How to Play the 5-String Banjo

by Pete Seeger

This is the basic manual for banjo players at any level. Covers all the fundamentals of strumming, hammering-on, and pulling-off. Includes folk and traditional songs all with melody line, lyrics, and banjo accompaniment, and solos in standard notation and tablature.

Genres: Music

72 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1962

About the author

Peter Seeger, better known as Pete Seeger, was a folk singer, political activist, and a key figure in the mid-20th century American folk music revival. As a member of the Weavers, he had a string of hits, including a 1949 recording of Leadbelly's "Goodnight Irene" that topped the charts for 13 weeks in 1950. However, his career as a mainstream performer was seriously curtailed by the Second Red Scare: he came under severe attack as a former member of the Communist Party of the United States of America. Later, he re-emerged on the public scene as a pioneer of protest music in the late 1950s and the 1960s.

He was perhaps best known as the author or co-author of the songs "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?", "If I Had a Hammer (The Hammer Song)", and "Turn, Turn, Turn!", which have been recorded by many artists both in and outside the folk revival movement and are still sung throughout the world. "Flowers" was a hit recording for The Kingston Trio (1962), Marlene Dietrich, who recorded it in English, German and French (1962), and Johnny Rivers (1965). "If I Had a Hammer" was a hit for Peter, Paul & Mary (1962) and Trini Lopez (1963), while The Byrds popularized "Turn, Turn, Turn!" in the mid-1960s. Seeger was also widely credited with popularizing the traditional song "We Shall Overcome", which was recorded by Joan Baez and many other singer-activists, and became the publicly perceived anthem of the 1960s American Civil Rights Movement soon after musicologist Guy Carawan introduced it at the founding meeting of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) in 1960.

Reviews

[Denis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I dabble with various types of musical instruments. As do most, when just a "tween" I started with guitar, started a band with school buddies and quickly got demoted to bass - which I have kept up ever since. I have since messed with the drums, the violin, mountain dulcimer (this one in particular is very fun to both play and build). Next came the mandolin and finally I came across a banjo. One day while browsing a used bookstore, I cam across a copy of Pete Seeger's "How to play the 5-String Banjo" (3rd 2002 Edition). This book is a true gem. Nothing like those old "Mel Bay" or "Suzuki"method books of my youth. It begins with a hand written introduction dated April 2002 by Mr. Seeger himself, then includes cool folky picking techniques for a variety of tunes to try. There are also little illustrated tidbits of the history of the instrument and various humorous fun facts penned by Mr. Seeger himself. The instrument is, for me, the most difficult of them all to learn, so it is fun just to thumb through this very cool book instead.

[Altivo Overo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent and practical introduction to 5 string banjo suitable for both experienced musicians approaching a new instrument and the absolute beginner. Seeger was a master of pop and folk music who is best known perhaps for the years he played with the Weavers. His approach here is concise and has not gone out of date.

[FIND ME ON STORYGRAPH]

Just browsed the 1954 edition, and it looks both helpful and hilarious, reading like an early Shel Silverstein satire. Seeger pokes fun at the fact that he refused to pay the $4 copyright fee, tells the reader to steal specific phonograph records for study, and just generally writes like the subversive weirdo he is.

[Rodolfo Pardi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this 5 string banjo manual in 1955, and since then it helped me play end enjoy folk music.

[Ken Blucker · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the copy and pasted block text 'zine format of this book. It looks and feels very DIY and captures a lot of Seeger's charm. As a how-to manual, it's not super helpful.

[Michael]

In the forward for the 2013 reprint, Seeger acknowledges any criticisms I have. It was interesting to read.