Banjo Hangout Top 100 Songs

2010 on Jason Burns #3

For the old-time Tune of the Week, 6/2/17, this is R.D. Lunceford's recording from his seminal CD Drop-Thumb, 21 Clawhammer Banjo Solos. He graciously gave permission to upload it here and his tab will be included in the discussion forum for TOTW.

Clawhammer take on a Reel from the Shetland Islands written by Ian Burns. G tuning but way low.

This is my "coming out" recording, as my first upload. In support of the tab I posted, it's my transcription of Django's guitar part to banjo. 1st two rounds are Djangos notes, then a couple of rounds of me trying to be gypsyish, then Django again. Recorded through laptop mic onto a Realband backing track.

The date hasn't rung any bells yet, but the minor key sure gives it a rather melancholy feel. I listened to some vintage Piney Creek Weasels to arrange this one and used a rare Am tuning rare -- aEACE.

I thought I would try my hand at this old Hank Williams song with a bluesy feel.

Composed this years ago but just decided to record it. Added some guitar backup to fill out the sound a bit. It's not bluegrassy or Old-Timey, but it sounded a bit classical to me so at the risk of offending the purists out there that's how I classified it, and that's how I settled on the title, which may be pronounced Broken if you so desire. :>) In G tuning.

Tunaday #106 - In G Modal-f (fDGCD).

Original tune on cigar box banjo and guitar

Such a compelling old time tune handed down to us from the great Hobart Smith. I prefer to play it at this slow groove tempo.

Dock Boggs' Country Blues/Hustling Gambler in f#CGAD tuned a half step or so low...

Made this banjo duet recording with Ed Britt back in November, 2014. We still play it when we go busking in Harvard Square.

From the CD "The Old Texas Fiddle, Vol. II", with Howard Rains and Tricia Spencer, fiddles; Brendan Doyle, banjo; Nancy Hartness, guitar; Charlie Hartness, ukulele; Virginia Musser, bass. Recorded in December, 2014 by Mike West at the 9th Ward Pickin' Parlor, Lawrence, KS.

This old-time Tune of the Week for 8/11/17 reminds us in melody of some other traditional songs, such as Gotta Travel On and even Worried Man Blues. The Monroe Brothers recorded this as their first ever recording in 1936 and Bill said that it was commonly sung in Kentucky at the time.

A happy song, fun to play, with images of little Appaloosas kicking up their heels. Mine was named Cookie. When I sold her, I was able to buy my Bart Reiter Whyte Laydie, so my banjo is named Cookie, too. Honestly.

A wonderful champion fiddler, Tatiana Hargreaves, plays the Tune of the Week and bases it upon the older fiddler Emma Lee Dickerson. In an interview Tatiana claims that's her doppelg?nger, a new word for me. They look alike in photos. The tune is very familiar to me, but Emma Lee's is unique, so I also include the more traditional one in this recording.

My abbreviated version of Seeger's classic anti-war anthem with a I/vi/IV/V bridge added for color.

grassabilly blues

D-Tuners... etc

My stab at this good ole fiddle tune.

R.E.M. alternative rock song

J. J. Cale's classic blues song set in A minor

Grateful Dead classic built on a descending G scale

my attempt at a Townes Van Zandt classic...it's in the key of G...backing musicians compliments of Band In A Box...

CH take on Irish Reel composed by Michael Gorman. AB AB. Wildwood. D tuning

This is the Luther Davis version of Sail Away Ladies, or at least my interpretation of it. Presented for Tune Of The Week for August 2nd, 2018. In any case a fine tune!

A tune from Alan Munde's Banjo Sandwich album. Key of F.

Rose for Polly is a pretty, 3-part song in a minor key. Perhaps it makes for a good love story -- a hopeful suitor gives her a rose, she responds sweetly, but with a bit of reservation, though continuing to offer hope.

Tradesman fretless~

Frosty Morn is the old-time Tune of the Week, 8/24/18. Related to Cold Frosty Morning in some of its melody and chordal movement, here's a medley of the two. The first was learned from the guitar flat-picking of Doc Watson, who I idolize. The second was learned from Miles Krassen's Clawhammer Banjo book. He used Henry Reed's version which he had published previously in his Appalachia Fiddle book. Sawmill tuning, playing on my Doc's Banjo.

