At www.LearnBluegrass.com, we have the perfect instructional materials for every beginner. In fact, we specialize in beginners. Every song is explained and played in detail, then played at several different speeds so that you can follow along. Each lesson builds on the previous lessons, and you will find our versions will get you going right from the beginning. And when we say slow, we mean SLOW! This is the #1 complaint heard from people who buy instructional materials (especially banjo).

WHO IS THE INSTRUCTOR?

Chris Talley Armstrong is the instructor and musician. She has been teaching publicly and privately for more than 25 years. She has taught in the private school system (choir, band and music courses), in music stores, and privately in her home. She has also done many workshops, including the jam workshop with Pete Wernick (Springfield, IL), Midwest Bluegrass Festivals, MABC, Prince Edward Island (Canada), Gateway Dulcimer Festival, and many others! She has won numerous banjo and fiddle contests, including the ITCMA Illinois State Championship on both fiddle and banjo. She is the leader of the band The Chris Talley Trio.

Beginning Bluegrass Banjo 1 DVD

Due to your requests, DVDs are now available! The Learn Beginning Banjo 1 DVD is complete and ready for sale, and the Learn Beginning Fiddle 1 DVD is in production. We plan on adding the 2nd DVD in the series to fiddle, and we will be producing DVDs for other instruments as well!

The Beginning Bluegrass Banjo 1 DVD covers these important beginning topics: * Tuning * Right Hand Position * Left Hand Position * Picks * Rolls & Licks * Basic Chords * Tips & Tricks * Five Different Songs! * Tabs to Every Song!

Songs on the DVD include: Bile Them Cabbage Down (3 variations), Banjo in the Hollow, Cripple Creek, Foggy Mountain Breakdown, and Shuckin' the Corn. Every song is described in detail, so you don't need any tab to learn! However, because some folks really benefit from tab, I have included the tab to every song on the CD here on this website for you to download. Click Here to go to the Banjo Tabs page. The DVD is over 100 minutes running time and is designed to help the most basic beginner learn how to play 3-finger bluegrass banjo.

Take a look below to see an actual clip from the DVD:

Easy Banjo Tunes 1

The second DVD is now available for banjo! Even if you haven't finished the first DVD, you will be able to get started on a few of the songs in the second DVD. Blackberry Blossom and Turkey in the Straw are two songs that use few left-hand techniques, so you will have success with these while improving your slides and hammer-ons in other songs. The Easy Banjo Tunes 1 DVD is complete and ready for sale!

The Easy Banjo Tunes 1 DVD shows you how to play these five songs: * Blackberry Blossom * Old Joe Clark * Bill Cheatham * Clinch Mountain Backstep * Turkey in the Straw * Tabs to Every Song!

Every song is described in detail, so you don't need any tab to learn! However, because some folks really benefit from tab, I have included the tab to every song on the DVD here on this website for you to download. Click Here to go to the Banjo Tabs page. The DVD is over 60 minutes running time and is designed to help the most basic beginner learn how to play 3-finger bluegrass banjo.

Take a look below to see an actual clip from the DVD:

Backup (practice) CDs also available!

All the songs that are on the Learn Bluegrass Banjo CDs 1&2 and the Learn Bluegrass Fiddle CDs 1&2 are now available on an audio CD for you to practice along with. The audio CD has split tracks so you can hear the guitar on one track and the banjo or fiddle on the other track. This allows you to make either instrument louder or softer to suit your needs. This is a great way to get used to playing with others in the comfort and ease of your own home! Learn to keep going when you make a mistake, and learn to keep your rhythm steady as you play. These CDs will definitely help you! The speed is moderate -- not real fast and not real slow.