Banjo Hangout Newest 100 Clawhammer and Old-Time Songs

Playing around with Audacity on my PC. Recorded banjo, guitar, washtub bass, and singing in separate tracks.

The first tune is St. Anne's Reel played in Dm. I felt like the Breton Tune (I submitted a solo video for that) would pair nicely. This is a performance from a music camp I was at this summer. The guitarist is Bill Coulter. The mix could have been better, and St. Anne's is too long, but I got caught up in the moment...

This traditional song is one dear to my heart, the old-time Tune of the Week for 10/27/17, also called I Gave My Love a Cherry. Since the poster, Cyndy, did such a beautiful job in open G tuning I thought to look for another tuning to try and found bDGAD. It's listed as "A Tony Trischka D/G tuning" in the Anita Kermode list of tunings I like referring to. Funny, but my 5th string didn't like being tuned down that low. It get tuning itself back up! I think it gives the song an old-time mountain feeling, which is good, since it was an old English song brought to Appalachia by settlers.

Clawhammer banjo with Mountain Dulcimer cameo.

That background noise is actually rain not recording distortion. Clawhammer banjo.

It's been a long time since I have composed a tune. This one just kind of popped in my head. It's probably made up of bits and pieces of all sort of other tunes, just like most other tunes I know. Key of G. Banjo is tuned gDGBD.

Sarah Armstrong came from a large family in southwestern Pennsylvania and learned fiddling at the age of 5. Her favorite mentor was her Uncle Laney and her Dream Song came to her in a dream about him. She woke up and learned it. Samuel Bayard listened and transcribed many of her tunes in 1943 and 1944. You can see these transcriptions in an 80-page book called Hill Country Tunes. I'll post the pdf file in the discussion thread with another one of her tunes.

An obscure tune for the old-time Tune of the Week, 10/20/17, this tune probably resembles well the style of Israel Welch, WV fiddler and multi-instrumentalist. The Welch Brothers (four of them and a cousin) had a popular dance band in the 1930's and all were skillful musicians. Brothers Tom and Israel Welch were still alive in the 1980's and could still play outstanding dance music.

It is a beautiful fall day in the Front Range of Colorado. Sitting on my back patio, I can see blue sky stretching from the plains to over the foothills of the Rockies. The giant cottonwoods in my neighborhood have turned golden yellow, and the ashes are wine red. I had a wonderful breakfast with my wife this morning in town. We strolled along Clear Creek, and lingered on a park bench musing on life's strange twists and the challenges of more youthful days. I am 65 today, and am overjoyed to be here, still kicking, still playing my banjo, and still with so much music in my heart. This is my tribute to the day, warts and all, just as life is.

Ome Celtic 12", fiddle recording is from this youtube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKV3UCbb_zo