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3rd Edition
5 -STRING BANJO
by Peter Seeger
ISBN-13: 978-59773-164-5
Preface to second edition, 1954
This is the second edition of this manual. It has
been added to and revised slightly, and thereby, it is
hoped, improved. The first edition was mimeo-
graphed, its stencils having been typed in a variety
of hotel rooms while the author was accompanying
Henry Wallace in the presidential campaign of 1948.
The first printing of 100 copies sold out in three
years. The second printing, also mimeographed, sold
its 500 copies in another three years. A casual sta-
tistician might thus deduce (assuming the same rate
of increase continues, ) that 390, 000 copies will be sold
within the next twelve years. As G. B. Shaw said, how-
ever, 'there are lies, damned lies, and statistics'. The
author prudently limits this printing to 3000.
******
The following songs on page 25 and 26 are printed by
permission:
"Streets of Laredo" from Cowboy Songs, by John A.
Lomax. "Brandy Leave Me Alone" English words ©by
Joseph Marais. "Tee Roo" collected from the singing
of the Gant family by John A. and Alan Lomax. "The
Strangest Dream" words and music by Ed McCurdy.
"Irene Goodnight" collected from the singing of Hud-
die Ledbetter by John A. and Alan Lomax © Ludlow
Music. "The Frozen Logger" by James Stephenson,
"So Long, It's been good to know you" by Woody
Guthrie. ©1950 and 1951 by Folkways Music, Inc.
Samantha Bumgarner
TABLE OF CONTENTS
I History page 5
II A Basic Strum 6
IV Hammering On 14
V Pulling Off . 16
VI Double Thumbing 18
VIE Frailing 29
XI Whamming 53
XV Summary 61
Other tunings 66
Tablature 67
Appendix 5 Fingernails 68
A footnote to history 68
4
I
HISTORY
Played by hundreds of thousands of Americans 75
or 100 years ago, by 1940 this instrument had nearly
died out.
play one for amusement. Later, concert virtuosos, THE BANJO LESSON by Henry Tanner
with phenomenal techniques, tried to take it out of the
domain of the minstrel shows ...... I've even heard of
the William Tell overture being attempted on a banjo.
....will not make a virtuoso out of anyone, but I have Folk tunes are used throughout as examples, to
compressed into its few pages almost everything I teach the instrument. I feel the banjo is most suit-
know about playing the banjo.* With its help you can ed to them. However, I may be prejudiced - prob-
teach yourself to accompany many songs. And it will ably am - therefore please feel free to experiment.
take you considerably snorter time than it took me.
I picked up the instrument from many different people, This manual cannot itself teach you to play the
in travelling through the country. banjo.It can, however, I hope, help you to teach your-
self.
A BASIC STRUM
You can get a banjo in relative good tune with itself 3) Sit and hold the banjo
by the following method: somewhat in the manner
a) Tune the 4th string to shown at right. Keep the
approximately the right face of the drum vertical,
tension, with your ear, if the other end about level
with your left shoulder.
there is nothing else to
(Later you can fasten a
help you. strap to your brackets
b) Fret this 4th string at and play standing up, but
the 7th fret, as shown at right it's easier to learn sit-
Tune the 3rd string to me ting down.)
exact same pitch (unison).
c) Fret the 3rd string at
the 4th fret, and tune the 2nd 4) With your left hand make
string to the same pitch. the following "chord".
d) Fret the 2nd string at the
Your fingers should come
3rd fret, and tune the 1st
down where the dots are,
not directly on the fret,
string to unison with it. but "slightly south" of
e) Fret the 1st string at the them. Do not let your
5th fret, and tune the 5th string fingertip touch more than
to the same pitch. one string now; press
Assuming you have a good banjo, with frets and
that down firmly to get a clear
strings and bridge in proper order, the banjo should tone.
be in fairly good tune. If the 4th string was a little
low or high to begin with, all the other strings will Make sure the fingernails
likewise be low or high. of your left hand are very
short, so that they do not
hinder your fingers from fretting the strings firm-
Easier yet is to use a pitchpipe or a piano ly and cleanly. (See Appendix 5 about this).
With your right hand do as follows: the index finger The notes you are playing would look
rt
5)
should pluck up, sounding the 1st string only. Then music paper.
like this on
with the other three fingers (ignore the thumb for
the moment) brush down across all five strings. Use The letter "I" stands for the index
the whole wrist, so it' snot just a finger motion. finger of the right hand plucking up.
C Ti>NlH&
B
I
Try doing this regularly in march time: down, up
up, The "B" stands for the right
letter
down; one, two, one, two. This is the basic. strum. hand brushing down across all strings. -TAft.
In actual practice I find myself using „ J 8
mostly my third "ring finger" for this. (/* ytAW*frl \
Other banjo players tend to use mostly the fingernail of
their middle finger, or their index finger, as they brush
down and across the strings. You will have to experi-
.
&7
The lower set of five horizontal lines does not 6) With your left hand
represent a music staff. They are the five strings learn two more
of the banjo. When a number is placed on a certain chords now:
line, it means that string is sounded in some way,
and the number represents the fret at which the left
hand stops the string. Tablature was a system of
music writing used by lute players in 16th Century
Europe. This is a simplified version. If you can-
not read music, you can still puzzle your way
Tablature would des-
scribe them this way:
SE^
through this manual by reading the tablature.
Here's how. If Tablature would
your hand were to describe it thus:
make a C chord, TA ft g
thus:
7) Knowing three chords, your way is now clear to
accompany simple songs in the key of C. Don't
And if you wanted to play bottler learning any other chords as yet. Concen-
a scale (do, re, mi, fa, sol,, trate on getting a good easy rhythm out of your
la, ti, do) starting on the
right hand. The following song I have written out.
If you do not know how to read music yet (see Ap-
4th string, and plucking each
pendix IV) skip over this and don't spend too much
note with the index finger
of the right hand, tablature
would show it thus:
^A& o
thbt
i n
PS time trying to puzzle it out. You'll find it a help
to start learning, however, especially if you are
studying this manual without the help of a teacher.
-
JL
Position of left hand and name of chord being used: C i
Ij
&T
m
1
m
Words of song: My wife and I lived all a-lone in a little old shack that we called home.
Every link was freedom's name, When she learns I've gone astray.
Pharoah's army, etc. Oh when the moon drips red with blood, etc. It's once I wore my apron low (3)
I could scarcely keep you from mv door.
The very moment I thought I was lost Oh when the trumpet sounds a call, etc.
The dungeon shook and the chains B'lt now my apron strings don't pin (3)
Above, right, is Samantha Bumgarner, the first Maybe other things are going
person I ever heard play the 5-string banjo. It was wrong; check with Appendix 1 again
at the Asheville Folk Festival, in 1935.
10
Ill
The thing which gives this style of banjo playing its Now, the first line of the song on page 7 might be
distinctive flavor is the unusual function of t he 5th played like this. (T stands for "thumb".
string. It's the 'ring' of "hear those banjoes ringing".
Like a triangle in an orchestra, it keeps on dinging a-
way through a whole song, never changing in pitch. THE UNION WAY
The right thumb is practically always the finger that
plucks the 5th string -that's why some call it the "thumb
string".
C TuNiNb ^ .^!
Some
very
it easier to count "one-two-three-four"
find
and then keep silent on the "two". The re-
fast,
—
TZfF
m -Q—g-
lu LU ULJ
^m
sulting "one three-four" is the galloping banjo sound.
i
Say "bumm-titty, bumm-titty, "
i fJJiiJ
e r e t / T I 6 T
mS
over and over to yourself; that i
i
TAB, ? 5
Ground covered by this chapter (and other chapters in If you learn nothing but this one thing well, t hat's
the book) can be heard on the LP record "The 5-String plenty for today's lesson. Play it over and over till
Banjo Instructor". Folkways Records, 121 W. 47 St. NYC) it goes smoothly. Sing through the songs given in the
previous chapter, and any others you know. Only now
If you know where you can get the use of a 16mm sound use the 5th string throughout.
motion picture projector, you can see and hear the ex-
amples played slow as well as fast, in the 40 minute to play slowly as well as fast. It is the mark
Learn
movie "The 5-String Banjo' (for sale or rent through ofan inexpert player that he is unable to slow down.
Folkways also). See back inside cover. Try for an even, clear rhythm, steady and relaxed.
11
SKIP TO MY LOU Other times you may want to work out a counter mel-
ody to what the voice is singing:
mm
C Ti/wrG-
3B&
X
i 8
2
r i
I
b t
(.
JL
jj'
I B
2
T
lU
I
5
8 r
JT
i frjLoo,
.
)
voices
BANJO f
.i.j».
Loo.Sk.'ptemy Lou
Loo.'n'pwmy
f
l.j
ff
J
-«»» Loo, ^i H
Lou, SKip'fewy Lou
8 T • 8T I JT ib rex
ix • r •
t «r
o-r a •
a
\ i
,
i
Tun.
3 3 3 3
3 a < / a a _~r i > «
i^WwS i e r i b r I B T I BT
IXlLULLf LLr'Lb Lu LU III
^^ o o
o Q -7 3
p wee
Treasury Of Folk Songs". Bantam Books.)
\=±
PW* m I 3 T I 8 T
%
f TuNINQr
Jim my crack corn, and
p ^
I don't caret
^
WSB / L
-r / # r t b t / a r i
e t
znz
^^ -^
^^z
^
\=L j=d
s U LU
W* a*
/ Q T 1ST / 13 T I BT Jimmy crack corn, and I don't care I
^SB.
s
i /
m
l
ll^
A
HP / B T
*i%i
I B T
2 ^-3—
fflE
Usually when you are singing the verses of a song,
you will keep the banjo down to a simple rhythmic
kd H L=L
and harmonic accompaniment. Sometimes, though,
it is quite effective to have it play the melody in uni-
^jrr; TfTfil'TW
Go -Tell A„„t Rho <Ly ,
3. X 3.1 &X O O 2 i X 2
ii it
38 _1_ i i
i2
I ^^
master's gone
>ne a - way.
In fact, take the 1st, 3rd, and 5th of any major
scale, and you have a major chord, (a minor chord
differs only in that the 3rd is 1/2 tone lower).
j J^^
i
e
*
T / 6 r / B
3.
