Devon's Banjo Homeplace

Tablature for 'Something in the Way'

2012-01-17T12:25:00.000-08:00

I had a request for the tablature to Nirvana's 'Something in the Way', a tune I had posted a video of about a month ago, so here you have it...

Forgot to note it on the sheet but the tuning is standard open G with the 5th string spiked to A.

Auld Lang Syne ---Transcribed

2011-12-30T12:05:00.001-08:00

Here's a tune that's been around the block as far as banjo arrangements go. Bill Keith showed us how to play it with the tuners and many others have developed variations on this model.

My arrangement here does not use the tuners but goes through a number of techniques including chord melody, single string, harmonization of the melody in 3rds and use of muted notes (the 'X's in the tablature).

I did this arrangement a while back but thought now would be an appropriate time to post the tablature.

Firstly here is what it sounds like....

And here is the tab (click to enlarge or go to my tablature archive for the tabledit file)...

Kokomo (solo banjo)

2011-11-30T10:13:00.000-08:00

Kokomo is not everyone's favourite Beach Boys song. It has quite a few strikes against it; it was created post-Brian Wilson, it was featured in a Tom Cruise movie and I believe John Stamos was featured in the music video. Despite all this I love the song. I love it for its beautiful melody, its haunting yet soothing chord progression and, yes, even for the lyrics.

For the arrangement I plced it in the key of C and tried to go for a relaxed, draggy feel. Mostly I kept to the melody as it is so strong to begin with. The chorus gets a little Earl flavour to it.

Here it is...

The Little Drummer Boy (video)

2011-11-24T22:28:00.000-08:00

Recorded a video for the arrangement I tabbed out last post. Was pressed for time and ended up having my son make a surprise appearance towards the end of the song. He gave me a round of applause at the end so I forgive him...

The Little Drummer Boy (written arrangement)

2011-11-21T02:05:00.000-08:00

Doing a little holiday banjo arranging and came up with this for 'The Little Drummer Boy.

It begins in the key of G with the low D string as a drone then modulates to D keeping the same drone and the goes back to G and ends.

I will put up a video as soon as my camera's battery charges and I have the time but for now here is the written arrangement. If you want to view it in tabledit form (clearer and with MIDI so you can listen to it but requires a tabledit browser) go HERE.

Here it is in picture form (click to enlarge)...

Feathers and Tape (original tune)

2011-11-14T14:04:00.000-08:00

This is a new original banjo tune of mine called 'Feathers and Tape'. You can listen to the mp3 HERE.

Banjo Nirvana

2011-11-13T18:59:00.000-08:00

Was watching the old Niravana Unplugged DVD the other night and thought 'Something in the Way' might sound nice on the banjo. It is sort of an atypical tune for the 5 string; slow, sad, and in the key of F# minor (original key is F minor).

Here it is...

If anyone is interested in the tab I can write it up. Let me know.

New Years Banjo Tale

2011-11-08T10:52:00.000-08:00

There are a million banjo jokes out there but the first time I heard this one, told to me by the excellent guitarist Craig McGreggor, it really cracked me up. I've heard it since then told with different variations but I will retell the version I first heard as close as I can:

It is almost New Years Eve and Lextar Tech, a company dealing in the development and sale of electrical fan motors, is all set to put on another legendary bash. Lexar has developed a reputation for it's phenomenal New Years Parties, in fact these parties are the only reason some people work there. Everyone has been buzzing about the band they are bringing in; a supergroup featuring the singing of Don Henley, Stevie Wonder on keys, Eddie Van Halen on guitar, Phil Collins on drums and Flea from the Red Hot Chilli Peppers on bass. It is set to go down as the most outrageous New Years party in the history of outrageous New Years parties.

The trouble arises the morning of. Kendall Bullworth, who is organizing the event and feeling pretty darn good about things, recieves a call from Don Henley himself.

"Kenny!", he says in a raspy, strained whimper, "Bad news; had a rehearsal with the band last night. Little Stevie Wonder and that nut Van Halen got in a fight. Flea jumped in and then Phil Collins...it was terrible. Phil ended up leaving in an ambulance, Eddie lost part of a finger, Flea decided he doesn't want to play music anymore and Stevie claims the whole thing killed his karma and he can't perform again for another 8 years!"

At this point organizer Kendall is sweating profusely; "Are...Are you telling me the band can't play tonight?!"

"Play tonight?", croaked Collins, "We'll be lucky to play again PERIOD!"

"Well, how about you Phil? Why don't you do it on your own?"

"No can do. I went out to drown my sorrows at the local Go Go bar after the brough haha and ended up contracting mono from one of the dancers. Doc says I won't be singing for a month!"

Organizer Kendall doesn't know what to do. He tells his wife of his troubles and she has a suggestion. She says that a month ago at her friends housewarming party they had a local band that blew everyone away. The band did not have a name but was made up of a very odd combination of instruments: banjo, accorion and bagpipes.

"Banjo, accordion and bagpipes?!" Kendall groans.

"I swear they were AMAZING" she assures him.

Kendall tries every other group in his Rolodex but noone is free. He has no choice but to call these oddballs his wife has recommended. They are available.

Kendall is sweating bullets as the party begins and eager guests buzz about the supergroup they believe is about to perform.

Kendall takes the stage; "Greetings and Happy New Year everyone. I know alot of you are excited to see Don Henley and Stevie Wonder and Eddie Van Halen and Phil Collins and Flea from the Red Hot Chilli Peppers..." (The audience roars with applause) "Unfortunately...um...they couldn't make it" (silence) "So...errrr...here is the band we got..."

Kendall beats a hasty retreat and the banjo, accordion, bagpipe trio take the stage.

People are livid at first but midway through the opening number they are captivated. By the third song the audience is in the palm of their hand. When they finally exit the stage after 5 hours of playing a 7 encores everyone in the building is convinced this is the best Lextar New Years party in the history of Lextar New Years parties.

Backstage Kendall approaches the band. "That was PHENOMENAL!!", he shouts, "Words fail me. I...I know this is kind of rediculous to be asking already but...could I book you guys right now for next years New Years party?"

The band are ecstatic. "Absolutely", they chime in unison, "Should we leave our gear?"