I learned this C tune from a 1931 Okeh recording of the Mississippi old time string bad the Newton County Hillbillies, featuring Alvis Massengale on fiddle. It's a practice recording from a few years ago, uploaded for the 11/11/22 Old Time TOTW. I am three finger picking my 1928 Vega Tubaphone with a semi-fretless conversion neck, in double C tuning (gCGCD)

For the old-time Tune of the Week, 11/26/16, this old minstrel tune comes from Thomas F. Briggs' Banjo Instructor of 1855. I'm playing on a Gold Tone cello banjo in order to play in the key of G, but tuned down five steps to put it in the key of D. It's Thanksgiving weekend and, though we didn't "kick up the devil," we had a very pleasant holiday. Hope you did, too.

Ric Hollander - My arrangement of Kitchen Girl. Played on the Romero with Nylgut strings. Arrangement: Copyright 2012 Ric Hollander - All Rights Reserved

Probably another one of the very first tunes I learned from John Corzine in So. Cal. My friend and I still can't resist the affectionate name "Sally in the Garbage."

A bit of Prohibition and Depression era history here, the poor farmer couldn't make enough money raising cotton. Four Cent Cotton led to raising corn instead for whiskey. Times haven't changed so much, sad to say. This arrangement comes from the early recording of fiddler Lowe Stokes.

I posted another Tommy Jackson tune unknowingly the other day..."Snowflake Reel". JanetB was kind enough to give me some background on the tune and add a very nice clawhammer arrangement. This led to us trading messages about a collaberation of another Jackson tune. It was a bit different for us both. Not too bad for a first time collab...she plays the cello banjo and gracefully states the melody and I come in later like an overexcited 2nd time beginner ('cause it's what I am!) and barrel through the changes again with Janet's accompaniment. My ending is a little exaggerated, but it was good fun, and I hope to do another soon. Thanks Janet for your nice playing and your use of the garage band software.

For the old-time Tune of the Week, 12/14/18, this sentimental song plays out in clawhammer rather than the Scruggs picking style I originally learned it in.

aDAde - derived from Melvin Wine's fiddling. Not exactly as in my Banjo Newsletter tab of 31 years ago (February, 1984).

TOTW 03/11/23: Waltz written by James Scott Skinner, also known as "The Rose Of Sharon Waltz" and "Rosebud Of Avonmore"

This traditional Cajun waltz sings of the sad loss of a loved one. I like its melody and found it easy to play on clawhammer banjo.

My Long Journey Home - G tuning

This performance was recorded at the Galax Fiddlers Convention in 1964. Pegram calls the tune 'The Old Fox Chase' here, but also called it 'Old Rattler' on other recordings. For those of you who never saw George, you really can't appreciate the overall visual effect of George howling at the moon with his banjo sticking straight up in the air. It was nothing short of spell binding. In this outing, the microphone stand kept slipping down and George went right down with it...winding up nearly lying on the stage..oh how I wish someone had filmed it!

CH take of Grub Springs in A tuning. Long.

For the old-time Tune of the Week, 4/13/18, Snake wrote this tune during a recording session and it was was recorded and kept for posterity with this title that was reminiscent of his experience as a child of being knocked down by an angry hornet.

For the old-time Tune of the Week, 6/8/18, Trouble on My Mind was recorded by Kentucky fiddler John Salyer's sons at home. Salyer never recorded commercially, but was an excellent fiddler. This tune is crooked in the last measure when it repeats and is unusual in having six measures in the A part and eight in the B part.

Here is a live recording of Jered Widman and The Grass Station, which (in this particular version of the group) features Jered on guitar and vocals, Zak Borden on mandolin, Amy Hakanson on fiddle, Delores Johnson on bass, and myself on banjo. It was recorded at a live concert this past February at the Multnomah Grange #71.