T
UJ
i B T
Z
If
(C,E,G,).
If
"1" is a C note, it's called a
chord.
BBc ft o
al But in all these variations it is still a G chord,
LU L^ 1
i M if "1" is a Gnote.
Illustration from a lute instruction Try fingering a C chord on your banjo now. Play
book, year 1636. the 4th string alone; it's "C" isn't it? That happens
to be the "1 of this chord. Now play the 3rd string
alone, that "G", it is the "5" of the chord. (Count
up to it and see). Then try the 2nd string; originally
a B, you've fretted it up a 1 /2 tone to C, so here's
another "1". The 1st string, originally D, is now
fretted up to E, which is the 3" of the chord.
IV
HAMMERING ON
^
just "south;' of the second fret. If two other fingers (For complete verses see
'American Favorite Ballads'
were fretting a C chord, your middle finger would Oak Pub. 121 W. 47. NYC
then be where the hollow dot is in this diagram.
i B J
m=m
a ;
uu
C Tuning Tfrfli a. i JL
$ y LU U=s u=u
5ffi a
S3
H BT
-a-
z
-a-
J
g
Q
H
3. z Z
J
I hb r
2
f
itgoes smoothly and easily. Say the word "Chattan-
ooga" over and over to yourself. That's the rhythm
^m o a. dE
you're aiming at. d S=E
You can do this in many places and with many dif-
ferent chords. When you can hammer on with force,
you don't even need topluckup on the same string be-
forehand. You have the general principle now. Ex-
periment as you will.
< >
i sr i B r i e r , h Br
_ JL
7
f XA B.
G o
&
a -
v.. JL b % a 8
1
14
When singing the verses, don't try and play the mel- But it could be vibrating in two pieces,
ody at the same time. Just chord along in back of the or three, or more, all at the same time.
'
i'uJnu'uJJl.JJ
IB H 8 r r B r
wise on the string, as a Hawaiian guitar player would.
Rest it in the exact center (12th fret) - you'll now get
a note just one octave higher. Rest it 1/3 the way
a^^ ^ h
i I
/ e T from a bridge (use a yardstick to measure). Now
you'U get a note one 5th higher. Rest it 1/4 way from
, v f f „ I -
|
= the bridge, and your note will be two full octaves high-
er than the open string was. And try it one fifth the
way from the bridge; it will be still a third higher 1
Much of music theory, since it's been evolved Do you see now why the 1-3-5 notes of any scale
through centuries of tradition, is completely illogi- seem to make a nice sound together? It is because
cal - like the clothes we wear and the food we eat, the 3 and the 5 reinforce the overtones of the 1, the
all based less upon science than upon custom. But basic note.
some aspects of harmony are precise, and mathe-
matically logical. Incidentally, further illustration of this business
of overtones can be seen in the case of the bugle. In
To Illustrate: only custom dictates when or blowing harder and pursing his lips tighter, the bugler
where we play a chord, but there is a very mathe- simply gets the long column of air inside the brass
matical reason why the 1-3-5 of a major chord tube to vibrate not in three pieces, but in four, then
sounds pretty, and three miscellaneous other notes five, then six pieces. He gets a higher note each
may not. Here's why: time, of course, notes which when put together from
a major chord.
First, you know that the tone you hear is the
vibration of the banjo string, transmitted by the
bridge to the drum, tnus to the air, and thus to our
eardrums. (An A note, for example, is 440 vibra-
tions per second).
However, rarely is a tone's vibration purely
and simply that of its basic pitch; there will be
minor vibrations which we call overtones. In other dtxladbdtxiaeisidxJbeJbebdLxJbdjidjdbetx^
words, a soundwave is liable not to look so much
like this:
c|xptpctacpct w w w.Kpc|M|^T«^^
.M,
15
V
'PULLING OFF"
The left hand can also make notes by actually Here is a concrete piece to try out everything
plucking -a string (usually works most easily on the you have learned so far.
1st, 2nd, and 3rd strings). Try it. I call it "pulling The words and melody of chorus are as follows:
off".* You put this note in the same place you would
put a note gained by hammering down. Thus, try HARD, AIN'T IT .HARD
pulling off on the 1st string. First, fret the 1st
string two frets up, thus:
% m n i n^iP
tt's
"•
hard, and
0-
it's hard, ain't it hard? To
a-'
Thenpull away with the
ring finger of your left hand,
thus sounding the first string
C tuning
I n ^ n!|
love one that never will be true.
* c TUNlNC
Getting a little tricky now, try this (note always
which string is being plucked!:
m .J!
TM B .
i
i
b
fa
r i r gt
gjftgff ' * * l
i p b r i r 8T I 6 T I V 3 T
3QE 3. q £ x. a
i
£ § LLi" Liilui^uU^
* r b r H 3T
/
H 7 i I I
d \
S3 ?3 3
5K | X i J. : B A ^ i , ±
jZ. zz
i6
Harmony lesson: 6th's. 7th's. etc.
j Ltf H-l/l 0/
# r
lUj'
& t
These extra notes you are adding are not always
in the "1-3-5" of our original major chord. In
fact, if you'll analyze it, you'll see that when you
/ i h hammer down in C, you are adding the 6th note of
2 Q a' C scale. That extra note is an A. Count up from
j. 4
TAB. I A 2 :
r=k s C and check it:
en C-D-E-F-G-A
1-2-3-4-5-6
f r i r «
=Ff= When an A is added to a C chord, then we call
C6 chord. There are also C", C 9 and even C 13 .
f
LlJ^'ll it a
Look up Appendix 2 and check and few of them.
e M=4
17-
4- now,
For additional changes, see Appendix 3. Right
I would urge you learn G? and D? , and try
the following exercise: Joe Hill.
JOE HILL
C F
I dreamed I saw Joe Hill last night, alive as you and
C C F C
me Says I, but Joe, you're ten years dead; I
D7 G? G' C
iLULUlUJuiff
r H 8 T
never died," says he "I never died," says he...
5^
3-3 Lz
fe
/ 3 i
32=
y'LUU Use all the tricks you have so far learned; hum
the melody and finger the right chords with your
left hand.
t llJ i^ti The reader may wonder at the author's annoying hab-
of not giving complete songs as examples.
» er / A/ 2* r it There
are several reasons for this. One is the author's
natural laziness. Another is lack of space in this
she a book, which is already twice as big" as it was sup-
a
.z
fcZE posed to be. More than this though: I hope the read-
er will be goaded into working out his own arrange-
ments. I mention books where the rest of the words
For complete words and music to this song and music mav be found. It's worth a trip to the
public library to look them up.
see "The Weaver's Songbook" (Harpers Pub.)
17
VI
DOUBLE THUMBING
wm
finger
2 - with your right thumb pluck down on the
second string
3 - pluck the first string again as before
4 - thumb the fifth string
I
UiJ ill
Play these four notes over and over till they go
smoothly. After a while your speed will increase so
I T I T I ST I T I T IBT
you can go from straight strumming into double
thumbing without a drop in rhythm.
I
SK t
i
2.
r it
, J.
iuU I
a
T I
3
T
3
UW
/r/T\'
O I
8 T
3.
i
^HE
SKIP TO MY LOU
It is an example of why good banjo playing has a
Now, here song written out for a
is the nice, sparkling, lively quality. The melody is there,
lot of double thumbing, with an occasion- all right, but it is surrounded by a myriad of other
al strumming of chords to keep the rhythm notes. A kaleidoscopic effect is created, a bril-
going. Watch where you start playing high- i M
liantly patterned carpet against which the melody
up the neck in the end of the second measure. carried by a voice is shown off well.
C TUNING-
f'iii
i e r
LLfiu^m
i e t 1 T I T , B T
2. 2.
£ £
33aE
=4 m m
G
18
RETUNING TO PLAY
fi
^E
* PfP pf
T
-a
I T
i
I
a
T IT
n
I
o
T
_Q
( T
i
I
a
T I
o
T i
o
and use the "G tuning".
D7
i [13 ^^ _a o_ _Q Q_
A t
(j
'TO ^jpj
HH 3=i
This business of retuning to play in a different key
is common with folk musicians in many parts of the
world. Don't think of it as "cheating"; without retun-
ing, some pieces would be impossible to play. Even
Segovia retunes a bass string occasionally.
T^
Try playing some of the below tunes in the G tuning.
& Tuning
f
r i
_Q
r i
a
r
o
i r i
o
r
-a
i t
a.
i r i t \
J
ulXi iilllyi
tpti THTi
uL
TUT
59E T h t i I
fr*
quutiu m
sffi
r
Z
/ r
-4-
Z.
i
IE
t i
3-
t i
X
T T
=tf
I
3.
T
P
H T
A
=£;
I
i f ^
T I
_o
T I
e_
ttU
THTI
3B
Stt
(Do you recognize the tune? It's the same one
you played a few pages back in the key of C, "Hard,
Ain't It Hard".)
19
,
Now try another song in the G tuning, but back I went across the river and I lay down to sleep (3 time.
in our first style of strumming. You'll recognize When I woke up, I had shackles round my feet (chorus)
^^ _Q . a
I looked down that track, just far as I could see
Little bitty hand was waving after me (chorus)
(3)
~ / p 8 T l H B T\ I P 6 T I H B T
Tell 'em it was me and I sing it all day long (chorus)
BOWLING GREEN
Adapted and arranged by Joy May Ocasy (Cousin Emmy)
by Joy May Creasy and Alfred Creasy
^S
/ mihf I <VM "i "Botolwtj (rreen, ulfcnq w a-bia astvieliixi
u
One Arm
u
'round, ft^f
U
V^ii^Y Urre/^ fatter fount/ "H deixr
t
2&
D7
$E£3
-»i
after
—•-
round mu dear
S & ^m m0/i 8ffK//ina (rret* $'Good old 8on/fnj Creen
20
The G tuning is especially good for square dance Wake up, wake up, Darling Corey
tunes, but for these you will want to take a look at Go do the best you can
chapters vn and VHI. I've got me another woman
You can hunt you another man.