Gigue from Partita #3 (J. S. Bach)

2011-11-07T14:34:00.000-08:00

Here is a little classical banjo for ya. I arranged this from the original violin part but transposed to G.

Here it is...

And here is the tablature (click to enlarge or download the tabledit file HERE.

'Get the Horns' - New Banjo Tune

2011-10-10T18:29:00.000-07:00

Thought I'd do a short post to share a new tune. This one is sort of slow and gritty and it's called 'Get the Horns'.

You can listen to it here...

And here's the tab (click to enlarge)...

I'll try and post a video for it in the next little while if I can find my pesky camera.

Chromatic Exercises Part 3

2011-09-15T13:27:00.000-07:00

This exercise is simply a varition of the exercise in 'Part 1'.

Instead of moving through the left hand fingers in a 1, 2, 3, 4 order it moves through them in a 1, 4, 2, 3, order (index, pinky, middle, ring).

When it shifts to descend the order changes to 4, 1, 3, 2.

Here is the tablature representation (click on tablature to enlarge)...

Like the title says; pretty wacky. A bit of a finger-buster to boot. Gets your hand moving in ways it is not used to though and may inspire some alternative sonic reasoning.

Chromatic Exercises Part 2

2011-09-15T13:13:00.000-07:00

Where the first chromatic exercise we covered was all single string style this one is a mix of single string and melodic.

I tried to keep it melodic where possible and single string when necessary.

The scale here simply moves chromatically from the lowest note on the 'jo (low D) to the highest (high C).

Here it is in all its glory (click on tablature to enlarge)...

You can also move back down by reversing the order of notes.

Chromatic Exercises Part 1

2011-09-15T12:38:00.000-07:00

Thought I would share a few warm up exercises I have found helpful. The ones covered in ths series of posts all fall under the 'chromatic' umbrella. The term chromatic refers to a tonality in which all of the 12 tones (every single note) is included.

The first exercise is simple to memorize and uses all four left hand fingers equally.

All you do is begin on the 2nd fret of the 4th string and progress through your 4 fingers fret by fret (2nd fret, 3rd fret, 4th fret, 5th fret).

Then do the same thing on the 3rd string only beginning on the 1st fret (1st fret, 2nd fret, 3rd fret, 4th fret).

Then move to the 2nd string and play the same pattern as on the 3rd string and finally play the patten on the 1st string beginning on the 2nd fret.

After that I shift position up one fret and descend. Once descended I shift up another fret and ascend and then descend and keep the pattern going.

Here is the exercise in tablature form (click on tablature to enlarge)...

You can continue all the way up the neck shifting everytime you finish an ascending or descending pattern.

I have a few other chromatic exercises so stay tuned...

Banjo in the Funnies

2011-08-21T17:41:00.000-07:00

Sorry it's been a while since I've posted. Been a distracting summer but it's almost over.

Thought I would take this opportunity to post a banjo cartoon or two. This first one is from George Herriman's Krazy Kat...

Krazy Kat picked on his banjo fairly regular-like. In this case it seems like he might get a brick to the noggin as reward. I have never been 'bricked' though I am certain it has been considered.

Here's Linus' take on the 'jo...

Though this may be seen as fiscally reckless I support the notion. Fingerpicks may be issued at age 3 and capo at 5. Age 15 you get a mute.

Garry Larson...

This one cracks me up...

Exploring Cherokee Shuffle - Part I : Straight Ahead Break

2011-06-03T23:24:00.000-07:00

It was suggested by Joe Downes on a Banjohangout.org forum that we explore Cherokee Shuffle next so here it is...

If you follow this blog and it seems a little familliar that's because I posted a recording of it played on a little Goldtone mini banjo a few months back.

The arrangement is fairly right hand heavy, down the neck, with the left hand providing some strong pulls. The B section uses a wole lot of backward roll. If the backward roll has been giving you grief playing this arrangement may be just the thing.

I'll try and post another arrangement or two for this one in the next little while.

If you've got a version you want to share feel free to plug it in the comments section.

NEXT: Exploring Cherokee Shuffle Part II: The Uncapoed Key of A Break

Exploring The Gold Rush - PartIII: Up the Neck Break

2011-06-03T22:53:00.000-07:00

At long last here is a new up the neck break for Gold Rush. No video for this one yet but will try and cook something up in the next couple days.

Here's what it looks like...

Not too many completely out of left field surprises although the bend release from the 19th fret may take some work. Basically the note is bent a whole step (2 frets) before it is plucked and then the bend is quickly released. Also known as ghost bends these come in handy here and there and may bring to mind the sounds of pedal steel guitar.

As always write me if anything isn't totally clear.

Photo and Video from Friday's Concert

2011-05-29T11:39:00.000-07:00

Played a shindig this Friday and Matthew Grapengieser happened to take some video and some great photos. Thank you Matt!

Here is one of the photos (that's my banjo and Jacob Russell's head in the background)...

There are 17 photos from the night posted on Matt's Flickr page at http://www.flickr.com/photos/33237881@N08/sets/72157626823034708/

Here is a video of Crowchild Ramble played by The Tishomingo String Band...

And here is Fantini, Wood & Wells with 'Yellow Moon'...

Will post the next 'Golrush' installment soon...

Exploring The Gold Rush - Part II: Single String Break

2011-05-18T23:59:00.000-07:00

Here's a little single string arrangement to shed light on another way of approaching this chestnut.

Only the A section is truly single string, the B section takes a more melodic/ Keith style approach with a bit of bluesy tonality.

If you're interested in injecting some blues flavour into your playing try messing around with this down the neck G blues scale (starting on D)...

On to the arrangement; here's the video...

And here is tablature for the arrangement...

As usual let me know if you have any questions, suggestions or ideas (or if you have your own banjo creations you want to plug).

NEXT: Exploring Gold Rush Part III: Up the Neck

Exploring 'The Gold Rush' - Part 1: Straight Ahead Bluegrass Break

2011-05-12T00:09:00.000-07:00

Last month I wrote a series of posts on Blackberry Blossom, one of my favourite fiddle tunes and a solid vehicle for exploring new vistas in banjo arranging. It was suggested on the Banjohangout.org site that further entries in the exploring series covering other songs might be fun so here we are with the second song in the exploring series: Gold Rush.

