When I want to do a song like Haggard's Rainbow Stew and just play play chords ( can't find a tab and haven't been able to develop the melody yet) I have a lot of trouble getting a good rhythm or picking pattern going. Can anyone give me any tips....thanks, Rick 

Anyone have a tab of Bobby Horton's "Katy Wells" as played on his Homespun Civil War CD?

I've seen the song titled "Kitty Wells" too.

Charlie Noyes

Ok guys, I'm looking for a clawhammer tune that's upbeat and fun to sing. I'm playing at the county fair and thought I'd break out the banjo for a song. I LOVE the Avett Brothers and Old Crow, but I can't seem to find anything high energy of theirs that sounds ok with just me and my banjo. I love playing clawhammer and singing, but I don't know anything that would really get the crowd going.  Suggestions anyone? 

Thanks!

Steph

I first learned this tune from a band mate of mine, a fiddler by the name of Tim Reese. We play in a contra dance band called Pig's Eye Landing, a group that has been in the Twin Cities for over twenty years in some form or another. We don't play all that often nowadays (a few contra dances here and there, a few weddings, and one or two concerts a year), but previous versions of the group were pretty busy, toured quite a lot, and had recorded five albums over the years. They recorded "Hunt the Buffalo" on their 2004 release, Gypsy Stomp, as part of a medley.  It was recorded in the key of A, although Tim now plays it in the key of D. According to the liner notes, Tim learned the tune from the playing of Norman Blake.

I'm a big fan of Norman, and have most of his albums. I dug through them and found "Gonna Go Huntin' for the Buffalo" on Just Give Me Somethin' I'm Used To, which Norman recorded in 1991 along with his wife Nancy Blake. Norman and Nancy recorded this tune with fiddle and cello, respectively, and it's the third tune in a medley (the other tunes being Green Leaf Fancy and The Fields of November, both of which were written by Norman). It's played in the key of A. No info was given in the liner notes.

I dug through my record collection some more and found a solo fiddle version of "I'm Gonna Go Huntin' for the Buffalo" on Mike Seeger's 2003 CD, True Vine (I highly recommend this CD by the way). As a bonus, there are some liner notes! Mike's fiddle was tuned ADFA from low to high, and the first string is "practically flopping" since it's tuned so low. You can find a sample of Mike's version here (scroll down for the samples).

Mike first heard this tune from Ramona Jones, but didn't learn it until he heard a solo fiddle recording done by Jimmy Driftwood (the same guy who wrote "Tennessee Stud" and wrote the lyrics for "Battle of New Orleans" which he then combined with the fiddle tune "Eighth of January"). According to Driftwood that tune comes from his uncle, who was part Cherokee.

Here's Jimmy's version courtesy of the Slippery Hill folks. Jimmy was using an E minor tuning (BEGB from low to high). http://slippery-hill.com/M-K/BEGB/ImGonnaGoAHunting.mp3

Here's another version from Jimmy: http://grooveshark.com/#!/search/song?q=Jimmie+Driftwood+I%60m+Gonna+Go+Huntin%60+For+The+Buffalo

From poking around on the web it seems like most fiddlers play it in the key of A--but it could be played in cross A, calico tuning or out of standard tuning. As I said above, Tim usually plays the tune in D even though he had recorded it in A. I usually play it in double D tuning when playing it with him. Last week, however, I had my gut string banjo with me, and I played out of G tuning tuned low (ADF#Ad). I wish I would have recorded that.

Here are some random youtube versions:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1F6XnhseD8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlimBUuiN3E

Lastly, here's a recording I made using my salad bowl banjo. I'm in G tuning, although I'm not sure what the actual pitch is.

Scruggs and Clawhammer styles work well together- here's a short video of Tony Trischka & Cathy Fink jammin at Common Ground on the Hill.

 http://youtu.be/NXoQF-A5GUA

Performing together July 12 at the Birchmere in Alexandria, VA 7:30pm at the Old Time Banjo Festival.

http://goo.gl/r8tiqM

Anyone else have examples?

I have reached to point where I can usually work out the chords and then work out a satisfactory clawhammer version of most songs I encounter.  However, since the banjo has no sustaining capability such as the fiddle, licks are needed to fill in the dead time.  I haven't reached the level of being able to devise these licks other than something like to basic 1st string 0^2 (HO), strum, 5th string 3rd string, strum, 5th string.   I know that many of you have licks which are part of your signature style of playing and, as such, you don't hand them out to the general public, but if you could pass along some of the good ones in the public domain this clueless beginner would appreciate it very much.  G or C tuning.