Meanwhile, as long as we are learning double thumb-
ing, let me introduce you to still another method of Oh, yes, Oh yes, my darling
tuning the banjo. It is not as commonly used by most do the best I can
I'll
banjo pickers, but it is unbeatable for certain songs. But I'll never give my troubles
It is known as: To another gambling man .
Now you can try the song "Darling Corey". For this
way it I am indebted to one B. F. Shelton who
of playing
recorded it way back in the 20' s for Victor. It was one
of the first banjo tunes I ever learned, and still one of
my favorites.
DARLING COREY
^m £=
m
m Wake
1
up, wake
y'l/ u j
Darling Corey!
sleep so sound?
m
Tn
p * M***tyfr
Revenue officers are comln'
* -Mi f -ly
^j
I Gonna l^ar your still house downi
"" f i
She had a dram glass in her hand "Mountain Music of Kentucky" (Folkways 2317)
She was drinking down her troubles See also Library of Congress recordings, mention-
With a no good gambling man. ed on page 72.
21
the melody on the banjo, as follows:
DARLING COREY If In
1! !
LUJ'Lui^U
22
have a capo already around the Now you should be able to go through any folk song
neck of your banjo, as shown at
book and play songs in a major key using the usual three
right. Just move it up the neck two
frets, letting it rest just "south" chords. If the song is in D, the three chords will be D,
of the frets, where you would nor- A7 and G. If the song is in E, the chords will be E,
mally put your fingers. B7 and A. For your convenience, here is a transposing
chart:
Now
retune your 5th string a
similar amount higher (from G G7
C F
to A).
One
note: the 5th string will break if you try to tight-
en up more than one tone higher than its intended
it
can give you. You'll rapidly see that some are com-
pletely impossible. Either you growl and whisper on
the low notes, or squeak on the high ones. Of the few
practical keys, you'll find the lower ones are best if
you want to sing softly, calmly. But if you want to sing
more spiritedly, or loudly, you'll pitch the song higher.
People sing higher when out-of-doors, for example.
23
Try putting your capo up two frets and playing the
following as though it were in G. Actually you'll be
playing A, E7, and D, although you simply finger the
chords for G, D7 and C.
A E7 A
Have you heard of a ship called the good Reuben James?
E7 A
Manned by hard fighting men both of honor and fame
D A
She flew the stars and stripes of the land of the free
E7 A
But tonight she's in her grave at the bottom of the sea.
Chorus:
D
Tell me, what were their names, tell me what were
their names?
E7 A THE Ol-D BARN FLOOR liir Kt fol.o Oirntr and l»cs. I
(chorus)
One hundred men were drowned in that dark watery grave 1) Try clapping 2/4 time, march rhythm.
When that good ship went down only forty four were saved
Twas the last day of October that we saved the forty four J J J J J I
From the cold icy waters off the cold Iceland shore. ^ 1 { |
;
In the farms and in the cities they are telling of that fight
And now our mighty battleships will steam the bound- 2) Now, if two 1/8 notes equal one 1/4 note, how
ing main would this sound:.
And remember the name of that good Reuben James.
Words and music by The Almanac Singers T
O MCMXLII by Leeds Music Corp.
322 W. 48 St. NY36 Reprinted by Permission Or this:
All rights reserved.
J7TJ33 I
J77 J73
Fred Hellerman of the Weavers has added a nice last 3) This would be
verse: simple:
24
VII
Up to now all our practice examples have been in Here are thefirst verses to some of my own favorite
simple 2/4 or 4/4 time, fast or slow. However, at songs 3/4 time.
in Try working them out yourself.
least two other rhythms are very common in Ameri- Complete words are given in some of the books listed
can folkmusic, and you'd best become acquainted with on page 71.
them.
F
O, brandy, leave me alone,
G7
V i
-riTlT
r t ti
i
I ft
e, T e\T
ft
O, brandy leave me alone,
C
Remember, must go home. *
m
I
"fl B o
C
There was an old farmer who went out to plow,
Tteft
I
m ^M mm
(ST GT I
i
T IT
2.
1
nz
T l B T BT
Tee
Tee
F
roo, tee roo, who went
G7
C
*
=&=& B
m
Last night I had the strangest dream,
F C
f—*n_n
I never dreamed before,
G7 C
Idreamed the world had all agreed,
I 9
v ot a T TIT F G7 c
i
/ 07" BT I T I I 8 T BT .ft.
To put an end to war. *
o -8- a 2 2 2
33E 5o o
v o i
=^=^
ride an old paint,
trt5 I
D7
I lead an old Dan,
G
I'm going to Montana to throw the Hooliyan,
D7 G
* This chapter is differently arranged than in the
They feed 'em in the coulees they water in the draw,
second edition. Material has been added but none
D7 G
Their tails are all matted, their backs are all raw.
has been cut out. See page V7.
25
. .
C G7 C
be la Sierra Morena Cielito Lindo vienen bajando O have you heard tell of Sweet Betsy from Pike?
G
Un par de ojitos negros Cielito Lindo los contrabando She crossed the wide mountains with her lover, Dee.
C D7 G C F C
Ay - ay - ay- ay; canta y no llores. With two yoke of oxen and one yellow dog,
D7 G7 C
Porque, cantando se alegran, Cielito Lindo los A tall Shanghai rooster and a big spotted hog.
G G7 c
corazones. Hoodie dang fol, de dido, hoodie dang fol, dee-day.
G D7 G
Irene Goodnight, Irene, goodnight,
So long, it's been good to know you,
C G7
Goodnight Irene, goodnight Irene, C
So long, it's been good to know you,
D7 G F
I'll see you in my dreams. *
So long, it's been good to know you,
C G7
This dusty old dust is a-getting my home.
As I was a- walking down Paradise Street C
D7 And I got to be drifting along. *
To my way, hey, blow the man down,
A pretty young damsel I chanced for to meet, To find the rest of the verses of all these
G songs, look through some of the folksong
Give me some time to blow the man down books listed on page 71
m
Greensleeves was delight,
Eb
Greensleeves was
And who
Cm
but my
G7
my
Bp
heart of gold,
Cm
lady Greensleeves?
l 8f
g g rptftfrt
i 5 r i 8 r i 6 T
(see page 65 for chords)
We
G
wish you a Merry Christmas
A7
C
D7
^ m
x
wLM m m mpi
6 O
a Sfi &
We wish you a Merry Christmas
t f
G C
We wish you a Merry Christmas
D7 G
And a Happy New Year. i t3 r ist ii i £ t i % r i i an.
e e a a a *
C G7 WAfr
As I sat down one evening
C Bf 1 .Lf LU 1
Within a small cafe
F Other songs which can stand this sort of treatment
A forty year old waitress are "Hallelujah I'm A- Travelling" and "Die Gedankcn
G7 C Sind Frei".
To me these words did say. . *
^ ^ There are still other ways of accompa-
* Acknowledgement of permission to reprint this ?
-^—^ z=r" nying songs in 3/4 time. See pages +4
copyrighted song is given on page 3 . and<r7
26
6/8 TIT/IE While 6/8 time is the same time as an Irish Jig,
a hornpipe, though written as 4/4 time, is very simi-
lar, and can be played the same way. A hornpipe is
really just 6/8 very fast. Occasionally you'll find it
6/8 time is the same as that of an Irish Jig, such written as 12/8 time.
as 'The Irish Washer Woman". "Johnny Comes
Marching Home" is also in 6/8 time. You may even Come to think of it, in England they call that last
find it handy to use this method for certain marches, tune "Son Of A Gambolier" and have a fine parody
such as "John Brown's Body". of it which starts off thus:
On
melody
the banjo, you'll find it difficult to play much
in 6/B time; the most you can hope for is to
get the rhythm and the chords, and an occasional
»iia
I'm the man,
JiJ J j
the ve - ry fat man, that
j j
note of the melody.
T m*
m
h C TUNIHGr
?&+**
m i
r
i H
A
T i
L-LlTJ-l
rt
Z2T±L
b r h 6
&
I P B I H (3
3^5
i? 3 r 6
example, the possibilities of such 3/4 rhythms as
these, if translated to the ban in
'ik j n j i j n
o i
^B g~TT
I
e
I
^mP
o
8 I 1
5
I
tM
e tp b u n
* * *
r
s
%m
r=F
Most Americans have a poorly developed sense jE
i -fnj/inn:
of rhythm (compared to people in Asia, Africa, South
America, etc.) So see if you can test yourself, leaf-
ing through a songbook, guessing what time different Further, when you and your guitar player friends
songs are in. How many songs do you know in 6/8 (I assume you have some are playing together, you
!
)
27
r
IOJW £BE 1
. ! /s
1
UJ U -U r
I 'f.u.l.J
lfl
Note:
L-st
^ufi\fj i
quarter notes in place of the first two, thus:
(Recognize it?)
T I
1 1 i
TITI TITITI TITITI
-
te£ *=
S
o
9
e
SL
o 8 8 S o j — ar
Sometimes the triplets can tumble upon each other
^#§ Pffii !3£ so fast that they almost give the effect of a tone clus-
^
ter. Here is a favorite song of mine (Rest of the .
fefe
?H3|3
LEATHERWTNG BAT
* raa l
T T T
inn
TITI T
mm
^
l
l
eH^#
TITI
it rf
T|
Hi, said the little leather*- ing bat
you the reason that
I'll tell
The reason that I fly by night
Is 'cause I've lost my heart's delight
Owdeedow, a diddle urn day
Owdeedow, a diddle um day
Owdeedow, a diddle um day
And a hey lee lee
^
I
I
9m Sm
wm f
im
-fl ^2? ^B n
1RP
r
§^g
SINGLE STRING WORK: TRIPLETS
i&L
NIB m m
nice variety.
&^i ^
C TuNIWGr
^j ^^ 7VT
t> feb ££ i
331 <j
S^
a.
Z
—X
~i
IT MPI TT MPl
m ^ & i
.t
Cm)
i
q
1 TRI
i
Wm
_
P
.
