![]() ![]() I recommend allowing plenty of time to learn and practice the material, and it is helpful to memorize as much as you can. Puzzling over the Bright Star Banjo book…īright Star’s Banjo book is long and challenging. In addition to the two banjos, the Banjo book calls for an acoustic guitar, in standard E A D G B E tuning. I explain all of the necessary adjustments in the table below. It’s very clever and well thought out, but, as noted above, much of the information needed is missing from the Banjo book. Use of closed chords, avoiding the 5 th string.Use of two banjos, with two distinct tunings.Key changes during and between songs, and the more unusual key signatures (for a banjo) are managed in several different ways, including: ![]() Handling the changes is a little tricky and requires planning and careful timing. Like most Broadway musicals, Bright Star has plenty of key changes during songs, whereas key changes are relatively uncommon in banjo music. In the Broadway production, Bennett Sullivan used spikes. ![]() This can be accomplished using spikes, a 5 th dedicated string capo, or by manually re-tuning the 5 th string as needed, which I don’t recommend. Additionally, it is necessary to re-tune the 5 th string of each instrument frequently during the show. This isn’t an ideal arrangement, but it works if you have no other choice.Ĭapos are needed for both banjos. If you’re unable to procure a Long-Neck banjo, an alternative would be to use a Standard 5-String, with heavier gauge strings, tuned down to the E-tuning. This would eliminate most of the re-tuning of Banjo A, but isn’t really necessary. If you are spoilt for banjos, you could add a third – a standard 5-String tuned g D G B D, which would be used for the first three numbers in the show (#1: “If You Knew My Story”, #2: She’s Gone”, and #2A: “Scene Change”), the Entr’acte, and the Bows and Exit Music (#14, #24 and #25 respectively). ![]() Banjo B: Standard 5-String banjo, tuned g C G C D (Double-C tuning).Banjo A: Long-Neck banjo, tuned e B E G# B (E-tuning).Production poster for Taproot Theatre production of Bright Star, Seattle 2019. Guitarists trying to bluff their way through are in for a frustrating, miserable experience! Anyone seriously attempting to play the book requires competence in both three-finger and clawhammer techniques, the ability to read a musical theatre score, and a thorough knowledge of the banjo fretboard in multiple tunings. I also identify some of the more significant errors in the book (and a few in the Bright Star: Banjo iPad app).īefore diving into details I should emphasize that this is a challenging, idiomatic score for the banjo, made more difficult by the very poor quality of the Banjo score. Much of the required information is missing from the Banjo book, and I hope the information provided in this article will be useful to players preparing to perform the show. Instead this article provides practical information on equipment requirements and the management of tuning changes during the show. Given the lack of detail in the book, it isn’t worthwhile penning a detailed review of the book, as I have done for other shows. In a previous article ( Decoding the Bright Star Banjo Book) I described the many shortcomings of the Banjo book for Bright Star, and provided pointers on obtaining enough information and insight to play the parts properly. ![]()
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