Buzzard Banjo Clawhammer Style Tab book with companion CD
Includes twenty-five tunes: Beasties in the Sugar, Bitter Creek, Black Widow Romp, Booth Shot Lincoln, Briar Picker Brown, Doctor Doctor, Duck River, Flying Indian, Folding Down the Sheets, Forked Deer, Hangman¹s Reel, Katy Hill, Hell Amongst the Yearlings, Little Dutch Girl, Liza Poor Gal, Nail That Catfish to a Tree, Needlecase, Old Bell Cow, Snake River Reel, Texas Gals, Three Thin Dimes, Tilden, Wild Horses at Stony Point, Year of Jubilo and Young Guns and Miners. Each tune is recorded once slowly (exactly as written), and again up to speed with slight variation.

REVIEW by RD Lundsford of Banjo Newsletter

Mel Bay Presents Buzzard Banjo Clawhammer Style, book/CD package by Dan Levenson.
Review by R.D. Lunceford - Copy write Feb. 2001 BNL - Reprinted with permission of Banjo Newsletter.

There are very few people who are doing as much these days to promote the five-string banjo as Dan Levenson. Through his performances, recordings, articles, and especially his Meet the Banjo program, Dan has put himself out there and in touch with the public to help foster an awareness of, and appreciation for the banjo. If in a past life Dan had been a cavalry officer, you can bet your last five-dollar gold piece that he was the type that led the charge from the front.

Considering the fact that Dan is on the road about forty-five weeks a year giving performances and workshops, it is nothing short of astounding that he is able to do the amount of writing he has done. This time around we'll take a look at his Buzzard Banjo Clawhammer Style tab book and CD published by Mel Bay.

The book starts off with some introductory notes, and although it is not an instruction manual per se, includes a basic banjo primer and a very comprehensive set of exercises which include, double-thumbing, drop-thumbing, and single-thumb exercises. In addition, there are scales utilizing both double and drop-thumb techniques in both the standard G/A and double C/D tunings.

The main portion of the book consists of tabs to twenty-five tunes: Nineteen are traditional and the remainder are originals written by Hank Bradley, Dan himself and others. The tunes are tabbed out using TABrite software and are quite legible. Dan¹s tab is conventional and easy to understand & he also includes a few paragraphs on reading tablature in the introduction.

The selection of tunes is excellent. To be found here are tunes like The Old Bell Cow, Hell Amongst the Yearlings, and Little Dutch Girl - old-time classics that have been neglected in recent years for no good reason I can think of. The fact that these tunes and others like them are included here is a boon to the clawhammer banjoist in that he can expand his repertoire with traditional tunes that have stood the test of time.

Perhaps the most important part of this package is the CD included with the book. As I¹m sure most of you have heard many times, the best way to learn clawhammer banjo is to listen, listen, listen- the tab is only a guide. In Dan¹s book the comparison between the tab and the recording is most instructive. The tab is extremely accurate to what is on the CD, but the amazing thing is how all of those little numbers and lines are brought to life in Dan's playing. It is all of those little nuances that can not be reduced to writing that make for living breathing music, and thanks to the tab and CD combination the player is able to witness this transformation first hand. The CD contains all twenty-five tunes contained in the book (including Beasties in the Sugar, Bitter Creek, Black Widow Romp, Booth Shot Lincoln, Briar Picker Brown, Doctor Doctor, Duck River, Flying Indian, Folding Down the Sheets, Forked Deer, Hangman¹s Reel, Katy Hill, Liza Poor Gal, Nail That Catfish to a Tree, Needlecase, Snake River, Texas Gals, Three Thin Dimes, Tilden, Wild Horses at Stony Point, Year of Jubilo and Young Guns and Miners). Each tune is recorded twice-once slowly (exactly as written), and a second time, played up to speed with slight variation and additional technique, but still for all intents and purposes the same as the tab.

Similarly enlightening are the actual settings of the tunes. When I first browsed through the book, I noted that some of the arrangements seemed very melodic while others seemed to be conventional clawhammer settings. Once again, this is where the CD proves invaluable because this seeming inconsistency is only a surface impression dispelled immediately upon hearing Dan render the tunes. He plays in a completely consistent and unified style by virtue of his right hand control, which allows him to produce a highly rhythmic yet melodically developed style suited to both solo and group playing. What we are seeing here is the technique of a master banjo player who knows just what is required to bring out the potential of each tune, rather than someone who mechanically applies a set formula to each and every piece.

I was impressed by Dan's choice of banjos for the recording-he uses a Deering Goodtime Banjo (which is the banjo he uses in his Meet the Banjo program). I had not heard one before, and its tone could only be described as crystal clear and well suited to clawhammer-style playing. There has been an ongoing obsession in the old-time community with vintage banjos that can at times tend towards snobbery. The Deering Goodtime on the CD is yet another example of the viability of an inexpensive yet well-constructed banjo in the hands of an experienced player.

In closing, I would recommend Buzzard Banjo Clawhammer Style to players of all levels: Although the settings would likely be too advanced for the rank beginner. It is never too early to begin listening to good banjo playing, and the comparison of tab to recording is especially instructive Also, the right-hand exercises in the beginning of the book are well worth the effort. Most of all, for intermediate players concerned with developing the stylistic elements of their playing, this is a prime opportunity to observe in depth the playing of one of today¹s leading players. Seasoned players will also profit from the opportunity to expand the repertoires and possibly pick up a few techniques they may not yet be acquainted with.

I was disappointed by only one thing: I wish that the book had been entitled Buzzard Banjo, Volume 1, then we'd have volume two to look forward to.

Finally, in his introductory notes, Dan recognizes the Deering Banjo Company, Bubba Hutch and The Banjo NewsLetter and I would like to echo this. These folks have all contributed to the banjo world immeasurably: Deering through their support of Meet the Banjo, Bubba through his past articles and encouragement to all banjo players (if it wasn't for Bubba, I wouldn't be writing for BNL), and to Banjo NewsLetter for their single-minded devotion to the banjo world.

. R.D. Lunceford, PO Box 505 Brush Prairie, WA 98606, dropthumbbanjo@cs.com