I have a tab that shows what looks like a pull off from 3 to 2, but how do you do that? Isn't a pulloff usually to an open string? It's not a slide like 3->2 but shows a 3 po 2.  I've attached a pic.

Any help would be appreciated.

Glenn

Played in the key of D in double D tuning aDADE (double C – gCGCD – capo 2)

In this, Tunetorial number 7, Dan "Clawdan" Levenson teaches The Merry Blacksmith. This is a wonderful tune but is not often played at old time sessions due to it’s more Celtic roots. Gene Goforth and John Hartford list it as Eminence Breakdown and both of them have great fiddle recordings of it.  I do urge you to get hold of some those to listen to if  you can. 

In this and all of the Tutorials, Dan plays the tune three times through up to speed then slow starting with a basic version and building to an advanced one. Then Dan plays the basic version and breaks it down phrase by phrase. Same with the advanced.

This is tabbed out in Dan's newest book "Old-Time Favorites for Clawhammer Banjo" (MelBay 30224). Tab and standard notation with 2 cds of banjo and fiddle audio tracks.

A little different! 

You can purchase the video lesson (for unlimited streaming and download) here on the Banjo Hangout for $6. Get it here >

Dan and I would love to hear any feedback you have on these videos, so feel free to post or email us. Our goal here is provide a steady, affordable way for people to learn a new clawhammer tune weekly (or as often as they'd like).

If you're working on the tune, record yourself and post it below--we'd love to hear your progress!

Ok, Ive been at this for sometime, hrs upon hrs of practice yet can't get rid of the fatigue and strain i feel in my arm. Hear me out some, I've tried every method <eg the Perlman moving the curled fingers as a unit, then Dwight's method of whipping the finger wrist etc, moving the forearm and hand as a unit in a hammer motion, then just moving the wrist. These are all methods I've observed and tried, yet the tension fatigue is still there. Now if this was bluegrass I'd have no problem with just one break usually expected, but the repetition that's required ( playing the melody numerous times) creates a problem for me.

I started thinking maybe it's the fact I have little muscle in my arms + the age factor, IOW my arm is out of shape. I've also tried different arm positions, angles and so forth on the banjo as well. Please feel free to chime in/thanks

Can someone point me in the direction of builders who use a 1 3/8 or possibly wider neck measured at the nut. I am thinking of an open back for clawhammer use . My older fat fingers work better with wider necks. Your help needed , Thanks, Bruce

Requesting any/all advice and "MHOs": I know that there are (many)other determining factors but just the same, what is a "good" starting bridge height and weight to use on an openback banjo for clawhammer/old timey style playing. Also, would a compensated bridge be of any benefit?

Are banjos like guitars with the tone effect changed by the kind of wood used for the build?

I cant see that there would be much difference between maple , mahogony, etc. Would this be mostly a cosmetic feature ?

I noticed where builders offer several kinds of wood for constuction .

Please correct me if I'm wrong

An old Irish tale:

An aspiring piper once found a gold ring the fairies had lost and returned it to them forthwith.

To show their appreciation, they told the piper they would grant him either one of these "favors" (fairies will be fairies you know).

1) He would henceforth love the sound of his own playing, but everybody else would not be able to stand it, or

2) He would loathe his playing but everyone else would love his music.

Of late there has been some discussion on bridges, tone of particular woods, etc., and it was noted that the sound you hear behind your banjo is not quite the sound that folks in front of your banjo are hearing.

I've had people play my banjos for me so I could hear what they sounded like "out front", and there is a difference (though it may also be attributable to personal playing factors as well).

So, my question is do you set up your banjo for optimum sound out front or in back?  Or, as with the piper, do you want your music to sound better to you or your audience?

By the way, the fairies did give the piper a new jig which he aptly named "The Gold Ring"... one of the most well-known piping jigs to this day.  I guess if any thing like this ever happened to a banjo-player, the fairies must have given him a chicken since there are so many "chicken" tunes.

Our TOTW selection, Ragtime Annie, was first recorded by Texas fiddler Eck Robertson in June, 1922, and a few years later by two other Texans, Solomon and Hughes.  Vance Randolph, a fiddler from the Ozarks, recorded the tune for the Library of Congress in the early 1940's.