,
«
i
28
VIII
FRAILING
Up until now we have spent all our time learning Tuning "tf" means pick down
one basic method of strumming with the right hand. with the back of the
Let's try another method now, one which is even
more commonly used. It's good for playing a fast,
steady rhythm for square dances. I've heard it var-
I m Hn T
fingernail of either the
index finger or middle
finger.
iously called "beating" a banjo, "frailing", "rapping",
"framing" the banjo. :S£ "n~g ±
'LJ-U
Essentially the difference between the two methods
is this: whereas in the first method the right hand
"up, down, up, down", in frailing, all notes are pluck-
ed by the back of the fingernail as the hand moves
downward; thus the movements of the right hand are It took me
about three or four months
all "down, down, down, down".
to get thisdown smoothly, so don't be
impatient. What seems hardest is to
The notes vou are playing may be exactly the same learn to place your thumb on the 5th
on paper as before, but you'll find they sound differ- string on the way down, and pluck it
ently. You can get a good deal more incisive punch on the way up. You might try doing that
and attack when you frail a banjo. one thing over and over, as an exercise,
till it comes easy:
Here's a blow-by-blow comparison of the two
systems: 1) Brush down across all strings
with back of index finger, at same
BASIC STRUM: FRAILING: time placing thumb on 5th string.
2) On theway back, pluck 5th string.
1) The index finger With the back of the do this over and over.
plucks up. on a single fingernail of the in-
string.
dex or middle* finger
pick down on a string.
Move the whole fore-
arm.
2) The hand ham-
left 2) Same as in 1st meth-
mers on or pulls off od - left hand ham-
on a string. mering on or pulling
off.
3) The right hand 3) The right hand picks
brushes down across down across all
all the strings. strings (or possibly
just the first two or
three) and at the
same time the right
thumb comes to rest
on the 5th string.
4) The thumb plucks 4) While the right hand
the 5th string. is on the way up, the
thumb pulls away
from the 5th string,
sounding it.
^
a I
now. You cannot frail a banjo properly unless your I \ \ -I
fingernails are the right length, or you wear finger-
picks.
C TUWG- G- A.".
o
There was one fine,
simple lick Rufus Crisp
(On these slides you see above, move the left
showed me which I'll
- *ian ^ firraly UP the fingerboard. Fret the
never forget. Useful any C =$
5L l
" d« I
string for the lower note, and without releas-
time you simply want to ing pressure, move it up two frets.)
chord in the key of G.
SE
I
w=*
30
gsm OLD JOE CLARK
^^
And every tooth in that mule's head
Was sixteen inches around.
m0
And every story in that house
Was filled with chicken pie.
u
M SL M r
o
MM
^ ^MPMTMPMT
_fl e
m fi_c
She'd have so many children
They'd make those biscuits fly.
j
1
y^j^MmmPpi
m?mt
a
npnr
o fi fi _o
i
m
a
m
o
~s~
r
I'll be a married man.
I'd
wish I had a sweetheart
put her on a shelf,
And every time she'd smile at me,
I'd get up there myself.
TUNING-:^C6A1>
fatm ntilt*
t n n t
U
n *
m
Sf^giEgE
n p n n H nr i*\ ht
^ Aj Lb l A i_^i
}
i_o
U
A<
U *
.is
A
o
* t>f r>r
M ri n P n M m
a» r M T
a.
a. o 7 i Z3Z
Tm
.
1
+
32
In the regular C tuning, you might try "John Henry".
Incidentally, the traditional way to sing a ballad such
as this is to play it through once or twice on the banjo,
and then sing a verse, with the banjo just playing simple
chords, and rather quietly, at that, so as not to drown
out the words.
a ^. ,<g
A"H
2
^ tf z
AV> AM 1
7"
JOHN HENRY
o a a.
m^
C Tumrfli-
U4 '
I U UiJ'I
2 2
3^ 3JZ2:
=& ^m A Q
When singing the verses, you can again chord along
behind them somewhat in the fashion described on
page 15.
-0 — m **i
T
^g
rm H- r)
Also
cord, "The
story
Let's
these
C
tuning is a number I first heard on a re-
in
Cumberland Mt. Deer Race" by Uncle Dave
Macon. Over years of singing it, I developed a little
to go with it. His original record is out of print.
hope some sensible pirate will reissue it one of
years. Curiously enough I once met in Los An-
±
^ffi a .
J-UL4 %
o o
^S l U>
q—
U-i-4
a-
geles a woman who listened to the song and said, "Why,
when I was a child in Czechoslovakia we used to sing
that tune. But we had different words: Holka modr o-
oka Ne koukejse do_potoka, holka mod ro-oka ne kouke-
jse tarn. It means, blue-eyed girl, don't look into the
rf'-fP ifeli brook. " How the tune ever got to Tennessee I couldn't
L£
3 V
U
z.
^F f'L-LU
•
i^ % •
iff,
T
rfp-jf^
±^-4> — 4 =:
^ /y\ /vx
o
~7~
B LUJl
>v> i
a
Al '
LLU ^iig
r /h Tm
•Q
H
a. X
ZSTJ
*£=*£
s —
7~ ah
-»
avi
#-
7"
^
AM AVI A>> zvi »*i
_* f
/ /
3ffi
L^ LU t±ms
A known musician in the commercial 'country
well
music' field is "Grandpa Jones", who sticks strictly
to the oldfashioned frailing style of banjo
picking, (he
calls it 'rapping' a banjo). He has published a good in-
struction book.
33
— )
CHORUS
C TVMN6-
Wit m £j^jf P
ffiF^6
mm
it
%
10
TO
J~ trt
r r
4
m f
=21
ty\
f
f
t
rr\
5"
s-
i
-J-
nn
2
I
rr\
3.
I
7~
i
^ -L±
*/n r
TV
7~m T
2.
-n~r
LULU
*
m
3
0-4
»*
3
T "> p m T
*-
mm
1*1 m T r*i /*« 7"
\
Chorus:
Away, away, we're bound for the mountain,
Bound for the mountain, bound for the mountain,
3e 5 3 '<
B i
:r .r 7 T Away to the chase away, away.
Verse:
_i TT
Listen to the hound dog's heavy bay,
Sounding high over the way.
*» /»?
/*» /n
/*1 7" >m-
**«- »«-i.
/»-t.
7"
t^TTJl
/*>- '
All night long till the break of dawn,
Merrily the chase goes on.
Over the mountain, the hills and the fountain,
Away to the chase away, away.
Verse:
Rover, Rover, see him see him,
Rover, Rover, catch him, catch him,
Over the mountain, the hills and the fountain,
Away to the chase away, away.
"So off they went (banjo speeds up). But you know,
he couldn't keep up. They got farther and farther a-
head of him, till he could hardly hear them. Then he
couldn't hear them at all (banjo fades to silence). He
took out his horn and he blew it.
34
(Sings): "Old Blue, where are you? Old Blue where
are you?"
PrT ^m
TT T
O 3.
H
m T
o
»*•{» f»
H TH
a.
»
O -2
TT r s^ 5LSL SLSL
mm
f f _ o
J3-OT~
"Up the hol-
ler Over the
!
mountain!"
(Banjo gets
fainter)
SHE
*/"##' ft a a frftffft^,.
"Now listen to
——H^^^S ^^^^^^* i JT"~ 7
m
those hounds
W—
"But all he could
hear was a hoot H I TT r
>.
they got him
treed!" (Banjo
loud again)
-H
fe
— 5"
-EF%k±^£*
T
mountain again. Right to where I am!" (banjo starts ers and sharecropping farmers, hymns and gospel songs.
strumming) May he liven up the heavenly band
f^rfr* (P\f ^£
T .r
TAB,.! '
Lb ih lU lL*° '
Lb iz §
m
(Spoken): "I think Bugle Boy's got it now. Smart old
dog!"
ifel
T r : T
TA B ^ . A , t i a it a s. >—L-
i
kj LLJ'LUm'LU Lb'
1
35
)
HARMONY LESSON: "MOUNTAIN MINOR" TUNING I was born and raised in East Virginia,
Now DC RD
First put your banjo in a G tuning: G '
EAST VIRGINIA
raise the 2nd string from B to C (a half tone), and (Banjo break before and after verses)
there you are: qDGCD.
EAST VIRGINIA
(Melody for voice)
TvNlNO-
DCrCD .X
i^t
gin — to.
m
Horth Catoh
^m did go.
no. I And
mat den — Her name age —/ did - *"? 'know. —
- and.
fr? fli
i
H »*, T "> P> ryi »*> r*
I was born and raised in East Virginia,
36
LADY GAY
Ig
tffl•^ SS&
^m
L
% fefEEJ
Mia. la-Jy, a /xdy n£j. Of
i m P^£=g£ M sl a»
_<2
r n p hT
O
J
m
i
H n t n m
a
J
a.
r
Thtre <*/trf
en
3E
m
<•/!,/</,
TA&-
f/«
J t.rW|f>
tent ffem auJay Tofte A/o*n
1
i
^=^ x rf M ?
V
M h
a
T n nr
a
rszsz
» »
n n m n r n t n r " mt
D_Q rt
m3
o Q <?
For recordings
&
of the banjo played in the frailing
J I I
L
"Come eat, come drink, my three little babes; style, try some of the following:
Come eat, come drink of mine. " Buell Kazee (Folkways 3810)
Cousin Emmy
(on English Brunswick 9258, 9259
"We want none of your bread, mother, can be ordered by mail)
Neither do we want your wine; Bascom Lunsford (Folkways 2040)
For yonder stands our Saviour dear, Uncle Dave Macon (in Folkways Anthology FP251-3)
And to him we must resign. See also page 72
LADY GAY
(Banjo part as played by Buell Kazee)
Ti/a/wg-
%
:
£
M&D
m
^ miPP
n n t
*i
h n t n 5L n r M M r
iffi O 3
a a g
fc S 37
Buell Kazee (photo from an old
Brunswich record advertisement)
i r
IX
If you are able to play much with other musicians, As you see, the eight l/16th notes are continually
e s emu
such as guitarists and fiddlers, you will want to play being divided up, (as in the Rhumba, and other Afri-
fewer full chords; you'll appreciate the sparkling can-derived rhythms, ) into 3-3-2. Now try this:
punctuation of single strings. You may try more dou-
ble thumbing (see Chapter VI) or single string work
(Chapter X ), but it is hard to beat the syncopated
brilliance of what is known these days as 'bluegrass
banjo'. P i M T i n t ht i ir n t n
±
o
st
¥
-ir
u\t,i t\nr
you ovyAr & tee /»» C«-*j,_ sf,e fares au/<y <Jo~» se^m
And here is still another development of the same Frailing you might play that line thus:
idea:
m
sr-o
Wb- (_)
o a 2-ob av r
r LU LU '
Q"
38
With three fingers
3 f/f/off p/ck/Mff
it might be done this way:
i
*=^ is
t
T sl n t
-3.
ri
&
i T M
Q_
m
tmt Hl .£i rn
.0 Q_
±c
SHE
A
psi* a ll
^
I
a.