This version of Wolf Creek is from Harvey "Pappy" Taylor (b.1894), recorded in 1974. Slowed down from the original, it makes a pretty piece in fDGCD tuning. DOI stands for Dear Old Illinois, a compilation of songs and fiddle tunes by Garry and Steve Harrison and Jo Burgess. Wolf Creek is the old-time Tune of the Week for 3/13/20.

Original Cello Banjo 3-finger picking Tuning: A C# A B E

For the old-time Tune of the Week, March 23, 2018. Susannah Gal goes by other titles. This one comes from the duet CD of Tommy Jarrell and Fred Cockerham, both from the Round Peak, NC region. Their B part is unique, but they play it together and so it sounds great. Fred adds slides which I attempted to include, too. They must have had lots of fun playing together!

Elizabeth Cotten learned this tune in 1910 from a man aged about 50. She added the words.

Original tune on cigar box banjo and guitar

For the old-time Tune of the Week, Green Willis is named for a fiddler from Willis, Virginia. It's also called The Raw Recruit. When it's played in slow jig time, it's called Chapel Hill March. Go back far enough to Scotland and it was called Da New Rigged Ship. Lots to think about here on this cheerful tune that reminds me of a new soldier marching enthusiastically.

From an excellent jam in Tucson. Dan Levenson on fiddle, Dave Firestine on mandolin, Jerry Weinert on bass, George Flink on banjo uke, Greg Smith and Jennifer Levenson on banjo, Pete Bowers and me on guitar.

This is the arrangement from my new Mel Bay book "The Best of Jack Hatfield"

Unleashing the latest wanderings of my mind and fingers on the unsuspecting banjo public. In Double C.

my arrangement and adaptation of a Merle Travis guitar instrumental to banjo...it's in Dm and shifts to Dmaj for the bridge...

Upload for the Old Time TOTW for December 4, 2020. The tune is generally called Too Young to Marry, but the fiddler I learned it from called it Buffalo Nickel.

Original tune on cigar box banjo and guitar.

this Johnny Cash song has been covered by a lot of folks including Flatt & Scruggs..I used to do it a lot at dance gigs because it makes a pretty good 2-step dance song...

a tune i played a few years back

Been awhile since I've posted something. Composed this in CH but liked the way it sounded fingerpicked better. In Double C.

This year I have recorded a simple version of Frosty the Snowman. It was written for Gene Autry in 1950 by Walter "Jack" Rollins and Steve Nelson. It became a hit for many others as well and also became the centerpiece of a television special. One of my favorite uses of the song is as the ironic background that it provides in the "Don’t Buy Anything” scene (R rated) in Goodfellas. That version was sung by the Ronettes. This song has no mention of any holidays, so please accept my holiday wishes for kindness, compassion, and generosity in this season and for the new year.

Ok, heres a second take. I shorted the backing track to about 2:50 instead of the original 5 minutes (haha). I used a mute on the banjo this time, added some reveb and EQ'd to get more 'snap'.

I've known this tune since I was a kid, no tab necessary for this one.

Just holding the banjo and fooling around, sometimes you come up with a sound you like.

Here are two tunes from my latest CD called "Home Recordings" I learned both these off of great clawhammer players on YOUTUBE ! All the best , Guy . My CD is avalable from contacting me at my website guywolf.com

another with some fine players

Early Banjo by James Hartel, Sweeney Model Belle Breezing was born in 1860 and was a nationally known Madam in Lexington, Kentucky. Belle's first job began when she was 19 years old, in a brothel house maintained by Jenny Hill, which had the distinction of being the former residence of First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln. Her final and most elaborate "Gentleman's Club" was located at 153 Megowan Street. Belle also wrote poetry. This tune, named after Belle, was first recorded in 1925 by fiddler Emmett Lundy who was born in Grayson County, Virginia on May 9, 1864

Hope ya'll enjoy this ''Skeeter Davis'' country hit from 1962. ''Chet Atkins'' stamped his arranging polish on this one, as he did with so many other legends, back then. ... Thanks for tunin' in. ... Don. ... Key, Eb - tuning CGBD.

An old pop tune from McGuire and Andrews sisters and from Les Paul and Mary Ford. Travis picking.

Me and Ivan Rosenberg (Dobro)...from our album Farewell Trion