If you are not familiar with Gold Rush see if you can find a version or two played on fiddle (just pop gold rush fiddle into a search engine or check out Bill Monroe's version with Robert Bowline on fiddle at http://youtu.be/WxG11BmCsVk)

It is a powerhouse of a fiddle tune. Generally it is played in the key of A and for this first arrangement I've kept things simple capoing to the second fret and playing as though we were in comfortable old open G. The style for this arrangement is 80% straightforward Scruggs. The bits that stand out are the hammered triplets. I love these and you can throw them into a ton of playing situations. They may be difficult to play clearly at first so try running through them alone a little bit (preferably with a metronome) before diving headlong into the tune.

Here are the triplets...

Ok, feel comfortable with the triplets? Let's dive in ...

(click to enlarge)

As usual let me know if there are any things giving you grief or that you might like to have clarrified.

NEXT: Gold Rush: Part II - Single String Break

New Songs from Fantini, Wood & Wells

2011-05-02T10:12:00.000-07:00

Sorry I haven't posted in a while; was off visiting my inlaws in Toronto.

Anyway, I have some great news for all you fans of banjo, piano and voice combos; my new trio Fantini, Wood & Wells have just done some recording and I've posted a couple songs up you can listen to.

The first one is called 'Once, Twice'. It is slow and melancholy and quotes lyrics from 'The Sound of Music'.

The second song is Yellow Moon which is a little faster and features alot of piano/ banjo interplay.

You can find them here...

http://www.banjohangout.org/myhangout/music.asp?id=18454

Next: Exploring 'Gold Rush'

Tishomingo String Band, Sarah Wheeler and Fantini, Wood & Wells playing Vancouver BC on May 27th

2011-04-16T23:39:00.000-07:00

Anyone whose going to be in the Vancouver area in a moth's time is invited to a concert featuring two groups I play with. Here is the poster...

Tishomingo String Band is high energy offbeat bluegrass, Fantini, Wood & Wells is somewhat of a classical/bluegrass hybrid and Sarah Wheeler is a fantastic singer/songwriter.

Not sure if I'll be joining Ms. Wheeler onstage on the 27th but have played with her in the past. This is a video clip from a Haiti Benefit a little over a year ago...

If you're going to be in town at that time be sure to mark it down in the old calander.

Mr. Mouth

2011-04-13T14:50:00.000-07:00

This here is an instrumental I wrote that goes by the name of Mr. Mouth.

We play this one regularly with The Tishomingo String Band but I thought I would record a solo banjo version for those of you that are into that kind of thing.

Here it is...

If anyone is interested in the tab let me know and I'll put it up.

Exploring Blackberry Blossom - Part IV Abstract Break

2011-04-10T23:11:00.000-07:00

So far in this micro series we've covered a simple backup arrangement, a low single string break and a high break. For this, the forth and final chapter, we'll look at what I'll be calling an abstract break.

Perhaps abstract is not the most correct term. Fantasia? Noodlefest? Whatever we call it what I am refering to is a break which is not tied down to the melody. It uses the melody in quite a few places and the melody remains the bedrock foundation on which it grows but from that place it sort of meanders into the twilight zone (not much, just a little).

Have a listen here and then I will explain a little.

The first part of the break picks descending chord inversions with a forward/revers roll. I pick a dead note (muted with the left hand) on the 'and' after the 2 beat. I like the sound of dead notes occasionally. Here are the pros and cons of dead notes as I see it:

Pros: Creates a nice contrast with the more common ringing notes and provides an interresting percussive effect

Cons: Can sound like you messed up while trying to fret a note

The next part begins ascending chord inversions with some chromatic sliding movement on the third string.

After that it returns, for the most part, to single string melody playing for the rest of the A section.

For the B section I begin with an Em arpeggio which ascends a fair ways up the neck. For the B chord I play B diminished tones. The second time it returns to the B chord I also use B diminished chord tones only this time in triplet form.

That's the general gist of it. Hope you enjoyed these posts on Blackberry Blossom. It was suggested on the Banjohangout forums by Grumpy7 that we do more of these 'Exploring' series with different standards so I am going to try to do that as well and as regular as possible.

Write a quick comment if you have a favourite standard you think might be good for the 'Exploring' thing.

Exploring Blackberry Blossom - Part III High Break

2011-04-06T10:50:00.000-07:00

The last post in this series covered a low single string break for Blackberry Blossom. Once you've gone as low as you possibly can there's only one to go: up.

For the high Blackberry break we begin with some single string way up at the 17th fret of the first string. We stay on the first string for a while, shifting the index finger back whenever neccesary (to the 16th and then the 14th fret) and then use a bit of a melodic escape at the end of measure 2 to skip back to 7th position. The 2nd half of the A section (measures 5-8) is the same as the first only with a slightly different ending.

The B section veers away from the single string technique to a forward/ reverse roll barring at the 12th fret and adding and removing the 14th fret on the first string as neccesary.

Because I wanted to make this high break as high as humanly possible I put a jump up to the 22nd fret on the first string over the B chord.

The end of the B section returns to single string on the melody.

Here is the arrangement in tablature form (click for a larger image)

And here is what it sounds like.

Also, for anyone looking for backing tracks to play the break along with there are some in mp3 form here;

NEXT: Exploring Blackberry Blossom Part IV: Abstact Break

Exploring Blackberry Blossom Part II: Low Break

2011-04-04T01:21:00.001-07:00

Last post we covered a simple backup arrangement for the Blackberry Blossom. In this post we will explore some single string picking with a sweet and low Blackberry break.

For those of you not familiar with single string playing it is a technique similar to scalewise guitar playing whereby a single string is often plucked several times in a row (in Scruggs and melodic styles the same string is rarely plucked twice in a row) traditionally alternating the thumb and index finger of the picking hand.

Some players prefer using the thumb and middle for singlestring playing and others favour a TITM pattern. I find the TITM pattern is best for generating speed but tend to use TITI for most everyday single string.

This arrangement brings the melody an octave lower than the standard Keith style arrangement. Because the banjo runs out of lower notes at the D I bring things up the octave when necesary.

The break stays somewhat true to the original melody in the A section and then steps a little more into its own in the B section. I really love playing on the low D string; something about the big wound string and how it just crackles and pops.