H
3
T
a.
'h
3
T I M T iV
3, 3 Z
S
tU-ipt
St.—
r~3
I
/ t i n i t sl n i i J-flMTfl/ t r\
w
3, 0_
SE TEKL
ingly transcribed slowing the record down to a growl.
We think we got most of the notes down correctly, but
± we couldn't swear that the tablature or fingering is
because sometimes there are several possible
H
right,
ways same note. Some bluegrass banjo
of getting the
pickers prefer not to bring their thumb over to the
f T riT|. S L.M I T tl
second and third strings as often as Scruggs does.
Keep in mind too, that Scruggs probably never plays
the piece note by note the same way twice. He is al-
e .. & -Q-
ways coming up with new ideas. Your aim should
HE 3 --3-Y
e@
also be to get so familiar with the idiom that you can
I improvise within it.
39
m
fa8& -*-*
s± g
_i
(Variations up the neck)
After the banjo has played through the main theme
a few times the fiddle or mandolin takes over for a
break. Then the banjo returns with shattering author-
ity, playing a variation halfway up the neck:
CH - choking. See below right
I i-sl t n - hit
i*3fl JO a»
I
7T75~
m-
17-
S
i-TT
n
o
»-'o
T
_, l
fl
ri
fl
n I T
~g=
gPS ©
|
^B=f
t +
ite
rTMPT"/M TT
iS • PAT in
«tc
T-Jt
5*5^
W
g-i i
HH W
" i
i r i n i T--H m ' t and the piece ends by restating the original theme with
a few slight variations. Each banjo picker works out
fflf
s IP I Q
J2
I id
O
g 7 g
3SE3
m his favorite elaboration of the classic ending "shave
and a haircut, two bits". Here is one of Scruggs:
3£fe
"g^r
JJ Uj 1
ijL
I
" i
g ^jtpJ il!^rf^r ff£fflfii | Incidentally, when the strings are higher than their
intended pitch, it is very difficult to afi'ect their pitch
rr nr i by choking. When they are more slack than usual,
E —
choking is very easy.
1AS-
2Z
xs
B
P 3
<0-/l
10 I I o
H ff
Here the 2nd
string is fret-
ted at the 10th
fret, and then
at the same
"CHOKING"
time pushed to
» »"fH~ ^L
I l£ one side by the
left hand, thus
raising it in
i t i nr/ m T 6 I B Tsltm-t) i n r pitch. A tech-
n n much
« it
^^
6 O
Ubif-'S.
. nique
used by blues
ffi
$m t£ =s kuL?
40
guitar pickers.
MOLLY AND TENBROOKS I don't know why I give you the sung melody for this.
rfSfcS r
I tftawimm*&#* £Wir Wm
*=£ » * iirffTi rr
T-SL I T M T | n T « h T n r
' • i
a S—
s^ a-g " r
d
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4=
2.
US M
-J 2.
Run,
Run,
O
Molly run,
O
Molly run,
Tenbrooks gonna beat you
m luj
T" T I M T <
r\
To the Bright shining sun.
Bright shining sun,
Bright shining sun.
SEE
±= WI f
i 1
He wore that shaggy mane,
He run all around- a Memphis,
He beat the Memphis train.
Beat the Memphis train,
Beat the Memphis train
O Lordy,
r I M T
rfrrfof
I r\ T T TVl T
[ff
1 M T
^ Tenbrooks said to Molly,
What makes your head so red?
Running in the hot sun,
Puts fever in my head,
I _a „ a,
Fever in my head, O Lordy
SE '< g
II § =1 fc
•»-!
Fever in my head.
I
..mTTT <e
Tenbrooks said
Leaving
to Molly, I'm a- leaving this old world.
this old world, O Lordy. . . . etc.
i
^ j
The men all a-hollering, Old Tenbrooks a-flying. Etc.
SH =J
Give old Tenbrooks the bridle, let old Tenbrooks run.
Let old Tenbrooks run, O Lordy. Etc. .
I ^gp# 3t
r \-snrfi n
Go and catch old Tenbrooks and hitch him in the shade,
They're gonna bury old Molly, in a coffin ready made.
Coffin ready made, O Lordy. Etc. . .
I H I ! r I-5L T i
S£ 3-g= 3 T
7i~ar c3i a
41
: V
J 1
II, III
i I
^m
pg m &m T n
a. £t
i r n r i n t
&
i n r n
3 ^m
TAB V
f m m Pfi gtm
n t i n r i n t n i t T M T T
HARD TIMES
(Transcribed from the playing of Ralph Stanley.
© ^ ra ^=S 3=0=
f *
m S^^
Used by permission. Ralph Stanley)
®
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42
m rf*w
r i n r i m t
it
This piece "Hard Times" is better understood if
is thought of in sections.
(A) is introduction, (g)
sounds as if it is aimless noodling around, but is an
important section in its own right. @,
the minor
part, is a "release". (§) is what might be called the
main melody, (e) is just a slightly different version
of (g), so now go back to %f and continue through (6)
again. Then instead of doing (§) exactly as before,
try doing it one octave higher, all the way up the neck.
(Mtf Ur of © )
f^## im r J rmrifir m r m r
^g
#-cw i ft
—
i
i
a r-a.
t^S" U=^
i i n t t n t l<H I MT n T I
m &
Pipit to see
Check this transcription with their recording,
how many variations are possible.
, ^ m r « m t I / r-1 I M T
fcr
4
| I-5L M T I M T
!'
.''Ul^UTl
/ / ft T I M T / i M T i ft r Ralph Stanley at the
THE STANLEY BROTHERS
left, playing banjo.
-» —a ^-^ °-
Carter Stanley at the right, playing guitar.
^& a a
z.
5Sm ffi^
stick out just the right
m
length to stretch the string
on the correct new pitch.
*iu Utf
You can hear Scruggs use these special pegs on the THflT I IT npnTMi THP T I T n
records of "Earl's Breakdown"; "Foggy Mt. Chimes";
"Randy Lynn Rag" and "Flint Hill Special". Here's
the way they are used in the latter: Sffi
2 3
£
2. o o o_
331
m m
m
FLINT HILL SPECIAL
m a iff b
Efe Tl I
n T I mt i n T I M I T-iL
£ £fe
I M
o
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1
l T M I
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I E M jb a. a. 2
a
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TUT M T I
tr*t
Bffi
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a.
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m ft
23
WS
p& S3
3 *
n t i
n TiiPTi tup thptTHP TH? THP etf.
^ |gl 1 HI 1 I
XII 112
mm M:
other bluegrass musicians refused to use electrified
instruments and represented an attempt to play "the
gfafrf'Uf real country way". Even so, Alan Lomax has character-
^P m
As in
±x -ifc rf-T
iJJj LLjlJ
45
OTHER STYLES OF FINGER PICKING
This book does not coverall the many possible LITTLE MARGET
ways there are of picking and strumming a banjo. In
the books by Billy Faier and by Peggy Seeger (see
(Melody to be sung)
page 70) you'll find others described. And you, your-
self, may discover or invent new patterns and com-
binations, as you are confronted with new rhythmic J'Jf^ l j
j ijj
problems. Here are a few extra ways of putting the Marg'ret sitting in her high hall door....
Little
fingers of your right hand to work:
^
combing her long yellow hair she
the folk music festival at Asheville, North Carolina. A-
long with double thumbing and trailing, this was proba-
¥.^^g
bly one of the most common old time methods of pick-
ing the banjo in the mountains.
saw sweet William and his new made bride
The index finger not only plucks the melody string,
but right afterwards plucks up across the top two or
three strings at once (instead of brushing down, as in
the basic strum). Lastly, the thumb string kicks off
as before. Try it out on this next song - it's an old riding from the church so n»»ar.
Child ballad which Lunsford sings beautifully. (You
can hear him on the Folkways LP 'Smoky Mountain She throwed down her ivory comb,
Ballads') She throwed back her long yellow hair,
Said, I'll go down to bid him farewell,
He tuned his banjo in Mountain Minor- DGCD. And nevermore go there.
And nevermore go there.
mm &&
rywwfr
J i
** cJii
I T I I T i p i r i i
E«
/ /
H /
France, protesting the selfishness of the rich. Oscar
Brand has given it this very good translation:
BURGUNDIAN CAROL
New words and music
ment by Oscar Brand. Used
arrange-
m^ ^ ^^
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by permission . C»
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For more banjo music using this style of picking,
listen to the Folkways LP of Lunsford, also the LP
"Mountain Music Of Kentucky" with Roscoe Holcomb,
Bill Cornett, Willie Chapman, and others.
LU'
I
w=3==r
ox
f
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-
3 .} .i 3 ?
-
2 a. 3 3 3
A
fingerpicking pattern I first found handy for 3/4
2)
time is one my sister Peggy has aptly named "The
Lullaby Lick". It's good especially for slow quiet
ffffrf m?
P 5 ^^
songs for which you want a more sustained effect.
— ^^p *
Three fingers as well as the thumb are used, plucking
each string separately, as in the classic guitar.
X0 /»'€ —sence.
c Tuning-
/fe^^t ^/ii
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/,
3
^£
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they u/eiv then tvfitn f'-r came
mm
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a
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Hush, lit- tie ba -
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by, don't say a word.
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UH4UW I r By I
g-dac.lo*ola*q
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I a - ma's going
ni to
j^iiji
buy you a mockingbird.
