Old-Time Banjo Tabs

We learn a new tune by ear every week, many of which are interesting versions of old-time fiddle tunes.

Go directly to G Tunes A Tunes D Tunes

Filtered directly through their ears to my ears, and on to you!

Spring '08
This week's tune is another old favorite from Emmett Lundy:
Julie Ann Johnson, trio
Julie Ann Johnson (D)

Here's a great version of Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss from Emmett Lundy, which he calls
Western Country, trio
Western Country (D)

This waltz in A comes from "Old-Time Cowboy Songs" by the Bunkhouse Orchestra:
Clayhole Waltz, trio
Tab on its way.

This A tune is from Ward Jarvis:
Icy Mountain, trio
Icy Mountain (A)

The next G tune is from Frank Reed by way of Rafe Stefanini:
Massa Bill/Mossy Bill, trio
Massa Bill/Mossy Bill (G)

The first tune is a little tricky on banjo, but it's a well-known G tune from Fiddlin' Sam Long, found on "Echoes of the Ozarks vol. 1":
Seneca Square Dance, trio
Seneca Square Dance (G)

Block out your calendar for these important events:
·June 16-21, 2008 Weiser, ID fiddle contest. Camp out nearby, starting 6/12

·June 29-July 6, 2008 The Festival of American Fiddle Tunes.

This handy old-time musician's directory could lead to you playing more music with others!

Useful References:
Archived and publicly available field recordings at the Digital Library of Appalachia

Searchable index of recorded fiddle tunes at the Folk Music Index

Words to that folk/trad tune at the Mudcat Cafe

Practically every banjo tuning you could ever want: 5 string banjo tunings

A tune list from Banjo Camp or this extensive tune list for a Seattle jam.

Other sources

Here's some more tab of tunes that I learned elsewhere, like from my former teacher Diane Sanabria (in Western MA), or from American Banjo Camp or Fiddle Tunes.

Also check out the Canotes' website!

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This D tune is a bit tricky, but very fun to play! It's Paul Brown at Fiddle Tunes '05 playing Twinkle Little Star, and what I think might be a fair banjo part (tab). Again John Schwab on guitar.

Here's a recording from Fiddle Tunes '05: Paul Brown playing an interesting version of Cotton Eyed Joe, and some tab as a feeble attempt at what Terri is actually playing on the banjo. John Schwab is on guitar.

I ask you, who could dislike this version of Scott's Return? (Also from Fiddle Tunes '07) Try playing along with this tab. There are some extra beats I didn't notate, mostly at the end of each section.

Here is quite possibly my new favorite D tune. John just figured out how to play it without tuning the fiddle down to DDAD or some such thing, and we were jamming with some of the great guys from the Atlas stringband at Fiddle Tunes '07. Here's some of our Bonaparte's Retreat, and some likely tab too.

This great A tune is from John Salyer, recorded at Fiddle Tunes '06. I wish I knew who was playing Trouble On My Mind. The rhythm is not square, and the B part might be the A part, so here's my attempt at tab

From Rafe Stefanini (11/1/06) a version of Little Birdie. The tuning is fCFCF and I haven't worked out any tab for it.

But here's some tab for Melvin Wine's All Young (A modal) on Hannah at the Springhouse.

Calico fiddle tunes

Here are some sound files of calico tunes, on the fiddle. They are all in A, and the fiddle is tuned AEAC#. Some of these were written by Greg Canote; so far all of them are played by Greg and Jere Canote.

Here are Greg's tunes:
Come Back Alive
Old Man Gone
Walkin' Back to Texas
Hickory Smith

And the others
Black Mountain Rag
Cows in the Pea Patch
Cripple Creek
Jenny Nettles
Scolding Wife
Snowbird in the Ashbank

If you really love 'em, the Canotes' new CD is finally out! With some of these and many others: Calico Pie. I can also highly recommend their other CDs, particularly Sugar Baby.

Some tunes from Fiddle Tunes '05

We learned Jenny Lind (mp3) in band lab with Gerry Milnes and Dave Bing. This is a slow version; imagine about 50 people on a small stage hammering away on it. We also learned two other great tunes, (mp3) Sugar Hill and The Horny Ewe (say, "yo"). Again, these are the slow versions, meant to learn from rather than enjoy overmuch.