Here is the arrangement for you in tablature form (click on the image to make it larger).

Here is what it sounds like slow.

And here it is a little faster (threw in a couple alternate licks in this one)

As always let me know if you have any questions.

NEXT: Exploring Blackberry Blossom Part III: High Break

Exploring Blackberry Blossom Part I: Simple Backup

2011-04-02T22:15:00.000-07:00

Blackberry Blossom is one of the most common and popular bluegrass instrumentals. It's melody posesses both an intangible 'prettiness' and an infectious cadence which set it apart from the hordes of similar tunes.

It was first popularized on the banjo by Bill Keith and was one of his very first melodic arrangements. It has since become a standard almost every bluegrass banjo player learns at some point in his education.

The purpose of the series of posts I am writing on Blackberry Blossom is not to teach the standard Keith derived banjo arrangement (I will cover it breifly for those not familliar with it) but to explore various possibilities for playing banjo on the song. Anyone reading this blog is welcomed and encouraged to try out the ideas and arrangements presented in these posts in any and all playing scenarios as well as to play around with the concepts and develop their own variations.

For this, the initial Blackberry post, we will look at a simple backup arrangement using a diatonically descending bass line. It is easy enough to play and I personally find descending basslines quite appealing. (This arrangement also works for the Greatful Dead's 'Friend of the Devil' with a few minor adjustments).

Here is the arrangement in tablature form (click on it to get the larger image)

And here is what it sounds like.

As always let me know if you have any questions.

Bonus: Here is a standard Keith Style version of the melody.

NEXT UP: Exploring Blackberry Blossom Part II : Low Single String Break

Tishomingo String Band --- Website is up!

2011-03-29T16:11:00.001-07:00

The Tishomingo String Band (my band) have a new website up at www.tishomingostringband.com

You can hear Tishomingo songs there, read bios, and find out about new developments in Tishomingoland. Check it out...

Quote Me on That - Musical Quotes and How to Use Them

2011-03-28T22:19:00.000-07:00

Looking for something interesting to throw in a break? Try a quote.

Throwing a short phrase from a recogizable melody can be alot of fun and can trigger a kind of instant nostalgia that only something dug up from our collective past can.

To inject a musical quote into your playing simply treat it as you would any other lick; find a space where it works harmonically and...voila!

The difficult part can be finding an appropriate melody; something that at least a few people in audience will grasp in a measure or four. I've picked a few examples that you are more than welcome to use.

The first one is from 'Dixie'. It is the first two measures of the song; "Oh I wish that I was in the land of cotton..." I think the Dukes used this for the General Lee's horn.

Here it is written in G and ready to be fit into any 2 measure section you please.

The second quote is from 'The Entrance of the Gladiators' which is commonly used in the circus and is associated with clowns. I actually throw this one in on 'Ground Speed' so feel free to check that out here http://banjohomeplace.blogspot.com/search/label/Ground%20Speed

Anyway, here's the quote

The last one I'll show here is the Turkish March. I love this melody and have heard fantastic arrangements of this on banjo; Jason Homey from the Clumsy Lovers occasionally plays it as a solo in concert. Here I have the first 4 measures transposed to G to be used as a surprise kickoff for a breakdown. The melody implies G minor but if you pop up to G major after the intro I find it to be an appealing shift.

Try those out and see how they fit. If you want more quote licks I have a few more up on my banjo lick site at www.banjolicks.blogspot.com

That's all for now, but as a famous Austrian once said "I'll be back."

Fun on the Mini-Banjo

2011-03-25T17:16:00.000-07:00

I remember as a kid my cousins and brother and sister and I would get a huge kick out of riding my grandpa's minibike. It was just like a real motorcycle except about 1/3 scale and powered by a lawnmower engine.

I get somewhat the same thrill playing shrunk-in-the-wash style banjos. My mom bought a GoldTone Cripple Creek mini banjo for our son and needless to say I am the one getting the most use out of it. It is fairly midrange-y and has a nice little kick for a Danny Devito sized instrument.

Here's a quick clip of some Cherokee Shuffle on the little guy.

Here's the tab. If you want your full size in the same range as the mini you can capo up tho the 5th fet (C).

How to Arrange a Tune in Bluegrass Style--This Land is Your Land

2011-03-23T13:10:00.001-07:00

I've seen alot of banjo students progress very well working with clearly defined arrangements only to hit a bit of a wall when it came time to arrange for themselves. The following is something I've used to break down my general banjo arranging formula for students. It uses Woody Gutherie's 'This Land is Your Land' as the example.

Step 1. Figure out the melody and the chord progression

You can do this a couple of ways. One way is to pick the melody out by ear from a recording, from another musician who knows the melody, or from memory. The other way is to find sheet music with the melody and chord progression notated.

Here is the straight melody for 'This Land is Your Land'.

And this is the chord progression.

Step 2. Begin to fill in the holes (spaces between melody notes)

You can fill the holes in any number of ways but chords tones (playing notes from the chords of the underlying chord progression)are a good first shot.

Filling in the holes with pinches (in this case plucking the outside strings with the thumb and middle finger) is perhaps the easiest way to start.

Here is 'This Land is Your Land' with melody and pinches.

Step 3. Experiment with rolls

Any tune can be arranged thousands of ways so which rolls you choose really is up to your judgement and taste. The forward roll (T,I,M) carries alot of power and lends itself to the kind of syncopation characteristic of Scruggs style. You generally don't want to overuse any one roll (in my opinion) but you can pick one roll to be the dominant, driving roll of the arrangement.

Here is 'This Land is Your Land' using forward roll and not much else.

Step 4. Final touches--Adding licks etc.

Once you are comfortable with the melody on the banjo and have experimented with filling the holes and using rolls you can begin adding the final touches. These may include:

1. Solidifying which rolls you are using and where---striving to find an appealing balance and breaking up any spots where one roll has overstayed its welcome.

2. Thinking of different places to play melody notes. Instead of playing a B note on the open 2nd string you could slide into it on the 4th fret of the 3rd string. Sliding and hammering into notes is an important part of the Scruggs style and can really make a tune come alive.

3. Adding licks where appropriate. As far as where and when to put licks that is again a judgement call but I would strongly advise keeping the melody as clear as possible.