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3£ ^*^ 9IE i
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SSE a. g~ I o a- a •?I7
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9
r t> y<4 s
ty
i s 1 g For one of my own favorite lullabies, I use a G
5</rA * £//7»C ^Ae
U**"^ </o Sam* minor tuning where the 2nd string is lowered one
half tone. Result: DGB^D. Accompaniment for the
G
i « first line would go Hls follows:
z
m-r
-
J—^r
a
J -t
n
r I n 1 « 1
r
rt 1' " *
(Gmminor Tuning'-
T
— #-
I
o-
•§
DGB^P)
^ r??16m
I r
m i * i
48
3) A variation of the Lullaby Lick which I have found
works well for quiet type West Indian songs such as
"The Sloop John B. ", and "Choucoune" goes as fol-
lows:
lupin
mj t f
H
»
p$=*
TIM ;
^3
pT
™rmrnj LU
3
? I
a-
u
d
U J J\
Hi Opening Theme (see also this book, page
Cindy
If5.
p= n
r H | *
m ,rn ^ /
>
R R * T * "Correct position to
I
OT a a.
JZ Converse's Banjo
Tutor, 1892
4*
^
fPVfl
hm
T R n r
^ mm
? R f?
%'r * 1
6) If, when playing a melody with the basic strum,
% H I f I » 4 " ' ** p
o -
'
ODE TO JOY
Sffi T
^S
ff
¥
I CI
c TuniMr
LULU
m B T
m
rBT
A-4
r*rt
R B T
Q a
I
R
I
R
"^
i
50
HE ifef m 3
a
7) Once, in admiring the clean
ic of J. S. Bach, I realized that
spare lines of the mus-
of the best blues
guitar pickers do the same thing: adhere to a strict e-
some feael Efc£ £B ¥~¥
conomy of notes. So here is an arrangement of an old
spiritual in which the banjo purposely plays incomplete
chords, and the voice fills in the extra note. I have
recorded it on Folkways LP "American Favorite Ballads"
Vol. II. The song was taught me by Marion Hicks
Brooklyn, one evening as we sat around the supper tab-
of PS m beat/tt'Ajt
' «r i. '
City five/ye
i S£^ sr
fas /o /#« CJ-ty
iw
I I
%
6- TUN/NG-
. va/cf
ggj ±
OA .hrfia.f
14/YJO ffl
n. (Complete words and music are in the book "American
« T a
m in T
-*-
R T a t
' T
§
I -r
Favorite Ballads", Oak Pub. 121 W. 47th St. NYC)
*)•'»
J
becLufifvl
I J
C»/y
m CA
S§§
.u>/iat i
All Ye Fair and Tender Ladies" and it seemed to work
though I am leery of trying it too often. -X Means re-
NYLON STRINGS
t»i.iT
£3 gj%
I
R
»^
I
R R
1
'
R T
-r
»
R
%
•
R T
Ifyou are in possession of an old style banjo with wood
en or ivory friction pegs, and a lightweight wooden rim
you might like to try stringing it with nylon strings.
They have a soft, sweet tone. The E. & O. Mari String
«m
_c J[ X
TAB *- 3 ? A a J- ^ Company 38-01 23rd Ave., Long Island City, N. Y.,
=& G=* manufactures them. (The 4th strings use silk and steel.
But Paul Cadwell tells me he prefers to go to a sporting
^^ r'r
1 ^ goods store and get nylon fishing leader. The 1st and
5th strings use the kind guaranteed for a 10 lb. fish.
The 2nd a 15 lb. fish, the 3rd a 20 lb. fish. Much
cheaper though sometimes they take a while to stretch.
m mm
be<u/tiftvl ci-fy.oti - what a. There is a whole group of banjo players in the USA
who would not think of using steel strings. They are
€k. mostly oldsters, fans of the virtuoso Fred Van Eps,
who recorded banjo solos for Victor around 1912, and
others like him. These fans would not think of frailing,
strumming, or Scruggsing. They are Pure Finger
v pickers, and have their own organization: The Amer-
' • y j o
i j a ican Banjo Fraternity, c/of R.G. Thornburgh M. D.
TA t 7 T ? 1066 Atlantic Ave. Long Beach, California.
,
B= i^t 51
)
people,
i
Ti
tr+nlh*e
-&-
itiert.
^S
/ U/l// p&
P ~€B-
3EM: 5
(rest of the song can be heard on Folkways LP "Amer-
ican Industrial Ballads". It was a Slovak - American
lament I translated; the original can be found in "Penn-
sylvania Songs and Legends" edited by George Korson.
my Goo 1
'
B5 rJYTIrl.flT?!
v/iaf a
^=^
ih'i
m
luid ef fat'iCtX? So /**ny
—I
I [up and do 7 tn raoioi rren»oh act-oi*
%
"
fUe sTrinq
Sfl
TAH o
-
WHAMMING
(A Of Strumming When You Are In
Style
A Crowd And Have To Make A Lot Of Noise)
1) Pick down on the 4th and 5th strings with the There is a reason for this. True, as I pointed
back of your middle finger (using a pick). out before, much of music
simply illogical tradi-
is
tion, and in other centuries we find other chords
2) Hammer on or pull off with the left hand much more popular than the ones we use most nowa-
days. But there is also a very mathematical rela-
3) Brush across strings 1,2, and 3, with the back tionship between all the major chords we use.
of middle finger As if shaking your hand off.
.
of middle finger,
have names for these chords. They say that if a
b Brush up across song is in, say, D, then D is the Tonic (chord). And
- all five strongs with the index
the link to the right. A, is the Dominant (chord),
finger.
and the link to the left, G, is the Subdominant . Thus,
in the key of E, E is the tonic, B the dominant, and
3) a - (Repeat as in 2a).
b - (Repeat as in 2b). A the subdominant. You'll find it handy to use these
terms.
3 MISCELLANEOUS POSTSCRIPTS
If you ever want to You'll find it easiest to make a tremolo on the 1st
play a fast melody alone, string (or the top two strings together); it's harder to
with no chords or other ac- make a tremolo on one of the other strings without
companiment whatsoever, sounding nearby strings by mistake. It can be done
you can do it with thumb though. See the cross sectional view sketched below,
and forefinger Some-. showing how the index finger plays a tremolo on the 2nd.
times the use of another string, without sounding either the 3rd or 1st strings.
finger will help, and may-
be you can get some extra
notes by pulling off with
the left hand. But try the
following, and you will see what I mean
fiStr,"1
m
C JvmNfy i
m & rx
o a,
i
J
"J.'7
TITI T»T p ^
33E 3L 6
.» *t- o J A roll is a special ban-
H=B jo effect good for ending
off a song. Start with all
fingers of the right hand
doubled up as shown.
If you ever want to play
Then start unwinding the
a tremolo, a nice, steady
littlefinger first, next the
one can be made with the
ring finger, next the mid-
right index finger, brush-
dle finger, next the index
ing back and forth lightly
finger, till the hand looks
over a string or two.
as shown at bottom. It all
happens quite fast. In one
Hold the hand as shown.
"zroomm!" one can make
The little finger and the
a considerable racket. On
ring finger are braced a-
a Spanish guitar they call
gainst the drum. The this the "rasgado".
thumb braced against the joint of the index finger,
is
high enough so that the latter can move freely.
54
XIII
G" Tumi NO
All popular sheet printed with the chord
music is ,
±t±t±lptkf:kkltt:
names printed above the notes. I think you'll find it
best not to bother using your fifth string much with
this kind of music, but simply strum right across
*J P |
r i i i 1 1 l l
CH-*l-l-I-l-l-l-l-I
since a steady rhythm is usually very necessary for
II It IX II. I*. 'J 12 U 12a a 12. ix a ix iz
those songs.
A A h^-Pt
k A
To play blues, forget about other methods of
strumming, and pluck with the thumb and three fin-
gers of the right hand, as though you were playing
a Spanish guitar. Try plunking away at some of the ?
ateV
- 7 -r ? T H t
&
7t^t1 t
chords exactly as shown here:
Mi _a j_
EX3
C TUA//A/&
rifV
llR
-
nPP
T ,P1R
,+
T
'
etc
2. Z 2 2_
=4=1 TTI T I PP T M
m;
'
.f 3 ZO o_
CTrrrc ?§=»
r
One of
of course I
my favorite blues runs is in the G tuning;
can't write it down exactly - the essence
of any blues is improvisation, and one rarely plays
the same blues twice precisely alike. But here is
i"AB. M
U U
I X
I
a.
'•
S^
a. e
one way:
^3
*»1|H'
*3=
£^ &i fJfl
Important: The 2nd string should be choked (see
II It 1111 T
page to) throughout the first measure, then released
in the second measure. In the third measure the
choke goes on and off alternately.
is choked in the tenth measure.
The 3rd string W g * **
-hd — g* I5E
hi— tr
o
I
T
e
I,— "
55
:
HARMONY LESSON: BLUES HARMONY 3) Sometimes the first line is crowded with the
words of a verse, and the 2nd and 3rd lines
repeat always as a chorus, like this:
of all blues have the same basic harmony,
95%
which why it is so much fun to play blues in a jam
is BOTTLE UP AND GO
session. ..makes it easier to stay together. Blues
may be fast or slow, high or low, and there may be
many subtle variations within this framework, but if
you will study the following, it will be easy for you
to pick up any blues.
You
F
J>j g| p
>JJj.-^i!i,
*
,
tynjh
Tonic
Subdominant
j n )i)U
.
.
.
.
,
Tonic,
.
•
,
J
,
[Til
(add 7th)
, , ,
,
i\
i
bottle up and go*r All you high
f7 C
powered women
Fr C &7
\U*j J \ J J j\i J J J i
i I J i '
dominant . , , Tqmcf
Tpni<f , i
III
4-4
-
\J 4 * i
JiJ J J J J * i J | J d
i
C G
Easy rider, see what you done done
G
You made me love you; now your man done come..
1)
Sometimes the words of the verse take up the
firsttwo lines, and the 3rd line, always re-
peated, becomes the refrain. Such is "Frankie
and Johnny", "Boll Weevil", and "Stagolee".
(j-TurfWO
^_—
T ~1
<""
3 "X
BLUES RHYTHM
Like the sonnet or the limerick, it is a form, a lot of blues, you will probably want to do
vehicle for a 1000 and one varieties. it on a steel stringed guitar anyway. The
notes are sustained longer; less plunky.