Later in the week Gerry and Dave played a bunch of tunes for us, and here are a few of my favorites:
Sally Coming Through the Rye (mp3)
A Rose for Polly (mp3)
And some preliminary tab for a tune they called Green Corn. I think I've got the rhythm off a bit around the repeats, and the brushes need to be mostly minor, but it's a start.
Here's the fiddle part.

One night Gerry Milnes, Paul Brown, and John Schwab were jamming. They were later joined by Joel Savoy. Here's one tune they played early on. (mp3)

Ahoy Stringbandoleros!

Here you will find png or jpeg images of the banjo tab for each tune, as well as sound files of each tune played at a reasonable pace by Greg (fiddle), Jere (guitar) and Candy (banjo). Recordings were made with the knowledge and consent of the musicians for non-commercial use only. All content is licensed under Creative Commons (see below).

I hope that if you live near Seattle, you will come play with us at Candy, Greg and Jere's class and you just need this website as a little reminder of what you've already learned.

If you live far far away from Seattle, then I hope you have a bunch of friends who learn by ear so you can all learn these tunes and play them together. After all, it's more fun that way!
And if you haven't got that, I encourage you to bring yourself and your instrument to a festival and find some friends or a teacher.

**A Note To Banjo Tab Readers**

I don't like tab. I don't use tab. I only write this tab to make myself focus when I'm learning a tune. Try to learn the tune by ear. However, if you do need to refer to the tab, you might like to know a couple of things.

This tab is far from authoritative. To save space I have sometimes cut corners (measures?). Rather than notating a pick up and then first and second endings, I've offset the beat by one: sometimes you'll find that what looks like the one beat in the tab is actually the four. I hope it becomes clear on listening. If you have any confusion, listen again. Then feel free to write me (address below).

G Tunes

Spring '08
4/15/08 Massa Bill or Mossy Bill, from Frank Reed via Rafe Stefanini: mp3; banjo tab
4/8/08 Seneca Square Dance, from Fiddlin' Sam Long, on "Echoes of the Ozarks, vol. 1": mp3; banjo tab

Winter '08
3/25/08 The Girl Slipped Down, from D. Dix Hollis: mp3; banjo tab
2/12/08 Cripple Creek, from Chester Nolan: mp3; banjo tab
1/29/08 Come On Boys, Let's Go to Anaky, from Kentucky fiddler Gusty Wallace: mp3; banjo tab
1/22/08 Cora Dye, from Dear Old Illinois, a collection of Illinois tunes: mp3; banjo tab

Fall '07
10/2/07 Going Back to Fielden, from Dirk Powell on "Hand Me Down": mp3; banjo tab
9/25/07 Johnny Come Along, from Clyde Davenport: mp3; banjo tab

Spring '07
4/24/07 Jaybird Died of the Whooping Cough, from John Ashby: mp3; banjo tab
4/17/07 Bullfrog on a Puncheon Floor, a Kentucky tune from Bruce Greene: mp3; banjo tab

Winter '07

2/13/07 Run Johnny Run, from W.H. Step: mp3; banjo tab
2/6/07 Southern Home in Dixie, from Luther Davis: mp3; banjo tab
1/30/07 Mary Wants a Lover, from John Ashby: mp3; banjo tab

Fall '06
12/13/06 Possum on a Rail, from the Newton County Hillbillies: mp3; banjo tab
10/18/06 Magpie, via The Fuzzy Mountain Stringband: mp3; banjo tab
10/11/06 Going To The Wedding To Get Some Cake, from the Newton County Hillbillies, on Mississippi String Bands vol. 2: mp3; banjo tab
10/4/06 Green Mountain, from Isham Monday (of Kentucky): mp3; banjo tab

Spring '06
5/9/06 Springfield Girl, (in Thede): mp3; banjo tab
5/2/06 Katie Fetch the Soap Home, from Estil Bingham: mp3; banjo tab

Winter '06
3/14/06 Miss Sally at the Party: mp3
1/31/06 Muddy Creek, from John Salyer: mp3; banjo tab
1/24/06 Great Big Yam Potatoes, from "Great Big Yam Potatoes: Anglo-American Fiddle Music from Mississippi," Hardy Sharp fiddling: mp3; banjo tab
1/17/06 Bear Creek (could be "Beer Creek's Up"), from "Great Big Yam Potatoes: Anglo-American Fiddle Music from Mississippi," with W.E. Claunch: mp3; banjo tab