Here is a Scruggs style arrangement of 'This Land is Your Land' using a few standard licks.

Hope that is useful to someone out there. Arranging is a personal and creative venture so any formula like the one I've outlined should be seen more as guide to help you along.

Freight Train

2011-03-21T14:50:00.000-07:00

This is a simple arrangement in C tuning (drop low D string to C: gCGBD).

I mute the 4th and thirds stings to get a percussive bass and play it sowewhat close to the bridge with the fingerpicks on. For an exercise try playing the thumb alternating between the 4th and third stings on the 1 and 3 beats. In this style the back and forth action with the thumb on the low strings delivers a constant, propulsive bass rhythm. Th banjo doesn't have the lowest bass range but I still dig the sound of it.

As always write me if you have any questions.

Writing a 2nd Break---'Ground Speed'

2011-03-16T18:48:00.001-07:00

When tackling a banjo tune you would like to add to your repertoire the first step is generally to learn the main banjo part from a trusted source (say a preferred recording or a solid written arrangement).

A second step might be to try something to make it your own. You could alter the original banjo part to your tastes and strengths (which is never a bad idea) and/or you could concoct an original second break.

The nice thing about an original second break is it allows you to build off a strong piece of music. Plus, you already know you like the first break so at least that part of the song will fly even if your original break crashes and burns.

For this example I came up with an original 2nd break for Scruggs' 'Ground Speed'.

The original melody is classic; a rip roaring descending pattern up the neck leading to the open strings and back again. Generally played at a good clip, though it also sounds good slow, this tune is freaking addictive.

For the A section of my break (in the video it begins when my left hand reaches around the 15Th fret) I decided to keep the melodic contour intact as much as possible just moving everything a little further up the neck. Then I threw in a long descending pull off lick as a way to get from up the neck to back down low. Does it work? You tell me, but that's what I did.

For the B section I keep close to the original save for the circus music quote. I find a more conservative B section balances the long chromatic-ish run at the end of the A section.

There are many approaches you can take to a 2nd break and I encourage everyone to try it out, have fun and come up with something different.

Here's Ground Speed(man do I look goofy when I play)...

Log Drivers Waltz

2011-03-09T01:26:00.000-08:00

Hadn't put a new tune up in a while so here you go. The is the Log Drivers Waltz and from what I hear it pleases girls completely.

The song was written by Wade Hemsworth and I know it from the cartoon they used to play on CBC. Great cartoon.

It's a lively waltz. I like to play most of the melody with the thumb and try to make the melody sing out as much as possible.

without further adieu here's the video...

And here's the tab...

Concert Photos

2011-02-28T13:37:00.000-08:00

Here are some photos from last months Tishomingo String Band/ Fantini Wood and Wells trio concert. They were shot by our good friend and fabulous pro photographer Angie Wojciechowska who has a photography site www.shotbyangie.com.

Tishomingo...

Maria Cristina Fantini...

Some more assorted pics...

Banjo Licks Blog

2011-02-04T15:29:00.000-08:00

Wanted to invite anyone who might be interested to check out my new banjo lick blog at www.banjolicks.blogspot.com It will feature a vaeritable smorgasbord of licks for the banjo (so far I think there are 9).

Check it out and let me know what you think.

Once, Twice

2011-01-27T12:50:00.000-08:00

This here is a video of me playing the song 'Once, Twice' solo.

I wrote this song as part of the 'Where Does the Future Go' song cycle for soprano, piano and voice. If you're thinking you might like to hear it with full instrumentation and you live in or near the Vancouver area you are in luck; myself, Maria Cristina Fantini (soprano) and Andrea Wood (piano) will be performing the cycle this Saturday January 29th at Place des Arts (1120 Brunette Avenue, Coquitlam) at 7:15pm.

The Tishomingo String Band will also be playing a set. Should be fun!

(sorry my left hand doesn't show up in the video. Something to do with the embedding from youtube. If you watch it on youtube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQUNR4WhsYs&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL the screen composition is nicer)

Slo-mo Blackberry

2011-01-20T21:40:00.000-08:00

Here's a little taste of the Tishomingo String Band - my bluegrass band who will be playing Saturday January 29th at Place des Arts in Coquitlam.

This video is from a while back; it's Blackberry Blossom slowed to a crawl...

Rocky Top

2011-01-18T12:35:00.000-08:00

Just found this and it put a big smile on my face...

Gig Jan 29th

2011-01-10T02:57:00.000-08:00

Anyone out there interested in a concert featuring original compositions for voice, piano and banjo? If so you are in luck!!

Yep, January 29th (end of this here month) I will be debuting a song cycle I've written along with soprano Maria Cristina Fantini and pianist Andrea Wood. The concert will also feature a performance by my bluegrass group The Tishomingo String Band as well as paintings by Natalia Russell and some solo piano from Andrea Wood. All for the super low price of $15 ($10 if you're a student or senior).

That's my plug. Tell all your friends and neighbours. Write me if you have any questions the poster doesn't answer.

Auld Lang Syne

2010-12-31T10:26:00.000-08:00

Here's a little Auld Lang Syne. Happy New Year!!

Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer----Transcribed

2010-12-10T15:00:00.000-08:00

This here is old arrangement for Rudolph which I've just got around to transcribing.

It's in the key of C.

Here's the tab...

And here's the video...

Also, if you want to download the tabledit tab file (you'll need a free viewer which you can get from their website) you can find it HERE.

13 Days of Halloween (partXI)

2010-11-04T21:46:00.000-07:00

OK, this is obviously one of those better late than never things (few days past Halloween and all) but here is part 11: Loch Lavan Castle...

It's a traditional fiddle tune in Am which I find to be dark and mysterious.

The A section is mostly single string and the B section mostly melodic style.

Will try and get parts 12 and 13 up right quick.

Halloween Posts

2010-11-02T09:04:00.000-07:00

As some of you might have noticed at Halloween I ended up with 10 posts instead of 13.

Sorry about that.

I will get the last 3 up soon. I did get a little video for the minor key Devil's Dream...

13 Days of Halloween (part X)

2010-10-29T12:18:00.000-07:00

One of my favourite all time movies...Ghostbusters.

Here's the main riff bluegrass style...

And here's a larger arrangement...