Don't think that you can just follow these direc - This chapter is really written for the banjo
tions mechanically and sing the blues. Without the picker who finds himself in the company of
subtle and characteristic inflections of both voice some bluesy guitar pickers. Or boozy ones.
and instrument, without the traditional phraseology
of melody, and the"answering back" of the impro-
vised runs at the end of the lines, you haven't got it
all.
58
XIV
... is not hard to play on the banjo. You may find you VIVA LA QUINCE BRIG ADA
want to abandon the square dance strum occasionally,
though, and as with the blues, finger each string sep-
arately. Here's one run which is very characteristic
of Spanish Flamenco (gypsy) guitar music:
C ruAf/r/0-
L
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p (A «• n n m nri
mil"'
4+w+AJJUJUju
i "i ti i
1
1
i
tmi rn\ tmi rhi rni rrtir*i WE a oao £hx>0 o gov ntjo txkt?
§ u uu uymiiW
55
nO
itj
na
m ui
ao nO
uj in
no
m
,
fiO flfi
i
Tiy^h
/ / / / /
UI.
m±
(r)
8ri 8i
3 i
i
w
i^Kti
i
%
i
i
lu
1 1 ,
m
a ii ii
in Lk in
ii u
m [p
.
//
i I
8 "*PB T ,Hf tt I HP 8 T Trti TW TM
JXL JM_
QPmv
Notice in the above that while the thumb plays a kind
WE If la o tf dig v
pip BID /I
of melody, the index and middle fingers incessantly
but lightly touch the 1st string. Practice it until it be- IP
comes exceedingly fast and smooth. Arch the right
wrist slightly for better control. The first string is
plucked up. of course.
HfflfnfRF Q
TMI T r* « TW T M i
I
Listen to some Flamenco recordings (Montoya,
Escudero, Sabicas or Gomez) to see how runs such as 06 in "6 OS. 00
the above are worked into a song.
m
One
though
almost my favorite song.
of these is still
know
Al- A mjff rhfH i
r'ft fr ^ i*
I don't pronounce the words exactly right,
I
I hope I can always sing it in honor of those brave
59
1
: s )
You'll note there is a very characteristic har- The second of the two rumba strums
mony which will end a song even on a dominant chord, given at the left can be adapted quite ea-
and using over and over such chords progressions sily for square dancing. There should
as: Cm, BP , Ap , G. be other instruments besides the banjo
in the ensemble, to maintain the basic
beat. With practice you can vary the
rhythmic emphasis.
Rh umba rhythm
are two ways to
also sounds good on a banjo; here
get it: j
*
nnn-\
T*
+ T f j.
In South America they have, of course, many, many He: "I beg your pardon - but - er - would you be so
other fascinating rhythms. You can learn them from kind as to give me the 'G'?"
a good guitar player and transfer his technique to the She: "Oh, certainly. " (Gives it.
banjo. Wish I knew more myself, along this line! He: "Thanks awfully '."(Bows and proceeds on his way )
60
XV
SUMMARY
OSually
As you have by now gathered, I have.not tried to
teach you in this manual any exact method of playing
any particular song, but have only briefly outlined
many different methods by which you can improvise
your own accompaniment to any song you want to
sing. From here on, you're on your own.
The strings should be about 1/8 to 3/16 " high off The BRIDGE should be placed so that when you
the fingerboard at the 12th fret. If they are much high- fret any string at the 12th fret, you get a tone exactly
er the strings will be stretched out of tune when you one octave higher than the string's open unfretted tone.
press them to the frets. You should contrive to either With old strings you may need to slant the bridge slight-
lower your bridge, or to bend the banjo neck back by ly to make it accurate for the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th strings.
inserting a small strip of wood at the point marked "A".
A drop of Elmer's Glue on the edge of the bridge
the strings are too low, they will buzz and you had
If helps to keep it from sliding. A deepened notch for
best heighten your bridge. the 5th string if your thumb is catching the 5th string
too hard.
In damp weather or living near salt water, rub oil
on the strings to keep them from rusting. Old strings An ARM REST, besides being more comfortable,
have poor tone and pitch and may need to be replaced. prevents summertime perspiration from rotting the
edge of the drum head.
Incidentally, a 1st string can be substituted for a 5th
string if you wish; they are of approximately the same One item not pictured here is a cloth to stuff inside
diameter wire. the drum when you want to play without being too loud.
A handkerchief is too small, a bath towel too big but a
order to play in different keys, you will need a
In DIAPER is just right.
banjo CAPO. See Lesson VI, p. 23.
Myself, Hike
to attach a SHOULDER STRAP
The FRETS must
be firmly laid in the finger-
all
at points A
and B. Then if I wish, I can sling the
whole thing upside down behind my right shoulder to
board, rounded slightly on the top, so the finger can
walk down the street.
Bfiivoe C4VO
62
Therefore, I have found it very convenient to do a
littlecarpentry on my banjo neck, lengthening it by
APPENDIX 2 two frets. Thus I can play in F or B p without hav-
ing to capo so far up the neck that I lose my bass
notes.
WHERE TO BUY A BANJO Shown here is one method of sawing the neck off,
and with good glue and dowels, making the lengthened
Second hand banjoes are nowhere so easy to find end hold firm. (Cheaper and easier than trying to
as they were when this manual was first written thir- carve a complete new neck).
teen years ago. Nevertheless, since a wellmade mus-
ical instrument, well cared for, will not wear out in
three years like a Detroit car, hard searching will of-
ten uncover a fine banjo for a very low price, either
in a pawnshop, an auction or someone's attic. If you
locate a banjo with a really fine and solid rim but a
warped old neck, it might be worth it to have a new
neck made to fit it. Can be done.
Don't attempt this yourself, of course, unless you
A new banjo, like any good instrument, is liable to are sure of your ability: a professional repairman
be expensive. But don't make the mistake of thinking would charge $20- $60 for such a job. In addition to
gluing an iron-firm joint, you must place the new
that you can automatically make better music on a
frets in exactly the right position. The distance from
more expensive instrument. Some of the best banjo the bridge to a new fret should be twice the distance
picking I ever heard in my life was done on the cheap- from the bridge to its 'octave fret'.
est mail-order banjoes. Both Sears Roebuck and Mon- This assumes the bridge to be in a mathematically cor-
ky Ward carry them. Prices on banjoes start around rect position. You can place it there by measuring the
$30 and go up to several hundred dollars. Companies distance from the old nut to the 12th fret. Exactly
making them now in the USA include Kay, Harmony, double the distance, and you have the correct location
for the bridge.
Gretsch, Gibson and Vega. The latter custom builds
a long necked model, as does also a new little compa-
ny in Boulder, Colorado (the ODE Company NO MATTER WHAT BANK) YOU HAVE there is
Jamestown Star Route, Boulder, Colorado). one small adjustment you'll want to make: a small
The latter, like any reputable firm, will guar- screw placed in the fingerboard above the 5th string.
antee a neck against any possible warping. Here's the reason for it.
K you know anyone traveling to Europe and back, In order to play the keys of E and E r (C tuning)
good 5-string banjoes are manufactured in both West and B9 , B
(G tuning) you'll have to tighten your 5th
Germany and England. In London see Clifford Essex string, raising it's pitch the same amount that you
Ltd., 8 New Compton St. W.C. 21,. European banjo- raise that of the other strings with the capo. . . this
es put their 5th string peg at the tip end of the neck, is almost impossible to do without breaking the 5th
in the center of the other four. The 5 string ducks in- string. I therefore put a small round-headed screw
in the fingerboard, 5 frets above the 5th string peg,
to a hole at the 5th fret, goes through a small tube, and
and directly under the 5th string itself. Don't screw
emerges just beyond the nut. it down tight, but leave about 1/32" clearance under
the head; then you can slip the fifth string under it,
Bluegrass banjo pickers prefer using a resonator thus artificially fretting it. In this new position you
on the bank of the instrument. At the other extreme, can hit the higher pitch you need. If, for any reason,
some players prefer a lightweight wooden rim, no you want to experiment with other screws still higher
frets and nylon strings to get that old 'plunky' tone. You on the fingerboard, of course that is possible too.
will have to decide for yourself which you like best.
How it is carried: In cutting the pattern, make sure you not only make
itlarge enough for side panels, seams, etc. but also
leave a little extra room for spare shirts, socks, pa-
pers, whistles, and apples, cheese or pastrami sand-
wiches.
APPENDIX 3
CHORDS! CHORDS! CHORDS! Normally the 5th string is not fretted. With a C or
G chord and with a few other chords, it sounds okay.
Onthe opposite page are listed more chords than Its use is indicated by a small Roman numeral V.
Where this sign is lacking, it means that the 5th string
any sensible person could conceivably use. (Do not
attempt to memorize. For reference only) Yet what may clash with the chord and you had best not sound it;
you see here m
by no means all of the possible chord so strum so that just the first four strings are heard.
combinations. You are shown several different ways
to make each chord. The first is the usual one down To locate a chord for a certain key, read horizontal-
nearest the nut. You'll have to figure out for yourself ly from the left. To pinpoint the kind of chord (i. e. a
(such as AP in the upper left hand corner). the fourth and fifth row from the left: rTTn
.
8 .
tt
A" ii i
±
--
i
ii ii 8
i
».;; I I
I
I
'
>
ft
Y-.l 1
(A*;fl
i
*6 - 6 II i
1
i
--
1
B i
i
::: -7 '''' I
'
It
'1
I
c li T V
'
V VI, '< V v ---
1
--S : /o \b
j '
Jf
ft*):::
S ---
!
*7
_.L
_
D i
i
I '
•
1
_ J _
I
I
1
'
10 " r
um J 1
'1 t
1
\w 6*
i
i
ll
v-- v" i
V-- :'
v
t7
I I
K> IS
E 'i
V v;
...»
i
'- i
II
- -
ft a 7
F
i
--- v 1
i i
i
1 >
i
1 I
>
<
i
•
i > _ #
8 I
I
5 II 11 I
I
\
?
