Banjo song and tab of the week

Fingerstyle Banjo Song and Tab of the Week: “Railroad Bill”

April 10, 2020 by admin Leave a Comment

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I’ve mentioned before how 2-finger thumb lead banjo is much better suited for porch picking than 3 finger bluegrass style – it gives a complete sound played solo, it’s great for playing and singing, and it oftentimes shines most at slow to moderate tempos.

Translation: it’s perfect for lazy summer (or spring!) days.

Case in point – this week’s song selection, “Railroad Bill,” which ticks all 3 boxes I listed above.

“Railroad Bill”

gDGBD tuning, 2 finger thumb lead

2 finger thumb lead banjo tab for Railroad Bill part 1

2 finger thumb lead banjo tab for Railroad Bill part 2

Recent Banjo Songs and Tabs of the Week:

Notes on the Tab

For more on how to read the tab, click here for the How To Read Banjo Tabs article.

NEW! Watch the VIDEO TOUR inside BREAKTHROUGH BANJO

Brainjo

Fingerstyle Banjo Song and Tab of the Week: “John Greer’s Two Step”

April 2, 2020 by admin Leave a Comment

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Like so many of the great old-time fingerpicking numbers, “John Greer’s Two Step” is a tune composed on the banjo, for the banjo.

And also like so many of the great old-time fingerpicking numbers, it’s perfectly suited for solo porch pickin’.

It comes from the personal repertoire of Hobart Smith, one of my all-time favorite musicians. The first time I heard this tune, I had to learn it. Right there. Right then.

If you feel similarly upon hearing it, then you’re in luck!

“John Greer’s Two Step”

gCGBD tuning, Brainjo level 3 (3 finger banjo)

John Greer's 2 Step 3 finger banjo tab

Recent Banjo Songs and Tabs of the Week:

Notes on the Tab

For more on how to read the tab, click here for the How To Read Banjo Tabs article.

NEW! Watch the VIDEO TOUR inside BREAKTHROUGH BANJO

Brainjo

Fingerstyle Banjo Song and Tab of the Week: “Banjo in the Hollow”

March 8, 2020 by admin Leave a Comment

Click Here To Get The Tab

There is an ocean of great music to be played on the banjo that’s pretty easy to pick up once you’ve learned the basic techniques. This is why I’m constantly trying to encourage people to explore this ocean fully before moving on to the more complicated stuff (and based on a couple of decades experience playing for others, audiences prefer the simpler stuff).

Case in point – this week’s tune, “Banjo in the Hollow,” was one of the first tunes I learned to play on the banjo. And it’s still one of my favorites to play!

As you’ll note, this arrangement is a Brainjo level 2, so great for tackling fairly early on (and taught early in the Breakthrough Banjo course).

RELATED: Level 2 arrangements are available for many tunes in The Vault.

Click here to check out the current list of tabs in The Vault library).

The tune itself was first released by Doug Dillard in 1964, his personal take on Cripple Creek, hence the similarities. The song perhaps best known for making its way onto the Andy Griffith show, played by the Darlings in an after-supper picking session (and under the name “Tearing Up Your Old Clothes For Rags.”)

“Banjo in the Hollow”

gDGBD tuning, Brainjo level 2 (3 finger banjo)

Banjo in the Hollow banjo tab

Recent Banjo Songs and Tabs of the Week:

Notes on the Tab

For more on how to read the tab, click here for the How To Read Banjo Tabs article.

NEW! Watch the VIDEO TOUR inside BREAKTHROUGH BANJO

Fingerstyle Banjo Song and Tab of the Week: “Waterbound”

February 24, 2020 by admin Leave a Comment

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“Waterbound” is one of my absolute favorite banjo songs for playing and singing.

When played in old-time jams as a fiddle tune, it’s most commonly played in the key of A. However, when playing it solo, freed from the sawstroker’s oppression, we can play it wherever we see fit! In this case, in the key of G.

Of course, if you learn this arrangement in standard G, the simple addition of a capo at the 2nd fret will put you into the jam-friendly key.

This song also works and sounds great played in 2-finger style, especially at a relaxed tempo. I’ll be posting the tab-walkthroughs for both the above and the 2-finger versions in the Breakthrough Banjo tune tutorial archive on March 8 (click here to see the list of tunes and songs currently in The Vault).

“Waterbound”

gDGBD tuning, Brainjo level 3 (3 finger banjo)

Banjo Tab for Waterbound part 1

Recent Banjo Songs and Tabs of the Week:

Notes on the Tab

For more on how to read the tab, click here for the How To Read Banjo Tabs article.

NEW! Watch the VIDEO TOUR inside BREAKTHROUGH BANJO

Fingerstyle Banjo Song and Tab of the Week: “Goin’ Down That Road Feeling Bad”

September 13, 2019 by admin 3 Comments

Click on the button below to get the PDF download for this tab delivered to you, and get a new song and tab delivered to you every week!

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Speed kills.

That’s a phrase with multiple meanings. So what exactly does speed kill when it comes to banjo playing?

Timing.

Or, perhaps more accurately, the desire for speed kills timing.

The banjo has a reputation as being a “fast” instrument. Many are first drawn to the instrument, especially bluegrass banjo, by the never-ending barrage of staccato, rapid fire notes.

For some, learning to play is mistakenly thought to be the most important technical hurdle.

Why does this matter? Because it’s all too easy in the earlier stages of learning the banjo to sacrifice timing in the name of speed.

It’s a sacrifice that reinforces bad habits that, once established, are hard to undo.

NOTE: I’ll be conducting a live “Playing & Singing” tutorial for this song next week. Click the button below to subscribe to the Fingerstyle Banjo YouTube channel to be notified when it airs.)

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The seduction of speed may account for more closeted banjos, more dashed dreams of banjo picking, than anything else.

So don’t let that be you!

And the ultimate irony, and tragedy, is that the secret to being able to play music fast is being able to play it slow – an adage repeated in musical conservatories the world over. Nothing exposes flaws in timing and tempo like slow playing.

Speed isn’t required to build a solid technical foundation. On the contrary, it’s usually an impediment. Yet, once that foundation is established, speed becomes an effortless byproduct.

The other issue with the speed fixation is that many people lose out on all the great banjo music that can be made at slower tempos. The truth is, banjo picking sounds great at any speed.

You could spend an entire lifetime picking nothing but slow to moderate speed music on your banjo and never run out of material to delight your ears (in fact, in my experience, most audiences welcome the change of pace!)

Take this week’s song of the week, “Going Down the Road Feeling Bad,” as an example. The tempo played here is moderate at best.

Yet, played fast, it would lose much of its charm and nuance. A fast paced rendition might sound okay with a full band behind it, but not here. Instead, when we play it slower, the song is given room to breathe, and we get to savor each and every note.