The arrangement here covers the riff, a repeated A section, a repeated B section and then the riff again to close it. Not the whole whole song but enough for a solo banjo version not to wear out it's welcome.

What a great movie this was; great concept, great story, great characters, ghosts, Bill Murray...doesn't get any better.

13 Days of Halloween (part IX)

2010-10-29T11:39:00.000-07:00

Here is Jacob and Chris Russell's minor key arrangement of Devil's Dream...

This one is tough on the banjo. I tried to keep the arrangement note for note while using as much melodic and as little single string as possible and this is what you get.

I use the left hand thumb ALOT in this one.

I like the minor key Devil's Dream alot. Standard Devil's Dream doesn't quite live uo it's title...feels like the devil's dreaming of peppermint patties and rainbow coloured unicorns. This one feels like he's dreaming real devil-like.

13 Days of Halloween (part IIX)

2010-10-29T11:09:00.000-07:00

Here's a little bit of classic Halloween fare: the Monster Mash...

Pretty straightforward. You can grab the lyrics from a lyric sight and voila.

I'm behind schedule so will put a few more up tonight.

13 days of Helloween (partVII)

2010-10-28T13:07:00.000-07:00

Anyone remember a movie about a big fish that eats skinny dippers? This is the central riff from the Jaws theme by John Williams.

This is just the core of it and is super simple: a minor 2nd interval (distance from one fret to the very next fret).

This leads to the question of what makes scary music or rather what makes some music scary?

Minor keys will of course give a darker tone to things than major keys and most of the Halloween tunes I've included so far are in minor keys. Also certain intervals create an uncomfortable amount of dissonance and tension which leads to overall eerieness. The two most dissonant intervals (in my opinion) are the minor 2nd (as used in Jaws and Psycho) and the augmented 5th (tritone).

Here is an example in tablature of a minor 2nd...

And here is an augmented 5th (tritone)...

Try playing around with those and see what you think.

Part VIII coming very soon...

13 Days of Halloween (part VI)

2010-10-26T22:16:00.000-07:00

To switch things up a bit I thought I would include a scary metal guitar riff. This is the main riff from the song South of Heaven by the band Slayer.

Here is the main riff...

And here is the harmony if you have a banjo friend...

8 more to go...

13 Days of Halloween (part V)

2010-10-25T16:27:00.000-07:00

This is a quick one:the 'Who dunnit?' riff.

We've all heard this one before, usually in the form of cheesy parody.

A character makes a striking revelation like "..but Johnny was with her in the garden just before her hedgeclipping accident!!". Then the riff comes in; "daaa da da da DAAAAAA".

Here's a video snippet...

And here's the tab...

13 Days of Halloween (part IV)

2010-10-25T00:13:00.000-07:00

Day 4 brings us to the dramatic surf tinged theme song to the 6o's Batman tv show as written by Neal Hefti.

Like Mountain King in the last post this one is basically the melody set in what seemed the most logical banjo key without alot of additive arranging.

The key here is E. The oringinal is in Eb so if you want to get right to the source key tune down a half step from standard G (gb Db Gb Bb Db).

I've always liked this tune and we have a Batman in our family this Halloween so I thought I'd break it out.

You can play it either plucking entirely with the thumb or alternating thumb/index.

Here's the tab...

As with Mountain King I'll put a video up in the next day or so.

9 more to go...

13 Days of Halloween (part III)

2010-10-22T22:51:00.000-07:00

Today's tune is the old Edvard Grieg chestnut In the Hall of the Mountain King.

I stuck it in the key of D minor as that seems to make best use of the banjos low range (such as it is).

The basic melody is written here. Played as written it can be used as a quote to bridge two songs or as an additional sacry but somewhat humerous section in atune.

It could also be worked up much more than this. Think of this as raw material to do with as you wish.

Here is the tab....

And I will get a video up soon.

Stay tuned...

13 Days of Halloween (part II)

2010-10-19T22:27:00.001-07:00

This second Halloween piece is really short. So short in fact that some might find it downright lame.

On the upside it is very easy to play, very unsettling and instantly recognisable.

It is the main motif of the Psycho theme played on the 1st and 5th strings.

I've used this one at Halloween gigs before and it is guaranteed to get a reaction (that reaction may be a chuckle) and can be used as an impromptu intro to another song or as colour commentary wheile another band member addresses the audience.

The video will be up soon but for now here's the tab...

More tomorrow...

13 Days of Halloween (part I)

2010-10-19T00:21:00.000-07:00

Greetings all and sorry it's been so long since my last post.

Anyways I figured in the spirit of the season I would put together a string of posts, each containing a large or small bit of frighting ghoolish banjo. I call it the 13 days of Halloween.

Alot of these posts will be short and feature only a measure or two of terrifying music but for the first post I am going a little long. This is The Funeral March for a Marrionette AKA the theme song for Alfred Hitchcock Presents.

I won't go into too much detail on the ins and outs of playing this one but will answer any questions anyone has.

Without further adieu; here is the video...

And here is the tablature...

Be sure to come back tomorrow same bat time, same bat station for part II of the Halloween banjo bunch.

Cheers.

Tennessee Waltz in D tuning

2010-05-12T08:28:00.000-07:00

Thought I might do a post on D tuning.

For those unfamilliar with D tuning it is when your banjo is tuned to an open D chord (standard tuning, g D G B D, is an open G chord).

There are 2 common open D tunings: a D F# A D and f# D F# A D The two D tunings are actually the same for all strings except the 5th. The 5th can be tuned up (or capoed) to an A or tuned down to an F#. For this particular arrangement I tune the 5th string to A.

I like D tuning for alot of reasons. Having the root note of the chord on the lowest note of the lowest string is somehow very satisfying to me and certain melodies come out easier/ nicer in the D tuning.

On the downside if you are more familliar with G tuning (almost all bluegrass players are) the D tuning can feel counterintuitive and cumbersome. I find that in some ways the lack of easy familliarity with D tuning can act as a catylyst for creative playing--the old standby licks aren't as readily available so you are put in a position where you are forced to develop a modified toolkit and/or modified vocabulary.

The arrangement I'll show in this post is 'Tennesse Waltz'. I find the melody fits well in D tuning and overall the song possesses a certain timeless beauty.