BHO has a sound file of Robertson’s rendition, courtesy of Mark Ralston:

http://www.banjohangout.org/myhangout/media-player/audio_player2.asp?musicid=14815&archived=

Bill Malone, in his book, Southern Music/American Music, (Chapter 3), articulately disaggregates the components of ragtime, and establishes that the tune Ragtime Annie had a very separate lineage from the urban musical form that became popular in the early 1900s. 

http://books.google.com/books?id=nqdTwl_KU0EC&pg=PA41&lpg=PA41&dq=ragtime+annie,+origins&source=bl&ots=v98bMmvvOe&sig=NkoEZRB8acx6QOdDy1FuGqTo4gc&hl=en&sa=X&ei=s_41UvmAH4fk4AOt64GoBw&ved=0CEsQ6AEwBDgK#v=onepage&q=ragtime%20annie%2C%20origins&f=false

I learned Ragtime Annie from a David Holt instructional DVD early on in my brief and undistinguished tenure as a banjo player, probably way earlier than I should have, but David Holt’s Homespun instructional DVDs were just so clear and level-headed in their teaching that I went right from Bob Carlin’s introductory DVDs to Holt. 

http://www.homespuntapes.com/CatalogueRetrieve.aspx?ProductID=1015382&A=SearchResult&SearchID=6634710&ObjectID=1015382&ObjectType=27

However, because I wasn’t very smart about keys, and because capos confused fingerboard topography for me, especially once things were moved up a few frets away from the side markers and other inlay indicators that were my musical GPS, I learned to play the tune out of Double C. 

That seems to be the way the Italian banjo player Fabrizio Bezzini tackled it:

You’ll need to read the Youtube blurb, and follow the links to Fabrizio Bezzini’s webpage to get the full impact of his banjoing.

Here’s a Doc Watson/David Holt duet that get’s to Ragtime Annie after Soldier’s Joy:

I’m uncritically devoted to anything Doc Watson played, and similarly enamored with David Holt’s musicianship, not to mention his banjoing. One real treat while I lived in northern Virginia was seeing his old Deering with the 4 inch deep pot up close and personal at a Birchmere concert, sometime in the late 1990s I suppose. (And as long as we’ve drifted this far, sometime in the mid 1970s I saw Doc Watson for the price of a fifty cent ticket at the University of Pittsburgh student union building).

The Fiddler’s Companion lists a bunch of alternative names, and a range of alternative structures and tunings ascribed to Master players.

The tune is also known as “Ragged Annie,” “Raggedy Ann (Rag),” “Raggin’ On,” “Bug(s) in the ‘Tater(s),” “What Made the Wildcat Wild.” http://www.vithefiddler.com/ragtime-annie-fiddle-tune-day-day-168/

There is a long running debate over whether the tune is has its origins in old time tradition, or stems from a lineage of American fiddle breakdowns, as well as whether it can trace its provenance to Canadian music or is more strictly American, and in that American context whether it hails from Texas or elsewhere.

In these arguments, issues of antiquity and ubiquity become confused to the point that little light ends up being shed on origins of the tune much less current usages/forms.

And logic and evidentiary standards mean less that the frequency with which one argument (or another) is repeated. My favorite example is the Fiddler’s Companion reference to the case made by Reiner and Anick (1989) to the effect that “the tune is derived from a piano piece called ‘Raggedy Ann Rag’,” and that it is “a ‘Midwest’ and ‘Southwest’ tune,” though the authors’ carrying water for this argument do not cite a source for this case, and acknowledge that “so far no one has been able to access a piano melody similar to the fiddle tune.”

Fiddler’s Companion does tell us this:

BEGIN QUOTE:

The earliest appearance of “Ragtime Annie” that can be documented, in print or otherwise, is the recording by Texas fiddler Eck Robertson (along with Henry C. Gilliland) in 1923, and a few years later by the Texas duo Solomon and Hughes. Robertson’s release was backed with “Turkey in the Straw.” “Ragtime Annie” was later recorded for the Library of Congress by musicologist/folklorist Vance Randolph from Ozark Mountain fiddlers in the early 1940′s.

END QUOTE.

And there is a legitimate debate over the regional distinctions between a two-part version and a three-part version:

BEGIN QUOTE:

There is often some confusion among fiddlers whether to play the tune in two or three parts, and both are correct depending on regional taste.

Eck Robertson’s original version was in three parts (the third part changes key to G major) as are many older south-west versions, and some insist this form was once more common that the two-part version often heard in more recent times.

Other Texas fiddlers only learned the two-part version.

Glen Godsey writes: “Of the fiddlers I knew in Amarillo in the 1940′s-1950′s, Eck was the only one who played the third part. I learned only two parts as a kid, and we always played just two parts for the square dances. I only learned the third part many years later from Eck’s recording.”