Fall '05
11/22/05 Cutting at the Point, from Charlie Wilson and his Hayloft Boys: mp3; banjo tab We played it out of D, but you could figure it out in G as well. There was controversy about which key it was really in. You'll see.
11/15/05 Barley Corn, off a 1980s Fiddle Tunes "field recording": mp3; banjo tab

Spring '05
6/14/05 Nellie Bly: mp3; banjo tab
5/3/05 Who's Been Here Since I Been Gone: mp3; banjo tab
4/27/05 Sail Away Ladies, from J.P. Fraley: mp3; banjo tab
4/19/05 Great Big Taters, from Eck Robertson: mp3; banjo tab

Winter '05
3/29/05 Corn in the Crib: mp3; banjo tab
2/22/05 Goin' Back to Chattanooga: mp3; banjo tab
2/15/05 Feed My Horses Corn and Hay, from Buddy Thomas: mp3; banjo tab
2/8/05 Push that Pig's Foot a Little Further into the Fire, from Marcus Martin: mp3; banjo tab

Fall '04
11/29/04 Cotton Bonnet, from Bruce Greene: original; banjo tab
10/12/04 Old Time Billy in the Lowground, from Kelly Gilbert of Kentucky: mp3; banjo tab
10/5/04 Turkey in the Straw, from Bruce Greene's "Rare Chestnuts": mp3; banjo tab

Spring '04
4/13/04 Pearl Blake's Tune
3/30/04 Moon Behind the Hill, from Melvin Wine
3/23/04 Bile Them Cabbage Down

Winter '04
2/3/04 Charles Guiteau
1/27/04 Little Boy, Where'd You Get Your Britches?
1/20/04 Handsome Julie

Fall '03
11/25/03 Boatin' Up Sandy
11/18/03 Sourwood Mountain
9/16/03 Rocky Road to Dublin
9/9/03 Old Buzzard, from Doc Roberts: mp3; banjo tab

A Tunes

Spring '08
4/29/08 Clayhole Waltz, from Bunkhouse Orchestra on "Old-Time Cowboy Songs": mp3;
4/22/08 Icy Mountain, from Ward Jarvis: mp3; banjo tab

Winter '08
3/4/08 Lacy Brown, from John Salyer: mp3; banjo tab
2/26/08 Christmas Time in the Morning, from Stephen B. Tucker: mp3; banjo tab

Fall '07
10/16/07 Cotton Eyed Joe, from Marcus Martin of western North Carolina: mp3; banjo tab
10/9/07 Wild Rose of the Mountain, from J.P. Fraley of Kentucky: mp3; banjo tab

Spring '07
5/8/07 Irish Polka, from midwestern fiddler Jeff Goehring: mp3; banjo tab
5/1/07 Sugar in the Gourd, from a recording of Andy Cahan with Carlie Marion: mp3; banjo tab

Winter '07

3/6/07 Buffalo Gals, from John Hatcher: mp3; banjo tab
2/27/07 Double File, from Gaither Carlton: mp3; banjo tab

Fall '06
11/15/06 Tater Patch, from Charlie Lowe: mp3; banjo tab
11/8/06 Dinah, from Henry Reed: mp3; banjo tab

Spring '06
5/16/06 Shaking Down the Acorns, from Burl Hammons (A modal!): mp3; banjo tab

Winter '06
2/14/06 Grub Springs, from "Great Big Yam Potatoes: Anglo-American Fiddle Music from Mississippi," with W.E. Claunch: mp3; banjo tab
2/7/06 The Horny Ewe, from Ernie Carpenter: mp3
2/7/06 Ida Red, from Dykes Magic City Trio: mp3

Fall '05
11/8/05 Give the Fiddler a Dram, from Luther Strong: mp3; banjo tab
11/1/05 Crow Little Rooster/Greenback Dollar, from Tom Sauber (from Marion Thede's Fiddle Book): mp3; banjo tab
10/18/05 The Rout, from Mike Seeger and Paul Brown: mp3; banjo tab