Here's the tab...

And here's a video...

Hope that is helpful to some.

Adios.

Banjo ------------------> Guitar Transmogrifier: How to Easily Convert Any Banjo Tune for Performance on the Guitar

2010-04-06T12:43:00.000-07:00

Yes, just like the title says.

Well, actually it's not really EASY easy (crowd disperses). The concepts may take a while to fully soak in but once you have the trick you will be able to convert banjo to guitar relatively quickly and painlessly.

There are a number of tunings we could use to get the guitar prepped for banjo duty (open G would seem the obvious choice) but for this particular method we will use open D tuning. Open D tuning involves tuning your guitar from low to high D A D F# A D.

Once you have your guitar in D tuning you are ready to begin.

The idea is this; think of your guitar's 5th, 4th, 3rd and 2nd strings (A D F# A) as being relative to the 4th, 3rd, 2nd and 1st strings (D G B D) on your banjo (in standard G tuning). Then think of the 1st string of your guitar as being relative to the high 5th string of the banjo.

Making sense? Here is a tab example of the transmogrification in action.

The first 2 measure of Cripple Creek in banjo tab...

And those same 2 measures converted for open D tuned guitar...

How's that? The idea is essentially treating these strings on the guitar

like these strings on the banjo

And then treating the 1st string on the guitar like the 5th sting on the jo.

For a full song example lets try a little of the old Blackberry Blossom.

Here is a standard melodic style banjo version...

And here it is converted for open D tuned guitar (added some harmonic strums but otherwise transferred directly from banjo)...

Here is a vid of that Blackberry Blossom arrangement on guitar...

Soothing, ringing stuff (a little string noise but what the hay).

You may have noticed that the 6th string on the guitar is not used at all. This is simply because thus far we have only been transferring directly from banjo and the 5 string banjo has 5 strings. If you want to make use of the low string for whatever purpose (probably to provide some harmony/ bass) it is right there waiting to be used. This method allows you to transfer banjo arrangements directly to guitar but once you have done that you can alter them for their new environment as you see fit.

Also, if you want to keep things in their original banjo key you can use the capo. If something is uncapoed on banjo then capoing on the 5th fret of the guitar will make it make it match. If you are capoed on the 2nd fret on banjo then capo 7th fret on guitar.

Hope that proves helpful/ fun for some people. It may be a bit of a headful to get down at first so take your time and as always don't hesitate to write me with any questions.

Killer Endings - part 1

2010-04-02T00:55:00.000-07:00

Someone suggested I do a post on endings so here it is.

I titled this 'Killer Endings - part 1' because really there is a whole galaxy of great endings to be discovered out there and I will post more periodically.

The ones I'll cover in this post are tag endings and to be more specific they are 'shave and a haircut' tag endings. "What is this 'shave and a haircut' thing" you ask? It is a short rhythmic pattern sometimes used when knocking on a door. Here it is in doorknock form...

You hear this rhythm very often in tags for bluegrass tunes. I will start out with a few of the most common examples.

Exhibit A is the first ending most banjo players learn.

Example 1

The second example is very similar to the first only dropped down an octave.

Example 2

The third example is a very slight melodic twist on the last one.

Example 3

The next ending is a longer tag that will be familliar to anyone who's seen Deliverance. It begins with 2 shave and a haircuts and finishes it off with some alternating thumb chord action.

Example 4

The next few examples are a little further from the beaten path. Example 5 varies things up with a standard opening leading to a small flurry of natural harmonics. (If you are not familliar with how to play natural harmonics I will explain them in detail in a later post but essentially they are bell like tones created by touching (but not pressing down as you would to fret) the string above the indicated fret.

Example 5

The 6th example is one I use on a tune I wrote called 'The Crowchild Ramble'.

Example 6

This next one is a bit of a fingerbuster. It begins with notes generated from a diminished chords and then finishes rather conventionally (shave and a haircut MarkII).

Example 7

The 8th and final example begins with a series of diminished triplets. They look difficult but once you get the left hand figured out it is quite like moving this left hand shape...
...and rolling over it.

Example 8

That's it for endings for now. Let me know if there are any questions and be sure to check back for the next post which will deal with transmogrification as it applies to banjo music.

See you then.

Cripple Creek Harmony

2010-03-31T22:52:00.000-07:00

For this post I thought I might cover a little close banjo harmony.

Twin banjos can sound great and there are a multitude of angles you can approach the harmonizing from. The most common, and the one I'll be using today, is to have one banjo play the straight melody and the other harmonize it in thirds.

A third is the distance from 1 note on a major scale to the note after the next note up the scale. This means if you were playing in the key of G (which is not uncommon on the banjo) and the melody note was a G you would play the note 2 letters up the scale for your harmony note(a B note in this case). For an A note the harmony would be a C and for a B note the harmony would be a D.

Make sense? I will make a future post explaining the thirds harmony more fully but to get right into playing it and hearing what it's all about let's try harmonizing some Cripple Creek.

Most banjo players know a version of Cripple Creek. This here is a fairly standard version...

And here is the harmony part...

Here is a video of the harmony played slow, medium and faster...

If you already know Cripple Creek play along with the video and hear the harmony jump out. This is a great tune to have a harmony part for as most banjo players know it and it tends to come up alot at jams. It works nice if you throw it in on the last pass of the tune to finish everything off...just make sure you aren't playing over anyone elses big solo or otherwise stepping on toes. Until next time.

BONUS...

Thought I would add a video of two banjos playing the harmony in response to a BHO request so I convinced my student Doug to help me out. Thank you Doug. Here it is...

'O Canada'

2010-03-23T10:23:00.001-07:00

I have had a few people ask me for tab on this one so I figured I'd make a post out of it. This is the Canadian national anthem played in 3 finger style.

There are alot of Scruggs licks in here but also some twists. Have a listen here and then I'll explain things a bit...

And here is the tab...

You can also download the tabledit file here (you will need to install tabledit software to read it) http://www.banjohangout.org/tab/browse.asp?m=detail&ie6fix=1&v=11894

The very beginning of the tune can be played in loose time. It serves as an introduction of the melody and is played with a combination of full chords and 2 part harmony. The 4 finger voices can be played by strumming with the thumb pick.