Little Dixie, Missouri, fiddler Howard Marshall says the third part has been a vital part of the tune in Missouri for many years, offering that the renowned regional fiddler Taylor McBaine remembered playing it that way as a child in the very early 1920s. Marshall reports that local speculation is that the third part was inserted to relieve a square dance fiddler from the stress of keeping the main part of the tune going through a long set.

Gordon McCann (2008) remembered that Missouri fiddler Bob Walsh, a respected entrepreneur who often judged fiddle contests, would deduct points from a performance if the third part was omitted. Drew Beisswenger (2008), however, remarks that the three-part version of “Ragtime Annie” is seldom heard among Ozark fiddlers, and consigns the longer version to northern Missouri fiddlers, and fiddlers west of the Mississippi.

Some feel the third part is reminiscent of “Little Brown Jug,” although there can be considerable variation from fiddler to fiddler in the way third parts are rendered.

END QUOTE.

See: http://www.vithefiddler.com/ragtime-annie-fiddle-tune-day-day-168/

and

http://www.ceolas.org/cgi-bin/ht2/ht2-fc2/file=/tunes/fc2/fc.html&style=&refer=&abstract=&ftpstyle=&grab=&linemode=&max=250?Old+Joe+Clark

(Which may be little more than a shadow or artifact of other postings citing The Fiddler’s Companion as the authoritative source.)

Many of the online references note the similarity to the TOTW selection Goin’ Uptown, as Erich points out in his TOTW thread. (See http://www.banjohangout.org/topic/270413)

Pat “Banjukebox” from Anacortes, WA, recorded this nice, playful version on BHO on 24 June 2014:

I find Pat’s videos hypnotic. His thumb posture, the consistency and economy of his right hand motion, and the seriously artistic head wear patterns are most interesting – as are some of the items that show up in camera range in the background, including skeletal remains standing adjacent to a banjo pot just behind Pat’s left hand.

Here’s a Youtube video of Gary Sizemore playing all three parts of the tune on fiddle. Part Three begins at about the 0:40 second point of the video.

Here is Bob Carlin (on banjo) and Dan Levenson (on fiddle) playing a version of the tune with this third part:

At about the 1:44 second point in this video, looks as though old Bob expected the tune to end, confusion arising from that third bridge part of the tune? Perhaps. I can’t find a recording of the TOTW subject by Bob alone so I can’t say whether the third part is or isn’t included in the way Bob renders Ragtime Annie.

Youtube is filled with versions of Ragtime Annie. I went looking for videos with banjoists of note.

Here’s a Youtube audio featuring Charlie Poole:

Here’s one featuring Mike Long on a snappy banjo version set against Glenn Godsey’s fiddling:

Here’s a BHO article featuring tab by the founder of Banjo Newsletter, Hub Nitchie:

http://www.banjohangout.org/article/33

And Eric Gibson on banjo with The Gibson Brothers doing a rousing three finger version (and some very tasteful banjo backup as the rest of the band passes the tune around):

Another forward roll-based version:

And here’s evidence that the Scruggs style approach to the tune is just so much easier than any clawhammer version (insert smiley face here):

Tim Bing in this Youtube, below, taking the tune for several laps around the track at full speed:

Here’s an unrelated Youtube “must see” banjo video featuring Tim Bing on the 5 string:

Tim Bing and Dwight Diller are old friends from the 1970s or so. Dwight has recorded and played concerts with Tim’s brother Dave. And Dwight has the highest regard for Tim’s playing. The Bing Brothers and Diller didn’t live all that far apart, but Ragtime Annie was not a tune Dwight played. It just wasn’t part of the Pocahontas County tradition that he zeroed in on, though he did play tunes that had currency in far flung places (such as Big Scioti, an Ohio tune in origin), but only when they had at some point entered the musical lexicon of his region and become part of his musical orbit. Ragtime Annie was not part of Dwight’s drill, as far as I can recall. Tim Bing and Dwight Diller are old friends from the 1970s or so. Dwight has recorded and played concerts with Tim’s brother Dave. And Dwight has the highest regard for Tim’s playing. The Bing Brothers and Diller didn’t live all that far apart, but Ragtime Annie was not a tune Dwight played. It just wasn’t part of the Pocahontas County tradition that he zeroed in on, though he did play tunes that had currency in far flung places (such as Big Scioti, an Ohio tune in origin), but only when they had at some point entered the musical lexicon of his region and become part of his musical orbit. Ragtime Annie was not part of Dwight’s drill, as far as I can recall.

