Book Review: The Bob Dylan Banjo Chord Songbook

The banjo has been associated with bluegrass and country music longer than a half century, but many contemporary artists have assimilated the banjo sound into their works.  Banjo has been used on rare occasions to add a distinct flavor to a tune by numerous “non-bluegrass” artists such as Neil Young, the Eagles, Buffalo Springfield, and even, believe it or not, Led Zeppelin amongst others.  Progressive genre bending groups such as the Punch Brothers, Mumford and Sons,  Avette Brothers and Dropkick Murphy use the banjo as a regular member of their ensembles.  Bela Fleck and Tony Trishka have always made the banjo feel comfortable in every imaginable style for years.  They have proven time and time again that banjo can be played in any musical setting if done with taste.

That was why I was excited to receive the Bob Dylan Banjo Chord Songbook for review.  Though Dylan isn’t associated with banjo, his folk style lends itself very naturally to the instrument.  I was willing and able to give it a go.

Upon cracking open the book, I was initially disturbed by one thing.  It is nothing but lyrics and chords!  Of course, the title of the book says it all – The Banjo Chord Songbook – no false advertising.  So, I suppose this is as good a time to confess my frustration.  “I am a tab-aholic.”  There, I got it out and I feel better.   I realized that I wasn’t going to have a collection of canned banjo arrangements of Dylan tunes spoon fed to me.  Tab lovers, stick with me, though, because this collection is a very good thing for us.  Time to review the book.

The volume consists of thirty well-known and some not so well known tunes from Dylan’s extensive canon.  I began by thumbing through the book and experimenting with the chord progressions.  At the top of each song are the chord boxes showing suggested banjo fingerings to begin with.  I used these songs as chord exercises, and continued experimenting with different chord shapes up and down the neck.  No CD is included, but I’m sure many of you still have 8 track tapes of the originals!  (I actually had reel to reels)  I went ahead and set up a playlist on Spotify and arranged the tunes in the same order as the book so that I could play along without stopping.  Well, I have to admit that I had the time of my life with my own personal Bob Dylan jam session.

I began by simply strumming along with the tunes.  Of course, I didn’t have Earl to compete with, so I could blend with my banjo as comfortably as I was able as I wrestled with the chord progressions of each new tune.  Being folk and folk-rock arrangements, the tunes were not at the break neck speed we associate with the more virtuosic bluegrass music we aspire to play.  Dylan, being a poetic songwriter, often wrote many verses, so I had numerous opportunities to get the chord progressions right by the end.  Adding rolls and simple flourishes were not hard as the tunes progressed.  It was not long before I lost sense of time and had played every tune in the book.  The only breaks were waiting for Spotify to air their sporadic commercials. (I haven’t committed to subscribe yet)

I have since gone back and played through many of the tunes once again.  On each subsequent “jam”,  the familiarity of the selections allowed me to offer more substantial musical back up and accompaniment.  I don’t know if Bob would have been pleased, but it added to my own confidence as I built up my repertoire.  I also worked up my own arrangements beyond simple rolls and strums with Dylan standards such as “Blowin’ in the Wind”,  “If Not For You”, and of course “The Times They Are A Changin’”.   There is no better way to improve technique and musicianship than by figuring out a tune by ear, adding rolls, chords and flourishes, and ultimately having a rollicking good time playing these old favorites.

One last word concerning this book.  There are numerous sites on the web where you can get chords and lyrics for almost any song in existence.  These tunes are no exception.  The beauty is having them all in one volume printed in a clear, easy to read format.  I highly recommend this book, or any book, for that matter, that contains songs that you love that don’t necessarily feature or even include the banjo.   Your brain and your banjo technique will thank you for stretching it, and you will be surprised on how well you will start adapting to the style.  Now I suppose we only have to wait for the Led Zeppelin banjo songbook to emerge!

Review of "Five String Banjo Tips" by Fred Sokolow