Banjo Hangout Top 100 Clawhammer and Old-Time Songs

Inspired from Art Rosenbaum and Pete Seeger. I'm studying Art Rosenbaum's material, especially 2-finger style from Pete Steele's playing. Though his tab was for that style, I found that it worked equally well for clawhammer and was easier. :( Oh well, please don't call me lazy. :)

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.

Clawhammer, tuned gCGCD with a brass pick.

Inspired by Tom Berghan's version, whose wonderful playing is a distant goal to which I can only aspire.

I like to think that the change of tempo between the A and B parts is deliberate, rather than because it's so much harder to run up and down the neck :-)

Played on a Bart Reiter Professional banjo. Inspired by the banjo playing of Sherman Hammons.

For the old-time Tune of the Week, 11/4/16, via James Bryan of Alabama -- my favorite fiddler. If you check out the current TOTW you can also hear Nick Hornbuckle's superb 2-finger version.

... bring along a demijohn.

... bring along a demijohn.

I just worked this out from the Shades of Death Creek album by New Bad Habits (Chirps Smith, Dave Landreth, Tim Foss, and Andy Gribble). They play it much more up tempo and in key of D. I played in the key of C (gCGCD) here. This is played on a 1903 Fairbanks Whyte Laydie #2.

Simple multitrack version of the tune "Needlecase" (fiddle, clawhammer banjo, guitar, hammered dulcimer, bass).