Here’s a video of Tim Roswell, a great player, teaching the tune:

A real strong guitar and banjo duet by Tony Norris and Bill Burke:

And Martha Spenser of the Whitetop Mountaineers playing clawhammer to the late Frank Grayson’s fiddling:

Don Borchelt plays a great version of Arkansas Hoosier, an Ozark fiddle tune that was the Banjo Hangout old time Tune of the Week for March 21, 2014.

In his video, Don notes that the tune comes from the playing of an Oklahoma fiddler named John Mert Reves via home recordings made by his son Merle in the mid-sixties, and that Reves makes a brief and uncredited appearance in the movie Where The Red Fern Grows, fiddling a fine version of Ragtime Annie. I found the scene at the 107:33 point of the video on Amazon Prime Instant Video:

http://www.amazon.com/Where-Fern-Grows-James-Whitmore/dp/B00C591FOY/ref=sr_1_1_ha?s=instant-video&ie=UTF8&qid=1398758594&sr=1-1&keywords=where+the+red+fern+grows

Here’s a melodic version worth listening to:

http://www.banjohangout.org/myhangout/media-player/audio_player2.asp?musicid=33898&archived=

And a very nice guitar version, flatpicked, worth listening to:

Here’s a great video that ought to make you wanna dance:

Here's my crack at the tune:

Thanks for tuning it.

Have a great time with this TOTW (OT).

Play hard,

Lew

How many of you do this instead of using a spike? Do you use a lighter string? What gage?  For a 25& 1/2" scale, what gage string would you use? How long does the string last before it breaks?

I have two misplaced spikes and I am thinking of yanking them and not replacing them. Would you heat them up before yanking them or are there any other tricks to pulling them out without breaking them? Thanks! Banjered

Does anyone use these in a claw hammer application?   Bear with me , new to the claw hammer banjo technique.  I dont think it is something  traditional. I was just wondering if it is used by some folks. Thanks , Bruce

I'm trying to improve my right hand 3-finger technique. I was originally taught to keep my ring and little fingers anchored on the banjo's head. Presumably, this ensures accuracy in picking the correct strings with the correct fingers. I don't anchor any fingers to the head, when I play clawhammer, and I have fair accuracy, so why do I need to plant any fingers on the head when I pick with 3 fingers? I also played classical guitar, which uses 4 fingers, and nothing gets anchored to the top of the guitar, in that style.

For me, anchoring my ring & little fingers to the head feels very uncomfortable, and it seems like I can play just as accurately without doing that. Should I or shouldn't I, that's the question, I guess, and I'd sure like to hear some opinions from those of you who play 3 finger style. Thanks in advance.

Watch a demo song video >

In this, Tunetorial number 8, Dan "Clawdan" Levenson teaches Rock the Cradle Joe. It is a tune that while collected one way by Miles Krassen it developed a “common” version that is just a bit different from that. SO, the basic and intermediate versions I have recorded are played as it is commonly heard today but the advanced version gives a nod back towards that older version. It is also an often played jam tune that will come in handy BOTH ways!

In this and all of the Tutorials, Dan plays the tune three times through up to speed then slow starting with a basic version and building to an advanced one. Then Dan plays the basic version and breaks it down phrase by phrase. Same with the advanced.

This is tabbed out in Dan's newest book "Old-Time Favorites for Clawhammer Banjo" (MelBay 30224). Tab and standard notation with 2 cds of banjo and fiddle audio tracks.

You can purchase the video lesson (for unlimited streaming and download) here on the Banjo Hangout for $6. Get it here >

Some of you have requested a short demo video of the tune, so this week Dan has created just such a video--click the link to the right to watch it. Let us know what you think!

Dan and I would love to hear any feedback you have on these videos, so feel free to post or email us. Our goal here is provide a steady, affordable way for people to learn a new clawhammer tune weekly (or as often as they'd like).

If you're working on the tune, record yourself and post it below--we'd love to hear your progress!

Hello Folks,

I am looking for the absolutely best beginner book to teach me the basics and is geared toward standard open G. I will learn other tunings later, but the beginner Gospel songs I want to learn are in G.

Your help is appreciated.

Terry

Was listening to a few recordings of Cousin Emmy live at the Ash Grove. She plays a clawhammer instrumental in most of the sets called "The Mockingbird." Now, I'm pretty sure that some of it sounds very familiar but equally sure that I haven't heard it anywhere else. Can anyone shed some light on this? It's played in C tuning. Here is a link to one of the sets with it. You should be able to listen to the song without having to sign up for anything.