Seppo Sillanpää's melodic clawhammer banjo arrangements feature traditional tunes from U.S. and Europe and his original compositions. The writer is a Finnish music journalist and string band musician who has published books for fiddle, mandolin and banjo. He is also an old time banjo contributor of Banjo Newsletter magazine and an active banjo teacher in Finland and Skype. Seppo has made albums of instrumental music, children's music and several band albums. He has performed frequently in U.S. with his fiddling singer-songwriter daughters Jemina and Selina Sillanpää. "This book of tabulatures is based on live music. If you want to learn my tunes note for note or adapt my style of playing first watch these videos in YouTube. Get the feel of each tune before trying to play the tab. I have written down the basic elements of my own playing but I use lots of small rhythmic and melodic variations to spice up the performance. Of course you may just go straight ahead and play my tabs to pick ideas to your own playing. Take a phrase or lick and go to your own direction. That's fine with me and that's what I have been doing for a long time. One thing I love in playing clawhammer banjo tunes or fiddle tunes in general is that you can always make your own versions. Nobody can tell you that you are doing it wrong except if you boast that "this is the exact way Tommy Jarrell used to play it". That might start an endless discussion in some banjo related newsgroup. Catlicks is not a banjo playing guidebook. If you are just a beginner you might want to study a basic guidebook first. My own personal favorite is Dan Stevenson's Clawhammer Banjo From Scratch. All the playing positions, fingerings, tabulature basics and tuning advice etc. are in there."