Description

The Songs Everybody Plays — and Multiple Ways to Play Each One.

At some point, every banjo player has the same realization: playing one break to a song isn’t enough. The fiddle player takes a solo, the guitar player takes a solo, and then they look at you again. If you only know one arrangement, you play the same thing twice and it sounds like you’re stuck in a loop. What you need is multiple ways to play the same song — different breaks, different positions on the neck, different levels of complexity.

That’s exactly what the Classic Banjo Songbook gives you. Eleven of the most-played songs in bluegrass, each with three different breaks: a down-the-neck beginner arrangement, an up-the-neck intermediate arrangement, and in some cases an advanced version that will turn heads at a jam. Thirty-three breaks total, all with full tab, right and left hand fingering, chord symbols, and over 6 hours of video instruction from Geoff Hohwald.

The 11 Songs You’ll Learn

These are the songs that get called at every bluegrass jam, festival, and pickin’ circle in the country. With three breaks to each one, you’ll never run out of things to play:

• Dueling Banjos — movie version and advanced version
• The Ballad of Jed Clampett — the Beverly Hillbillies theme that made the banjo famous
• Rocky Top — down and up the neck
• John Hardy — down and up the neck
• Wildwood Flower — down and up the neck
• Man of Constant Sorrow — the O Brother classic
• Rollin’ in My Sweet Baby’s Arms — down and up the neck
• Old Joe Clark — the American folk standard
• Amazing Grace — up the neck arrangement
• I’ll Fly Away — down and up the neck
• Will the Circle Be Unbroken — down and up the neck

What Makes This Book Different

Most banjo songbooks give you one arrangement per song and move on. This book gives you three — and that’s not just about having more material. Learning the same song at different positions on the neck teaches you how the fretboard works in a way that disconnected exercises never do. By the time you’ve learned the down-the-neck and up-the-neck versions of Rocky Top, you understand the neck in two positions and you can start connecting them. That’s how real fluency on the banjo develops.

Every arrangement includes:

• Full banjo tablature with right and left hand fingering
• Measure numbers for easy reference during video lessons
• Chord symbols so a guitar player can accompany you
• Jam tracks for practicing at tempo with a band

How the Course Works

• 1. Watch Geoff teach each break. Over 6 hours of detailed video instruction, with Geoff demonstrating every break note by note and playing at multiple speeds.
• 2. Read the tab. 75 pages of full tablature with fingering, measure numbers, and chord symbols.
• 3. Play along with the jam tracks. Audio tracks for every song so you can practice each break with a band backing you up.

Who This Book Is For

This book spans multiple skill levels by design. The down-the-neck breaks are accessible to advanced beginners who’ve worked through the Banjo Primer and the Easy Banjo Songbook. The up-the-neck breaks push into intermediate territory. And a few of the advanced arrangements will challenge even experienced players. You’ll grow into this book over time, which is part of what makes it such a good value.

Who Geoff Is, and Why That Matters

Geoff Hohwald has been playing banjo since 1964 — back when Columbus, Ohio was a genuine bluegrass hot spot — and studied under John Hickman. He’s performed with two of Bill Monroe’s guitar players, shared stages with Red Allen, Frank Wakefield, and Hylo Brown, played with the Atlanta Pops Orchestra, and co-founded the Greater Atlanta Bluegrass Band. Six decades of playing these exact songs at jams, festivals, and on stage means Geoff doesn’t just know the arrangements — he knows which versions work best in real playing situations.

Geoff also runs Banjo Warehouse, our sister shop in Yellow Springs, Ohio and Atlanta, Georgia, where he’s been buying, selling, and setting up banjos since 1980.

Buy Direct. Skip the Warehouse.

When you order from GeoffHohwald.com, you’re buying directly from us — a small family business in Yellow Springs, Ohio. Your book is packed and shipped by people who actually play banjo, and if you have a question about a lesson, Geoff is the one who answers the email.

• ✔ Signed by Geoff on request — add a note at checkout
• ✔ Direct access to the author if you get stuck on a lesson
• ✔ Your purchase supports a small family business, not a warehouse
• ✔ Ships from Yellow Springs, Ohio, usually within one business day

Product Details

• Format: Paperback, 75 pages
• Includes: Free online video and audio access (6+ hours of video, plus jam tracks)
• Songs: 33 breaks to 11 classic bluegrass songs
• Level: Advanced beginner to intermediate
• Style: 5-string Scruggs-style bluegrass banjo
• ISBN: 978-1940301457
• Ships from: Yellow Springs, Ohio, USA

Where This Fits in Geoff’s Catalog

• Before this book:
• Banjo Primer for Beginners → Easy Banjo Songbook
• → You are here: Classic Banjo Songbook — 33 breaks to 11 songs, up and down the neck.
• Also explore:
• Intro to Banjo Rhythm & Backup — learn to play behind other musicians.
• Easy Banjo Gospel Songbook — 8 gospel favorites with sing-along melodies.