ACUTAB
Created by Dennis Cyporyn
Preface from the book: The material presented here has been extracted from a
much larger complete theory book I have been compiling for a long time. As of
this writing, I have assembled several hundred pages that unravel music theory
in both banjo tablature and music notation. The concepts of the collection include
practical application, tried and proven classical concepts, chords with restacked
inversions, arpeggios, modes, interval study, other tunings and a lot more.
"Unlike a piano with only one middle C, the banjo has three"
Concepts like this have made it necessary for a thorough investigation and complete
explanation. That's why music notation and banjo tablature are both necessay.
The best presentation I've seen is found in the Earl Scruggs book, published
in 1968 (Peer International). Wasn't that before computers? Well, I've found
a way to present this music/tab on my computer.In most cases, I've included left
hand positions and note names to encourage reading music. This excerpt focuses
on single string scales and arpeggios, then applying them to several beautiful
Bach minutes. For most, it will be a different approch to the five string banjo.
All four compositions are in the key of G and in G tuning.
Songs Included:
Minuet in G Major
Minuet in G Minor
Minuet in G Arpeggio
Bach to The Beach in G Major
(Written by Dennis Cyporyn)
Dennis Cyporyn is a well-known Michigan bluegrass picker and band leader. In
1972 he wrote "The Bluegrass Songbook," the very first bluegrass song-collection
to ever be published by a mainstream press; it remained in print for +20 years.
He also taught bluegrass banjo at Elderly Instruments for several years. Dennis
started out as a sideman in the Sunnysiders, then headed up both the Dennis Cyporyn
Band and the more contemporary-oriented Lonesome & Blue Band. Of late he
has devoted himself to bluegrass composition, and he now has a degree on the
subject from Oakland University. His most recent recording is "The Dennis
Cyporyn Band: Duet to Quintet."