Phil Rice's 1858 Method for the Banjo

This book is considered the first in-depth method book ever published for learning to play the 5-string banjo. First appearing in 1858, Phil Rice’s 1858 Method for the Banjo was written in standard notation in the tuning (eAEG#B). Kyle Gray Young has meticulously transcribed 64 solos from the original keys and notation to clear, easy-to-read tablature in modern C tuning; 15 of these solos also appear in G tuning. Since the intervals between strings are the same in the C or A tunings, these tablature editions are also playable on replica banjos in the 19th-century tuning.


In addition to its 64 solos, this Mel Bay edition features a complete transcription of the original step-by-step method on how to play stroke-style banjo as it was presented in 1858, but again—in modern tablature with online audio. 


Some of these wonderful melodies haven’t been heard since the Civil War era. It’s time to bring them back to life!