This book is considered the first in-depth method book ever published for learning to play the 5-string banjo. First appearing in 1858, Phil Rice's 1858 Method for the Banjo was written in standard notation in the tuning (eAEG#B). Kyle Gray Young has meticulously transcribed 64 solos from the original keys and notation to clear, easy-to-read tablature in modern C tuning; 15 of these solos also appear in G tuning. Since the intervals between strings are the same in the C or A tunings, these tablature editions are also playable on replica banjos in the 19th-century tuning.In addition to its 64 solos, this Mel Bay edition features a complete transcription of the original step-by-step method on how to play stroke-style banjo as it was presented in 1858, but again--in modern tablature with online audio. Some of these wonderful melodies haven't been heard since the Civil War era. It's time to bring them back to life!