before I even pressed play the thing that jumped into my head as well was that timbre-wise the banjo is basically a cross between a harpsichord and a lute/oud.

I played classical guitar for many year until arthritis made it exceedingly difficult to continue. I picked up the banjo a few years back and discovered that the mechanics of the instrument made it less stressful on the finger joints. I picked up a couple of books including your "Bach for the Banjo" collection. Thank you for your transcriptions!

Wonderful playing! I can listen to you for hours. I especially love the way your volume goes up and down at various points it adds such an atmosphere to the music.

Beautiful!

Thanks John. I hope to see more videos from you in the future

I use your Bach book on a regular basis to augment my bluegrass playing. It's great for getting out of the "same old" routine of a particular style. It also allows one to imagine that they are a deep thinker, a great talent as they navigate the complexities of Bach. I jest. Hopefully another book of Bach for the banjo is coming in the future.

Thank you so much. You answered many of the questions I've had about your aproach since i found out about you several years ago. You are an inspiration to many, and I wish you many more years of success and influence.

Great! Just got the book and an extra copy for my banjo mentor of 50 years ago!

Very logical and consistent fingerings.......Cool! Will get to work on this:)

John, I met you several years ago at Richie’s shop. Been a follower since then, and just want to say thanks for doing this book.