Spring '05
5/17/05 Morning Flower, from Wilson Douglas: mp3; banjo tab
5/10/05 Chinquapin Hunting, from Norman Edmonds: mp3; banjo tab

Winter '05
3/8/05 Shady Grove: mp3; banjo tab
3/1/05 Stillhouse Branch: mp3; banjo tab

Fall '04
10/26/04 Fire on the Mountain: mp3; banjo tab
10/19/04 Old Joe Clark: mp3; banjo tab

Spring '04
5/11/04 Left My Girl in the Mountains, from Estil Bingham: banjo tab
4/27/04 Lady of the Lake
4/20/04 Liza Jane

Winter '04
2/17/04 Pretty Little Rooster
2/10/04 Goodbye Girls, I'm Going To Boston

Fall '03
9/30/03 Wine's Delight
9/23/03 Greenback Dolly-O, from Melvin Wine: mp3; banjo tab

D Tunes

Spring '08
5/13/08 Julie Ann Johnson, from Emmett Lundy: mp3; banjo tab
5/6/08 Western Country or Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss or Susannah Gal, from Emmett Lundy: mp3; banjo tab

Winter '08
3/18/08 Snowbird, from Sammy Dyer: mp3; banjo tab
3/11/08 Banjo Tramp, from Ward Jarvis: mp3; banjo tab

Fall '07
11/13/07 Sweet Little Julie, from Uncle Norman Edmonds: mp3; banjo tab
11/6/07 Roscoe Parish's Tune, from Roscoe Parish: mp3; banjo tab
10/30/07 Another version of Durang's hornpipe, this time from Bruce Greene who got it from Jake Phelps: mp3; banjo tab
10/23/07 Rochester Schottische, from Tommy Jarrell: mp3; banjo tab

Spring '07
5/22/07 Cumberland Gap (three parts), from Greg Canote: mp3; banjo tab
5/15/07 Grasshopper Sittin' on a Sweet Potato Vine, from Luther Davis: mp3; banjo tab

Winter '07
3/27/07 Polly Put the Kettle On, from Luther Davis: mp3; banjo tab
3/20/07 Johnny Don't Get Drunk, from John Ashby: mp3; banjo tab
3/13/07 Shepherd's Walk, from Jimmy Triplett: mp3; banjo tab

Fall '06
12/6/06 Sara Armstrong's, from James Bryan, who got it from a book (called "Hill Country Tunes" by Samuel Bayard): mp3; banjo tab
11/22/06 Durang's, from Jim Herd: mp3; banjo tab

Spring '06
5/23/06 Rabbit in the Pea Patch, from Uncle Dave Macon: mp3; banjo tab

Winter '06
3/7/06 Robinson County, from "Echoes of the Ozarks" by the Morrison twin brothers stringband: mp3; banjo tab
2/21/06 Green Willis, from the Kimble family: mp3; banjo tab

Fall '05
10/11/05 Katy, Bar the Door, from Reyna Gellert (from Roscoe Parish): mp3; banjo tab
10/4/05 Yellow Cat, from Tom Sauber (from Marion Thede's Fiddle Book): mp3; banjo tab
9/27/05 Goin' Down to Georgie-O, from Melvin Wine: mp3; banjo tab

Spring '05
6/7/05 West Fork Girls, from Wilson Douglas: mp3; banjo tab
5/24/05 The Eighth of January, from "Echoes of the Ozarks" by the Morrison twin brothers stringband: mp3; banjo tab

Winter '05
3/22/05 Dog's in the Dishes: mp3; banjo tab
3/15/05 Drink More Cider: mp3; banjo tab

Fall '04
11/23/04 Pumpkin Ridge/Round up the Yearlings, from Jimmy Triplett: mp3; banjo tab
11/16/04 The Old Muse and her Pups: mp3; banjo tab
11/9/04 Needlecase: mp3; banjo tab

Spring '04
Yellow Rose of Texas, from Bruce Greene: mp3; banjo tab
Jack Wilson, from John Salyer: mp3; banjo tab

Winter '04
3/9/04 Lucy's Tune
3/2/04 Bert Andersen's Tune (C)
2/24/04 Ship in the Clouds

Fall '03
11/18/03 Wolf Creek
11/11/03 Bonaparte Crossing the Rhine