Easy Banjo
Overview
The music in our Easy Banjo series includes single line melodies and simplified chords (where possible). Most of the music is suitable for someone who has been taking lessons for at least 6 to 12 months (the time will vary based on your progress). A total beginner may be able to play some of the music as well, but will likely require more time.
What Is Included
Music in our Easy Banjo series includes:
- Melody in notation and banjo tablature
- Lyrics if the original music includes words
- Banjo chord diagrams above the music
Required Skills
- Basic first position chords. You should be able to play these chords and switch between them easily. We try to limit the speed and number of chord changes, but this isn't always possible.
- Ability to read tablature. You will also benefit from the ability to read standard notation to help with the rhythms.
- Ability to play notes in first position with occasional position shifts to play notes higher on the neck.
- Ability to play simple rhythms. Most rhythms are simple, but you may encounter triplets, 16th notes, or other moderately challenging rhythms in some songs. It isn't possible to simplify these in all cases. Some titles may include more complex rhythms, faster tempos, etc. These may not be suitable for all players, but are still relatively easy because they have only a single line for the melody.
Chords
Below is an overview of how chords are chosen for this series:
Preserving the Character of the Music - More complex chords are simplified where it's possible to do so without compromising the character of the music. However, this isn't always feasible due to the complexity of the music. Some music changes keys or mode, while other music would sound much different if certain chords were changed or omitted. The choice for some songs is between simplifying chords so much that it doesn't sound like the original music or having more difficult chords. We try to strike a balance between these things as much as possible, but the priority for this series is always on the melody. This occasionally means that the chords exceed the difficulty of the melody.
Simplified Chords - Chords for some songs have been simplified as much as possible, but the progressions and frequency of changes may still pose a challenge. Other music already includes simple chords, so no changes are necessary.
Chord Changes - A basic guideline we follow is to try to avoid more frequent changes than half notes in 4/4 at a moderate tempo. This isn't always possible where frequent chord changes are essential to the sound of the music. Simple chords or slower tempos may allow for more frequent changes.
Included Chords - Chords are generally limited to simpler first position chords such as C, D, E, F, G, A, Dm, Em, Am, C7, D7, E7, G7, and A7. Songs may occasionally include sus2, sus4, m7, and other similar chords that have easy fingerings. Barre chords or other more difficult chords are only used when there is no alternative.
Keys
Keys are selected based on their suitability for banjo. The most commonly-used keys include C major, D major, F major, G major, E minor, and A minor.
The primary focus is on putting the melody in an easy key for banjo. This occasionally means the music is in a key that isn't as easy for singers.
Lyrics
We try to include up to 5 or 6 verses of lyrics within the music. Other lyrics may be included as text at the end of the music. Some lyrics may be omitted, but this is usually done only when there are too many verses to easily include (e.g., songs that include dozens of verses).
Lyrics may vary from the version you know. A small number of songs include many variations in lyrics, none of which are standardized. It isn't always possible to create a version of these lyrics that is familiar to everyone.
Some titles may be reduced to a single verse of lyrics in order to keep the music simple. This is generally only done when the rhythms for each verse varies enough that the music would become too complex for a less experienced player.
Melody
Our priority for melodies is to make them easy to play on banjo. Vocal range is a secondary consideration. We do try to avoid including notes that are too high or low, but some songs have a wide enough range that this isn't possible.
Some melodies are arranged in melodic style. This is an approach where each successive note in the music is placed on a different string as much as possible. It allows faster or more complex music to be played more easily than if the notes were placed on the same string. This article provides more information about this style of playing.
Rhythms, Tempo, and Time Signatures
Complex rhythms are simplified where possible. For example, we may double the value of rhythms in order to avoid 16th notes. This isn't always feasible for all situations.
Tempos are editorial suggestions in most cases. Feel free to choose your own tempo.
More difficult time signatures such as 6/8 may be changed to 3/4 when it results in simpler rhythms. This isn't done in all cases since some rhythms may become more difficult with this type of change.
Position Shifts
Position shifts (moving from one place on the neck to another) are limited as much as possible. Some titles can only be played with a position shift due to the range of the music. This only happens in a small number of titles.
Inclusion of More Difficult Music
Note that some music is included in this series even if it is more challenging than the rest of the music in the series. This allows titles to be included in collections that would otherwise be omitted. For example, some music by John Philip Sousa (in the American Patriotic Songs for Easy Banjo ebook) is more challenging. However, it is left in because they do have some easier sections including main themes. This also allows us to offer more comprehensive coverage of a particular category rather than leaving out a few titles that are more difficult. This only affects a small number of titles.