Banjo Hangout Top 100 Clawhammer and Old-Time Songs

For the old-time Tune of the Week, 6/10/16 this is a combination of Ralph Stanley and Rufus Crisp. Ralph says it was the first tune his mother ever taught him. Rufus turns out to be the first person to ever teach Pete Seeger frailing (see page 10 of How to Play the 5-String Banjo by Pete Seeger).

From the 1930's recording of the Mississippi Possum Hunters for the old-time Tune of the Week. I'm partial to possum tunes, and anything Bigfoot plays....

This cheerful tune comes from West Virginian Wilson Douglas, though I learned it from Bobby Taylor. I found it examining the very first old-time Tune of the Week dated 7/26/08 and suggested by Erich (vrteach) who never guessed that the TOTW list has way over four hundred tunes now. Fair Morning Hornpipe was offered as a related tune to the original topic, Nancy, and even favored by Erich. It's cheerful and fits the morning today!

This cheerful tune comes from West Virginian Wilson Douglas, though I learned it from Bobby Taylor. I found it examining the very first old-time Tune of the Week dated 7/26/08 and suggested by Erich (vrteach) who never guessed that the TOTW list has way over four hundred tunes now. Fair Morning Hornpipe was offered as a related tune to the original topic, Nancy, and even favored by Erich. It's cheerful and fits the morning today!

As played by Rhys Jones, this tune is sourced to Kentucky fiddler George Lee Hawkins. Rhys is able to play intricate melodies on fiddle. Playing them on clawhammer banjo is a good challenge!

I'm working with Mark and Sharon on a project, and one of the tunes is Hell Among the Yearlings. It's a great twisty tune, but I can't do some of the syncopation that she does on fiddle.

I'm playing the Tradesman capoed up to D.

A quick run through to test a new banjo I built for my son Russ. This time in G modal. The banjo is a cherry slothead which started life as a Rickard neck blank, 25 1/2" scale, 1/4" brass tone ring on pins, John Balch skin head, etc.

Banjo tuned aDADE. Tab available on my Tabs page, or go to TOTW (OT) 22 April 2016.

My adaptation of Adam Hurt's version resulted from an assignment he gave to explore the Old Cumberland Gap tuning of f#BEAD (though raised one step). Adam's original Brushy Fork of John's Creek was based on Art Stamper and the old-time Tune of the Week has a video of Art's father, Hiram Stamper, playing the tune. Adam played it on the Earth Tones CD on a bottle-neck gourd banjo in SRB tuning (fDGCD). That CD was my inspiration to seek him out as a teacher. Check out this week's TOTW: http://www.banjohangout.org/topic/317352

From two Ozark fiddlers: Fred Stoneking of Missouri and Absie Morrison of Arkansas. Hope you enjoy the relaxing tempo of these waltzes!