From Salt Spring to the Five-String: The John Reischman Banjo Book by Lluís Gómez

This review of Spanish banjoist Lluis Gómez’s new transcription book is a contribution from Marc Pirson, a Belgo-Irish writer, currently based in the Walloon countryside. He was first exposed to the banjo through the Easter Acoustic Music Workshop held in Virton, Belgium, and soon picked up a five-string of his own. It was also in Virton that he met his Catalan mentor, Lluis Gómez, forging a decade-long friendship that led to projects like The John Reischman Banjo Book or the annual “Ceci n’est pas un Banjo” workshop they organize together.

Growing up as a little Belgian fella, my exposure to bluegrass and banjo music was limited, to say the least. It was by some stroke of luck that I stumbled into it through the wonderful Virton Acoustic Music Workshop, and took my first bluegrass banjo steps some 13 years ago with an eclectic and colorful Catalan banjo player by the name of Lluís Gómez.

Over the past decade, our relationship evolved from teacher and student to friends—and ultimately collaborators—through our Ceci n’est pas un Banjo workshop (translates to “This is not a banjo workshop”) held each winter in the Belgian midlands.

One thing Lluís and I quickly bonded over was our shared admiration for the singular musicality and hauntingly beautiful melodies of the one and only John Reischman, mandolinist extraordinaire. As a young (well, younger) banjo player, I was mesmerised by every new JR tune I heard, and spent hours debating myself over which was my favorite. I was, therefore, pretty chuffed when I discovered that Lluís had started Reischman’s Corner, a column in the Banjo NewsLetter featuring his own banjo arrangements of some of John’s stunning compositions—Salt Spring, Horses of Dorrigo, The Coyote Trail, and more. I was happy as a lark learning to play these remarkable tunes on my banjo; little did I know that a few years later, I’d be invited to take a deep dive into the subject.

It was in December 2024—like an early Christmas present—that an email from Lluís landed in my inbox: 

“Bonjour, mon ami!! Question: Are you really busy? I’m writing a banjo book of tabs for John Reischman tunes. Do you have time to read and check some text?”

The task seemed daunting enough—I’m a long shot from being a seasoned musician, and though I love John’s music, I’m more of enthusiast than a connoisseur—but as another of my Virton teachers, the legendary André Vandomber, once advised me, “You say ‘yes,’ and then you think about it.” So, that’s what I did, and I’ve never regretted it. I helped Lluís nurture the seeds planted in his Banjo NewsLetter columns until a baby book sprouted and grew into The John Reischman Banjo Book.

Anyone who’s met Lluís knows he’s a hyperactive social butterfly, brimming with ideas and creativity—and he channelled that energy (with a little help from me) into this book. 

The John Reischman Banjo Book compiles twenty iconic tunes, including Reischman originals, as well as reinterpretations of tunes written by other musicians and traditionals.

Each tune is prefaced with a short introduction—sometimes including sage advice, technique discussion, or a neat story or two—that, in keeping with the spirit of Lluís’ Reischman’s Corner column, channels the casual, conversational tone that made the Banjo NewsLetter so enjoyable to read.

Most of the arrangements follow John’s approach to composition, focusing on playing the melody cleanly on banjo with tasteful ornamentation and deliberate musical intention. But Lluís didn’t stop there: for several tunes, he went the extra mile and provided backup versions, harmony parts, and even transcriptions of Nick Hornbuckle’s solos from the recordings. 

And because one extra mile wasn’t enough, he went for another and compiled YouTube recordings of every tune—some he recorded himself, others featuring surprise guests like Gabe Hirshfeld, Wes Corbett, Hank Smith, Jens Koch, Cassidy Beentjes, Dante Flores, Jake Schepps, Thierry Schoysman, Nat Torkington, Nikolai Margalis, Alexey Chudinov, Ricky Mier, Takumi Kodera, Pepe Fuster, Mario Miller—and yes, yours truly. 

You can explore the full playlist online

John Reischman himself had this to say about the project:

“It is always an honor to discover that my original instrumentals have been learned by other musicians. Whether covered on recordings or shared by hobbyists at jam sessions around the world, the playing of my tunes by others has been a happy surprise throughout my career.

My instrumentals are typically picked up by mandolin and fiddle players, but have also been adapted by guitarists, harmonica players, resophonic guitarists, concertina players—and even performed on the cimbalom!

I met Lluís Gómez a few years ago and discovered that he had learned many of my tunes and played them beautifully. Now, he has taken his interest in my repertoire one step further by writing this banjo instructional book, which features many of my originals along with a few traditional tunes that I’ve recorded.

I congratulate Lluís on this fine project, and, as always, I look forward to hearing other banjoists play my tunes.”

Lluís kindly put me in the spotlight for my editorial assistance, but I was far from the only one to have jumped in to help. He was lucky enough to count on the amazing Marina Vinardell for graphic design and layout; the tireless (and ambidextrous banjo player—no kidding) Alexey Chudinov for scrutinising the tablature; Nacho San Vicente for meticulous transcriptions of Nick Hornbuckle’s solos; and Jake Schepps and Nat Torkington for their sound advice and invaluable suggestions.

As for the little Belgian fella, this project was a genuine pleasure to be part of—but although I feel honored I was invited on this journey, it’s also uncovered a tricky truth: to the question, “What’s my favorite John Reischman tune?”, it seems the answer is now “the next one I’m going to be learning on the banjo.”

You can purchase The John Reischman Banjo Book online.