Banjo Hangout Top 100 Other Songs

I'm playing a hot rodded Gold Tone Bob Carlin clawhammer banjo with wound nylon strings tuned down to Low A-modal.

Dedicated to my mother, now 93 years old. In my mind she's reached the summit, which was the original title of this piece. I'm playing on a Goldtone cello banjo.

I wrote this late one night when I couldn't sleep. That's why it sounds like a late night thing, when the banshees are roaming around! ;>) Pentatonic CEFGBb

A clawhammered, chordal approach to this light-hearted song John claimed in his lyrics that he dreamt about. I've heard this on BHO several times and am a great fan of John Hartford, though I have much, much more to learn about his music. I think the genre is considered Newgrass, but you can correct me.

The first is from Buckley, the second from Converse.

the first track on Banjo Suite 2 (2013) with Paul Mills on guitar and bass, and Don Reed on fiddle.

Our first grandchild was born the day after Thanksgiving last year, so today she is celebrating her first Thanksgiving with us, something to be so thankful for. Before she had arrived I composed this tune for her in Double C tuning. Hope you enjoy and all have your own Happy Thanksgiving.

After hearing Paul's Leap Frog I found that I could easily play along with it. I tried composing some counterpoint melody to it, but forgot to re-set the slow-downer back up to the key of D. This came out in C with my banjo tuned to double C and I'm playing clawhammer. Paul is playing a mandocello tuned in 5ths and uses a flatpick.

My beautiful daughter has a green thumb. This tune is dedicated to her. It's in double C tuning with the 5th string tuned down to an F. I found the pretty notes at the beginning by accident and didn't want to forget them.

Jim has posted his incredible music again after a time away from BHO. This is one he wrote a while back and I'm inspired to try and learn it now. The notes flow. A poet could describe its beauty better than I!

During The Vietnam War, The ''Red Garter ''at'' The Texas Tavern in Sydney,'' was set up to entertain U.S troops on R&R leave, Down Under . With a foot tappin' banjo band , lots to drink, and wild wild women , it was all a bloke could ask for. Here's a couple of tracks off an LP, I aranged back in 1970 called ''The Red Garter Revue''-- They were wild times !!!

Just fooling around to see how this style of 5-string banjo playing might sound.

In learning some tunes in the Cumberland Gap/Sandy River Belle tuning I wrote a little tune. It has a darkish sound so I named it after a neat place where big boulders form a little cave where the grandkids like to climb around. I checked later and realized I wrote it in the Aeolian mode in the key of G, played on a Mac Traynham Whyte Laydie openback.

This is what I wanted it to sound like back in 2009 when I posted the original. Long overdue reworking of the tune, but I think I finally was able to play it the way I was hearing it. Whew! - I can let it go now!

Dedicated to Paul Roberts and his creation, the Goldtone Soundbird tenor banjo. I composed this using clawhammer, but no 5th string to simulate a tenor banjo.

Kenny Baker was a genius playing his fiddle. It's real hard on clawhammer banjo, but I can hear the melody and like to think of Bill Monroe listening to his fox hounds hunt on Jerusalem Ridge by his Kentucky home.

A comparison recording with the fretless gourd banjo. The slides from the gourd transfer easily to the fretted neck of the openback.

As I listened to this original song the first time the melody happily drove along just like the title suggests. But Jim's 3-finger picked melodic song is so incredibly intricate and skillful, I had to simplify it with this clawhammer version so I could enjoy playing it, too.

A song I wanted to learn after hearing Jim Reed's BHO video.