Shannon_ODonnell - Posted - 05/07/2008:  08:57:55

Hi,

Can someone please provide the name of this song for me?

For the life of me I cannot remember the name although I've heard this about a gabillion times. Is it possible to have a senior moment at 45?

Here's the link:
http://www.folkofthewood.com/page3554.htm

I'd like to find the tablature for this to play it on my own banjola.

Thanks!

banjomikey - Posted - 05/07/2008:  09:18:30

I think it's jesu joy of a man's desiring, or something like that?

Mike

You can pick your nose and you can pick your banjo, but you can't roll banjos into little balls and flick em.

Bird Dog - Posted - 05/07/2008:  09:55:22

It is indeed "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" by J.S. Bach.

Robin

Shannon_ODonnell - Posted - 05/07/2008:  10:09:32

Yep! That's exactly right! Couldn't remember it for anything.

Now I'm going to try to track down the tablature for this song, as it's being played in that video. There are 2 tabs of it on BanjoHangout, but both are fairly simplistic and not the full song.

Thanks!

Alex Z - Posted - 05/07/2008:  15:16:04

There are three lines going on in "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring: (1) the bass line, (2) the obligato -- this is the steady note accompaniment that is most audible and catches the ear, (3) the vocal line -- sustained melody notes up top (this is the melody part that the banjoist in the clip plays higher up the neck.

The difficulty on a stringed instrument like the guitar or banjo is to play all three at the same time. I think that's why most tablatures are unlikely to sound like the Bach version.

Good luck to Shannon_ODonnell. If you find a good version, let us know.

Alex Z

dhergert - Posted - 05/07/2008:  15:39:24

Here's my arrangement, I don't know if it's good, but it plays...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcPzZw7eTZg

Best,

-- Don
http://home.att.net/~dhergert
http://mysite.verizon.net/don_hergert

"If you must use your banjo as a snow shovel, do so:
only don't wonder if it sounds dull afterwards."
-- S.S. Stewart catalog, 1896.

Shannon_ODonnell - Posted - 05/07/2008:  16:00:57

[quote]Originally posted by dhergert

Here's my arrangement, I don't know if it's good, but it plays...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcPzZw7eTZg

Do you have the tabs for your version? It's very nice!

diarmaid - Posted - 05/07/2008:  16:01:48

dhergert lovely pickin! and i love the sound of that banjo

www.banjomafia.com check it out!

dhergert - Posted - 05/07/2008:  16:30:05

Thank you both...

Shannon, no, I'm sorry I don't have the tab for this. I've not tabbed a song, nor seariously read tab, since I taught back in the early 80s. Now days thanks to computers and the internet, I record them on YouTube or in MP3 format and put them on my website so I can remember the arrangements.

What I can tell you is that this is in the key of D (rather than G where it was originally written), and that it's primarily a chord melody arrangement, like most of my solo pieces are (more on my websites below).

Diarmaid, that is a late 1880s S.S.Stewart American Princess #2 with nylon strings. It's also one of my favorite sounding banjos.

I was lucky enjough to be able to play a new prototype GoldTone 5-string Cello Banjo at NAMM (CEB-5), here's the YouTube of it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1RhZ1jCr34 .

It's a little hard to hear, but those bass notes are fantastic sounding coming out of that banjo. I hope to be able to aquire one of these soon. I was sort of fumbling with the thick strings and wide neck and had to truncate Jesu Joy in an unfortunate way, but you can get the main sound of this banjo, which is what is important.

Best,

-- Don
http://home.att.net/~dhergert
http://mysite.verizon.net/don_hergert

"If you must use your banjo as a snow shovel, do so:
only don't wonder if it sounds dull afterwards."
-- S.S. Stewart catalog, 1896.

Alex Z - Posted - 05/08/2008:  13:25:27

Don -- I enjoyed it!

The man includes the minor key section and the last part that goes to the subdominant (G here). Wow! Very Bach like. The Old Choirmaster would be proud to hear this version.

Thanks for posting.



Alex Z

dhergert - Posted - 05/08/2008:  23:20:13

Hi Alex,

I'm glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for the kind thoughts. I like the thought that Bach might like that arrangement.

Best,

-- Don
http://home.att.net/~dhergert
http://mysite.verizon.net/don_hergert

"If you must use your banjo as a snow shovel, do so:
only don't wonder if it sounds dull afterwards."
-- S.S. Stewart catalog, 1896.

Alex Z - Posted - 05/10/2008:  09:38:22

Yes. Bach ofter reworked his and other melodies for various different instruments or arrangements. None of the "that's-the-way-Earl-did-it" for him!

You have a very nice touch on the instrument, very musical. I can understand now why different sounding banjos can be appealing -- you can take advantage of their sounds in fitting the characteristics of the music.

Alex

Alex Z

Klondike Waldo - Posted - 05/10/2008:  12:50:38

well, actually, it's "Jesu Mein Freude" by Bach, which is usually translated as "Jesus, Joy of Man's Desiring", though why the English title should be longer, I have no idea.

deligo ergo renideo,
Bob Cameron