Learn to Play Bluegrass Banjo and Fiddle!

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NEW for 2010! DVDs are coming your way!

Due to your requests, DVDs are now available! The Learn Beginning Banjo 1 DVD is completed 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 both fiddle & banjo, and we will be producing DVDs for other instruments as well!

The Beginning Bluegrass Banjo 1 DVD will cover 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 actual clips from the DVD:

NEW for 2010! Backup (practice) CDs now 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.

The backup CD for fiddle includes these songs: Bile Them Cabbage, Flop Eared Mule, Amazing Grace, Old Joe Clark, Tennessee Waltz, Soldier's Joy, Faded Love, Peekaboo Waltz, Red Wing and Down Yonder. The backup CD for banjo includes these songs: Bile Them Cabbage, Cripple Creek, Banjo in the Hollow, Shuckin' the Corn, Foggy Mountain Breakdown, Duelin' Banjos, Bill Cheatham, I'll Fly Away, Ballad of Jed Clampitt (Beverly Hillbillies) and Blackberry Blossom.

ARE YOU READY FOR SUCCESS?
YOU'VE COME TO THE RIGHT PLACE!

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.

NEED TO KNOW HOW TO CHOOSE / PURCHASE A FIDDLE OR A BANJO?

Due to the many requests I have received, I have added several new links to this website with information on purchasing fiddles and banjos. They answer questions about buying new, used and vintage instruments, and even give some suggestions as to where to purchase an instrument. For fiddle, take a look here for all the details. For banjo, take a look here.

VINTAGE FIDDLES / VIOLINS NOW AVAILABLE IN ALL SIZES!

Are you looking for a violin or fiddle for you, your child or special one? LearnBluegrass.com has partnered up with Bluegrass Shack Productions to offer you some of the finest, vintage instruments available. Take a look at www.thebluegrassshack.com/fullviolins.html for photos, descriptions and prices.