Jim Bottorff's Banjo Page
Website History
Return to Home Page
Go to the bottom of this page


Overview:
 
This website has evolved from 1994 as something for my own use, to the present, where it is used by banjo players, banjo bands, teachers, performers and musicians of all types throughout the world. The goal of the site is to promote the banjo with instruction items, play-along songs, and examples of Banjo Styles of playing.
 
The Beginning:
 
In 1994 I began researching various music software programs for the purpose of providing myself with music accompaniment while playing the banjo.  I began to use midi files and the html website format.  The website format allowed for indexing song titles and linking the titles to a midi file arrangements. In this way, I had quick and easy access to my songs for playing along with on my banjo.  The song sound files were recorded onto cassette tapes, which I used for my own play-along practice and for teaching students.  Nothing was put on the Internet at that time.
 
By 1995 my cassette tapes had been distributed to a few people, including Gary Neuman, an established San Francisco Bay Area musician.  Gary suggested that I start a webpage so others could play-along with the music as well.  In 1996 I started the first webpage with an obscure address that was difficult to work with.  Eventually in 1998 jbott.com was started.
 
The Songs:
 
At first, the webpage songs were selected for students, a show our band was practicing for, and sometimes a few verses I was trying to learn. I started including requests from other banjo players for tunes they liked.  At banjo shows and jam sessions, I would keep track of songs that were being played.  Ralph Martin (American Banjo Museum Hall of Fame) suggested I add "Hit Parade" songs to my website, like the ones he used for the Southern California Banjo Band recordings. The list of songs became large and my music library was small.
 
I used the Shakey's Pizza Parlor Songsheet (pdf) as a starter.  All of the songs from the Shakey's songsheet are on this website.
 
Thanks to the Internet, eBay and antique stores, I have been able to build up a large sheet music library.  Whenever possible, I use the original sheet music for making my song arrangements.  The next choice is to use good fake books or arrangements from some of my banjo friends.  Last resort is to transcribe the song by ear from a recording, and then have it reviewed by some music scholars I know.
 
The Present:
 
The current jbott.com website has two parts: (1) The HomePage aka The Songs Page and (2) The Beginners Page.  These two pages provide links to songs, instruction materials, sound clips, videos, pdf files, etc.  Some of the linked pages contain tablature or special notation for Plectrum, 5-String, or Tenor banjos.
 
An "Update Log" showing recent additions and changes can be accessed at the top of The HomePage.
 
The most recent addition to the The HomePage is a Performers Links page, which links performer sound clips and videos with the play-along song pages.  Select a performer name from the Performer Names Index to see the song titles they are linked with. The performers have been sellected to show various Banjo Styles and music arrangements.  
 
A Website Search page has also been added, accessible from The HomePage.
 
Happy Picking and Strumming,
Jim Bottorff


Return to top of this page