Banjo Hangout Top 100 Traditional Songs

This traditional Cajun waltz sings of the sad loss of a loved one. I like its melody and found it easy to play on clawhammer banjo.

I've always had a soft spot for Marches, and this classic's up there with the best o'them I reckon. Thanks for steppin' up!. .... Don.

For the old time Tune of the Week, 4/28/18, the first part of this medley comes from BHO member RG, learned (he thinks) from a wonderful friend, Larry Brown. The second part is how I think traditionally of Barlow Knife in three parts. My dad didn't have a barlow knife, but his boy scout knife reminded me of one.

A hasty rendition....i heard Ron Mullenix perform...

I posted tunes the last two holiday seasons so I thought I'd do another this year. Wishing all the best to my BHO friends for the season and the new year. In Double C.

Lynwood Lunsford playing on his 30s style 4 with one of my "Magaret Boote" Florentine/RB4 reproduction necks.

Béla Fleck Baritone

A good ol' murder ballad. Clawhammer and voice

Test driving yet another tone ring.

This is a very old Irish carol. Fingerstyle guitar and banjo (muted).

I'm thrilled to have been asked to do the rollout of an innovative instrument that opens a new world of mando-banjo potential. The Octajo is a double-course tenor banjo tuned an octave (or lower) below mandolin and violin. With a 12” banjo rim with bronze tone ring and an octave mandolin neck the Octajo can be strung with either metal or nylon strings. The one on this recording is set up with nylon. Hope you enjoy. Banjo Crazy Paul

I learned this tune when Mark Johnson posted it in the Tune of the Week for 4-1-2011. Since then, it's pretty much always the first tune I play whenever I tune into G (or in this case A) modal. I've been meaning to thank Mark for introducing me to this for three-and-a-half years. So... "Thanks Mark!"

From the CD "On The Edge" by the Cliffhangers. Fiddle: Mark Simos; banjo: Brendan Doyle; guitar: Rusty Neithammer; tenor guitar: Jody Platt; bass: Karen Falkowski. Fiddle tuning: FCFC, banjo tuning: FBbFBbC Sources: Hiram Stamper, Hindman, Knott County, Kentucky; and his son Art Stamper. Mark's notes: "I first heard Art play this tune late one foggy night at Clifftop — standing in a muddy clearing amidst a gathered crowd, hat slouched on his head, cross-tuned fiddle sailing the glorious fat low notes out into the dark trees. Though our version here is closer to his dad Hiram’s, we dedicate this tune to Art’s memory."

seldom scene

A French-Canadian crooked tune learned from Guy Bouchard. Robin Kearton playing fiddle.

Traditional Greek melody adapted for 5-string cello banjo, Gold Tone CEB-5, double C tuning, gCGCD.

I apologize in advance for the length of this recording, but I am still sharing it. My excuse is that I felt 'in the groove' . It was just fun to play and I didn't have to think about playing, I just closed my eyes. In any event, I felt I should post this since it is one of the first few songs I learned to play.

For my brother Mike on Father's day. Our Fave

A duet with Travis Wright (SCClawman)

This is my interpretation of Edden Hammon's fiddling. There's been much discussion on the Hangout about this tune and I wanted to find the oldest known source of it, though it's said it comes from his great-uncle Pete, born 1847. I like to think it's about the waterfalls of the James River, but the somber modal tone sounds more like it's about a historic event in Richmond, which would actually make the title "Fall of Richmond," as many also use.

I think that I picked this up from a Fleming Brown album which I borrowed from the public library in the mid 1970s.

A rather rough recording of O'Carolan's Concerto (Ken Perlman arrangement) complete with mistakes and incompetence!

One of the best songs ever for clawhammer and voice. Glad to finally have learned it.

A quick recording trying out the nylguts

Traditional

Me on banjo (two finger index lead) and Amy on guitar. We learned this tune from Don Borchelt.

For your review, "The Eighth of January". Played in clawhammer style. I learned it from tab found in "Melodic Clawhammer Banjo" by Ken Perlman, Oak Publications. Differing from the tab, I'm tuned 1/2 step below double C, f#BF#BC#

Arrangement by Rick McKeon. Picking by Wayne Conrad, after three months of self teaching.

For the TOTW--12/14/12

One of the caroling songs we do every year.

A very old hymn widely sung today.

1st track little sadie

off the new cd

Frosty Morn, my current favorite song in Sawmill tuning - gDGCB

Thanks Laurence for this great addition. Honored to collaborate with you! One of my favorite songs ever gets even better!

This old Scottish love song, based on William Douglas's poem in around 1700, was also the first performance attempt of Lotta Crabtree (1847 - 1923). Known now as the Shirley Temple of the 19th century, Lotta walked onto a school stage in San Francisco as a wee little girl under six years old. She burst into tears when trying to sing Annie Laurie and ran off stage. So, stage fright is certainly nothing new! She got over it and became a millionaire and successful Broadway performer, leaving her millions to charity in the 1920's.

Henry Reed learned these from the Civil War fifer Quince Dillon. The two tunes are both in Am and one leads easily to the other in a medley.

My arrangement of an old evergreen written by Henry Clay Work. Double C tuning, key of C. Warts and all.