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SCclawman - Posted - 12/14/2012: 13:01:52
Please allow me to make a slight change to the normal TOTW format to get us into the Christmas spirit!!
Up for discussion this week is one of the most popular Christmas tunes around - JINGLE BELLS!
It's also a song that seems to transfer really easily to playing on the banjo. I hope this thread will generate some new versions of the tune. I'd love to hear your version so record it, upload it here or on YouTube, and post it here to share with us.
A quick history on Jingle Bells
The song was written in 1857 by James Lord Pierpont under the name of One Horse Open Sleigh. Here's what shocked me though - the song was originally written for Thanksgiving instead of Christmas which it has become synonymous with now. It was written for a Thanksgiving Program at a church in Savannah, Georgia where Pierpont was the organist. Pierpont was eventually voted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame due to the fact that Jingle Bells ended up being one of the most performed, recorded, and well-known songs ever written in the entire world. Even though the song appears to have been written for a church in Savannah, the song seems to have been written in Medford, Massachusetts. There is a plaque in Medford, Massachusetts commemorating it as the "Birthplace of Jingle Bells." The plaque says that the song was inspirited by the town's popular sleigh races during the 1800's.
Another interesting story I came across said that Jingle Bells was the first song ever broadcast from space. This happened in 1965 by to Gemini 6 astronauts. The two astronauts snuck in a small hohner "Little Lady" harmonica and jingle bells for the trip and broadcast it to Mission Control. Both of the instruments are now on display at the Smithsonian and it's also believed that those were the first instruments ever played in space. Now we just need to get a banjo player to the moon to record some songs up there right?
Here are some BHO versions.
My favorite - Banjo Master Mr. Donald Zepp
Really Great version by Kevin Holmes
I have recorded a version of Jingle Bells as well. It's in Double C Tuning capo 2. I tried with standard G tuning, but enjoyed how it played in Double C. Sometimes I think just about everything works better in double C. You can stream or download the track for FREE here on bandcamp. It's also attached at the bottom of the post
**Additionally, you can download the entire Christmas album that I made for $1. Just click BUY NOW and then enter the code "BHO" for the discount. You can also stream the entire thing for free from your iPhone, android, any smart phone, or computer. This started out as a project for family and friends, but I ended up spending a ton of time on it. There's not a ton of a banjo, but I hope you will still enjoy it. **
Edited by - SCclawman on 12/14/2012 17:33:52
 Jingle Bells |
camcumberland - Posted - 12/14/2012: 14:30:34
Here's a version I posted on reddit a couple of weeks ago. youtube.com/watch?v=RP2ATgjqpdc
I used a tab in the archive as a jumping off point.Edited by - camcumberland on 12/14/2012 14:37:28
 VIDEO: Jingle Bells (click to view) |
hektic - Posted - 12/14/2012: 14:51:58
Heres a clawhammer bluegrassy version I recorded last year, have since got smoother in my playing, and better recording equipment, but here it is!
Edited by - hektic on 12/14/2012 14:53:03
Jingle Bells |
JanetB - Posted - 12/15/2012: 16:21:25
Ah, a song for the kids. These jolly versions are quicker than mine; the first graders sing it slower.
Christmas song--Jingle Bells |
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