. 1
rrr 6
1
/3 ---6
v
1 - _
-:-
I
i
v---
i
i
V V-- * v-- y. - v,- - V-1
;' v, r
- V-
:•/:
- v%
-8 -
1 l
m
I*
CHORD POSITIONS FOR THE G TUNING: DGBD use up or DOWN THE NECK
(G)
>
•
1
CHORD POSITIONS FOR THE D TUNING: (A) DF AD USE UP OR DOWN THE NECK
i
(n»tte
mi n other
*""« ,»
i
i i
i
i i
i
ii i
i 1 i 1
i
*
i
.
becomes in the G tuning: j . _ If you don't already know how to read music,
!-, you
might take a gander at this page. It is really very
simple - like touch typing, a matter of learning a few
Incidentally, remember that every time you fret a simple things well. Though you may never be so pro-
string on the 12th fret, you get almost the same chord ficient as to be able to pick up a concerto and read it
(and sometimes a better one) by just lifting your fin- at sight, if you learn enough to pick out a tune
in a
ger and playing that string open, an octave lower. Test songbook, you'll find it of much help.
out this principle with some of the chords you see on
the previous page. First, most melodies are written in the "treble
clef". This means that you will see a spiral thingum-
Similarly, any chord position that does not include my at the left end of the staves; it circles a line which
open strings can be repeated 12 frets higher up the represents a G note, as you see below. Here are two
neck. You'U notice that in all these 240 chords there scales in the key of "C" (they start and end on C).
5^ tt¥ & m
are only a few main positions. You just use them high-
er or lower on the neck.
There are also variants of the C tuning, such as If at any time you want to go back, say, from Fif
to ordinary F ("F natural"), you put a natural" sign
C CGBD, g CGAD, qCGCD, g cgce. ( t\ ) in front of the note.
A hundred years ago the gut strings of banjoes were Second, the rhythm of a song is marked by
tuned a minor third lower than steel strings are nowa- "measures", signified by vertical bars across the
days. Even so, some players like to tune their instru- staff, as shown below. Within a measure there may be
ments still higher, to get a more ringing tone out of it. several beats; the most common rhythms are known
Grandpa Jones, for example, usually tunes his instru- as 2/4 (two quarter notes per measure), 3/4, 4/4, and
ment aEAC#E - that is, one whole tone higher than the 6/8 (six eighth notes per measure).
normal G tuning. However, it is hard to choke the
strings when they are this tight. Rufus Crisp of Allen, A
whole note (O) is the longest note (equal to four
Ky. who never used a capo, used some eighteen tun-
,
beats) For anything longer than that you tie two
.
ings. Here are a few of them which we haven't already notes together, thus o~b A dot right after a note
: .
mentioned: g ggbd i GFGBD, pCFAC, p#ADAD, increases its length by 1/2. Thus, all measures be-
p#GEAD, G GDAD. qDGDE low have four beats in them (including "rests" - the
66
noise stops but the rhythm keeps going!). Use your TABLATURE AS USED IN THIS BOOK
arithmetic to see if each measure totals four beats. In
(See also page 7)
one measure I purposely goof.
i r
whole
y =v=
cj&rnr' & 1>M '
l fj g^g beats. And the re-
peat signs are also
the same. 5ffi
a a n b air
fl rest ^ i
-^re^r -j***' -ft
rcj "
^*i.
fcaaqq
I U. U fffff
L_l L_l I' l
7
Each beat can
then be broken up
into shorter notes, with little tails, dots etc. just as
,
in regular music writing.
The following sign over a note> means you should The five lines of the tablature represent the five
accent, or emphasize it. strings of the banio, with the 5th string at the bottom.
The numbers refer to the fret at which the left hand
stops the string. "O" means "open string - not fret-
A double bar is put at the end of a I
ted at all". See page 7.
song, or a section within a song.
The fingering indication above the tablature refers
Two
dots in front of it means go to how the string is sounded:
back and repeat from the beginning,
or go back to the previous double bar,
where you will see two similar dots.
;
:
T right thumb, plucking down
I right index finger, nearly always plucking
Over this double bar you'll sometimes
up. (For exception, see page 46).
see a iancy little cross. The letters
D. S. over the last double bar stand for D.S. M middle finger, plucking up, unless you are
trailing (see page 29) when it means the
the Italian words "Dal Segno" meaning
back of the middle (or index ) fingernail,
"from the sign".
plucking down.
R = ring finger, plucking up, (see page 7).
This sign: X
means "repeat the pre-
B = brushing down across all or several
vious measure". If there is a number
strings (see page 7).
over it, it means to repeat the previous -K-
measure a certain number of times. H = hammering on (see page 14).
P = pulling off (see page 16).
SL = slide (see page 30).
CH = choke (see page 40).
E or F = Scruggs pegs (see page 44).
Now here a tricky bit
is
i7. 'rarr
often when you repeat a
musical phrase, the last
measure will have over it
a long ho rizontal line with
the letter* 1. Right afte r the double bar will be a sim-
ilar line with the letter' 2. On repeating the phrase,
(because the double bar with dots told you to) when you
come to the skip it and go right ahead to
"fa '. In other words, the same phrase has two "Can you read music?"
different endings. See page 59.
"Not enough to hurt my playing. "
In case you haven't noticed already, its of ut- You needn't worry about a pick for
most importance that the fingernails of each hand the little finger - not used enough.
be the right length.
Since there is only one other wide- progressions more thoroughly than
ly-available banjo instruction book does Peter; he on the other hand, in-
HOW TO PLAY THE FIVE STRING cludes a partial discography (very im- ;
BANJO, by Peter Seeger some com- portant for banjo players), asection on
parisons might be helpful. Peter in- how to choose and care for the banjo,
cludes only a few songs but writes out, and some interesting historical data.,
in tablature, at least part of the way In other words, both books are useful'
they may sound as solo banjo pieces. in their own ways; both supplement
(In my experience, some people find each other nicely. There need be no
the use of tablature extremely helpful; schism in the Seeger family.
others have great difficulty in learning In sum, then, THE FIVE STRING
to read it. ) Peggy, as already pointed BANJO AMERICAN FOLK STYLE is
out, includes no instrumental tran- a most successful attempt at basic
scriptions, but prints many more analysis of traditional and contempo-
songs, twenty-seven in all, with com- rary banjo techniques and styles; the
plete texts. In a book of over-all ex- student who approaches it from this
cellence, this is one of the nicest point of view will find it a richly-
parts; she has selected a wide variety packed source of ideas. It is not an
of fresh, unhackneyed tunes, both slow easy five -minute instructor; it makes
and fast, familiar and unusual, and all demands on the player, but the eventu-
of them fun to play. Peggy also goes al rewards for this meth od of study are
into the question of harmony and chord Li i njjt"! in imi'ffnVirniim'HP"
1
70
BOOKS OF SONGS TO SING "Woody Guthrie Songbook - E. P. Dutton.
Folk Songs Of Canada, Ed. by Edith Fowke, Waterloo Music Co.
Literally hundreds of folk song collections are now available Waterloo, Canada.
in Libraries. Some large cities have bookstores which special- Songs Of Work And Freedom, Fowke and Glazer, Roosevelt Uni-
ize in them. Here we list just a few, with apologies to the versity, 430 S. Michigan Ave. , Chicago, 111.
many whose titles have had to be omitted. The Shuttle And The Cage, and Personal Choice, two fine col-
lections by Ewan MacColl, available in USA through Har-
A Treasury Of Folksong, Kolb, Bantam Books, 35?. The gail Music Press, 28 W. 38th St. , NYC.
cheapest but one of the best. The Abelard Folksong Book, by Norman Cazden, Abelard
Various song 'kits' put out by the Cooperative Recreation Ser- Shuman, NYC.
vice, Deleware, Ohio, 25? each. Folksongs And Footnotes, Theodore Bikel, Meridian Books.
Lift Every Voice, and the People's Songbook, from Sing Out American Folk Songs For Children, Animal Folk Songs and
Magazine, 107 Lafayette St. , NYC. American Folk Songs For Christmas, all by Ruth Crawford
Traditional Tunes Of The Child Ballads, Bronson, Princeton Seeger, Doubleday, NYC.
University Press, ($$$ but worth 'em). Songs To Grow On, Beatrice Landeck, E. B. Marks, NYC.
Folk Songs of North America, Alan Lomax, 623 pp., Doubleday Crown Publishers has the series of 'Treasuries' edited by Ben
NYC. Also earlier books by the Lomaxes: Cowboy Songs, Botkin. Good also are the Treasury of Mexican Folklore
American Ballad And Folk Songs, Our Singing Country and and the Treasury of Jewish Folklore.
Best Loved American Folk Songs. American Favorite Ballads, edited by Moe Asch, Irwin Silber
The American Songbag, Carl Sandburg, Harcourt Brace, NYC. and yours truly. 96 pp, paperback. Oak Pub. 33 W. 60 NYC.
The Weaver's Songbook, Harpers, NYC. Also The Weavers Burl Ives Sea Songs, 131 pp. Ballantine Books.
Sing and The Caroler's Songbag, Folkways Music Pub. 10 Last but not least, anyone interested in folk music should sub-
Columbus Circle, NYC. Same publisher has 'Leadbelly*, scribe to a little publication which every two months comes
songs of the late Huddie Ledbetter, $2. 00. out with new and old songs, reviews of books and records,
Folk Blues, edited by Jerry Silverman, MacMillan, NYC. and articles of many kinds. Practically every good song I
California To New York Island - songs of Woody Guthrie, pub. know has been printed there at some time or other. It is
by Woody Guthrie Publications Inc. Suite 2017, 250 W. 57 NYC. called SING OUT, 107 Lafayette St. , NYC. One Year $3. 00,
Cecil Sharpe, Oxford University Press. Also from the same two years $5. 00 and worth it ten times over.
publisher, The Oxford Book Of Carols.
71
APPENDIX 7
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<Th SotUy CD's. Old b/tavers IPs ar c r*cuj cm CV's ffo^. fie. U/elJc G^-o^p, Su/fe^
?(POy J2J9 Ocea*. //ye.., Sa^.t*. floru'a*. , erf. oofo( . .
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Tc^e- io r-avt'se. ifud J&oJc st^-a^ /961. Z&f 'its bu>ic /cfe^ /'// stiff sTc^J £u:
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"
can I read notes? Hell, there are no notes to a banjo. You just play it.