Favorite Classical 5-String Banjo Solos

This collection of twenty classical masterworks was created for advanced 5-string banjo players who use the 3-finger picking style. The pieces vary in length and complexity from a short Boccherini minuet to Bach’s monumental “Chaconne” from the Partita No. 2 in D minor. Regardless of duration, each piece has been carefully chosen for its beauty as a solo and for its capacity to provide an interesting challenge. Each selection is accompanied by insightful performance notes and will give any player ample material to practice along the road to mastery. The adaptations are generally as faithful as possible to the original material, with deviations only where the limited range of the banjo requires them. Each arrangement has been meticulously optimized for musicality and playability, making full use of the entire fretboard and all five strings. The music is presented in an enhanced banjo tablature format closely resembling classical guitar music, with left and right-hand fingering and dynamics suggestions throughout. With one exception for a minor key, the tablature is written in gDGBD tuning. To facilitate learning and ensure playability, the author has provided online recordings of these exacting arrangements.