After the very brief introduction it kicks in to the fun stuff. Most of the first section is made up of standard rolls and licks. It kicks off with a descending lick leading to the B melody note. This is followed by some fairly routine bluegrass picking intended to bring out the melody. Measures 13-14 offer a little bit of contrary motion in the harmony (higher part ascends while lower part descends) which I pick with index and middle finger pinches.

Measures 24-40 are played higher up the neck. This section switches things up with a chord melody device. Essentially I am using standard closed shape major chord voicings ('D-shape','F-shape' and straight barre) to play the melody while the right hand keeps mostly to an alternating thumb pattern. I bring the right hand closer to the neck for this section for a deeper, mellower tone. Switching the right hand position also serves to break things up so when it returns to the more straight ahead down the neck stuff the snap and twang jump right out.

The last section of the tune returns to good old down the neck picking and finishes off with a little quote from the Bob and Doug Mackenzie movie 'Stange Brew' in measures 62-64 (ooo roo coo coo coo coo coo coooo..) and then tags it off in measure 65 with a bit of a backward roll driven finisher. Then the 5th fret harmonic just so everyone knows it's done.

Have fun with this and as always let me know if you've go questions.

Extended Kickoffs

2010-03-20T22:40:00.000-07:00

Howdy there.

As promised this post will focus on extended kickoffs.

The extended kickoffs I'm talking about are the 4 or so measure ones where the banjo leads the way and the rest of the musicians wait to break in when it is clearly time (usually indicated by some standard leading tones as seen in the short kickoffs).

The first one I'm going to put out uses an old standby lick that anyone who's ever played Cripple Creek should be familliar with.

It plays this lick 4 times then breaks off to another standard Scruggs lick.

Here's what it looks like (you may want to click on it to view it big and clear):

You can follow it up a couple ways to go into the tune. Extended Kickoff 1a adds leading tones to get you to a G note (open 3rd string) for melodies beginning on G. The leading tones will be familliar from the short kickoff post.

Extended Kickoff 1b ends with leading tones that bring you to a D note (open 1st string) for melodies beginning on D.

The leading tones at the end should be familliar from the short kickoff post. In fact just about all of the short kickoffs can be grafted on as endings to this extended kickoff. Play around with it.

The second extended kickoff begins up the neck and works its way back. Here it is:

Again, you can graft leading tones on at the end to pull you into the melody of whatever song you are playing. These next 2 examples do that;

That's really just the tip of the iceburg as far as kickoffs go. My advice is to go right now and listen to some recordings. See if you hear some of the things we've done here turning up and what sorts of variations are happening.

Also try grafting these kickoffs on any and all of your favourite tunes and see what you come up with.

Kickin' it Off Part 1- Short Kickoffs

2010-03-06T23:14:00.000-08:00

Being as this is my first post here aside from the brief introduction I thought it might be appropriate to tackle kickoffs; how a tune is begun.

How many ways can a tune be begat? Alot. So many that this first post will only cover the quick kickoffs (1 measure or less) and I will follow it up with a post on longer kickoffs.

It has been said that the most important parts of any song, story or performance are the beginning and the end. The beginning is where an audience will form its first impression (what is this? do I like it?) and the ending is where all things are tied up and judgement is passed (was that good? did it stink?). Obviously the body is extremely important as well but I have found that a glorious middle section (the 95% between the intro and ending) coupled with an unclear and unappealing intro and ending usually won't fly where a mediocre middle section with a stunner of a kickoff and a great big 'bring down the house' kind of ending often will. If everything is happening then look out!

Most short kickoffs can be accurately described as a handful of notes leading to the the first melody note (the first pitch sung in the case of a non-instrumental). It is therefore important to know what the first melody note is as that is the note the kickoff will lead to. Most tunes begin on the 'I' chord (the G chord in the key of G) and most melodies begin on one of the 3 notes in that chord (for the G chord the 3 notes are G, B, and D, which are the open notes on your 3rd 2nd and 1st strings respectively). For all the examples in this post I will stick with the good old key of G.

So without further adieu here are some kickoffs in G. Kickoff #1 is very standard and leads to a G melody note.

Sound familiar? This next one is almost identical but the replacement of the E note with an F gives little grittier sound.

Kickoff #3 leads to the G melody note from above.

Kickoff #4 is a little more difficult; it contains the low notes from Kickoff #1 but adds a high harmony part. A little bit of contrary motion (one part rises, one part descends) going on here.

Kickoffs #1-4 all led to a G melody note but for kickoffs #5-7 we'll try leading to a B melody note.

These last 4 kick off to a D melody note.

Kickoff #11 is a series of hammered triplets.

Here is a video summary of all the kickoffs :

So there you have a few kickoffs to get things started. Hope some of you enjoyed that/ got something out of it. My blog will cover alot of banjo related things and sometimes the lesson style posts may seem either too advanced and too basic for any paticular individual. If you have any questions or feedback just shoot me an email or post a comment.

Up next: extended kickoffs...

Welcome to the Banjo Homeplace

2010-03-02T08:55:00.000-08:00

Hello and welcome,

My name is Devon and this is my first entry in what is to be my banjo blog.

Basically the plan is to use this blog to write down my thoughts on banjo playing, music etc. and to communicate with others out there who may be players or enthusiasts or simply curious gadabouts interested in discussing these things.

A little bit about myself; I am a 3 finger banjo player out of Coquitlam B.C. Canada. I currently play with The Tishomingo String Band, a bluegrass/newgrass quartet who perform mostly in the Vancouver Area. I also played and toured the U.S. with celtic rock quintet The Clumsy Lovers for a stint about 4 years ago. Some of my favourite banjo players include J.D. Crowe, Don Reno, Earl Scruggs, Bela Fleck, Dick Brown, Bill Emmerson, Alan Munde, Tony Trischka, Ralph Stanley, and Bill Keith.

I have been teaching banjo for 7 years now and hope to use this blog to share some of the ideas I have come up with for learning and playing the banjo as well as to discuss any banjo related topics (album reviews, concert reviews, Deliverance reviews)which may be of interest to others.

I do have a couple of playing videos up if you are interested in seeing who is writing this blog.

This is Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer...

Hopefully the future holds many interesting topics for the Banjo Hut so thanks for visiting and stay tuned.

Devon.