schlange - Posted - 08/04/2015:  10:19:19

Key of A – aEAC#E

Tune number 53 means we start a second year of tunetorials. Well, start and hold. Dan is going to take the rest of August off as he travels west so it will be after Labor Day until the next one. This gives you a chance to catch up and visit some of the older tunes in the collection as well as post your experiences, videos, questions and requests for the upcoming year.

This week’s tune is Bob Tail (or Bobtail or Bob Tailed) Mule. It comes from the playing of Kenner “KC” Kartchner of Arizona fiddle fame. He was born in the late 1800’s and played it on fiddle in cross A (AEae) sometimes referred to there as “The Italian” tuning. We play it in A on the banjo as well.

BTW, this is NOT the tune called Buckin’ Dunn which is often confused (in title anyway) with this tune. That is a different tune and Kartchner also played that one though the recording of it is only a fragment of that tune. A search on the Internet does not show much else for this tune so Kartchner would be the resource to hear the melody. The banjo part of this less complicated melody compliments the fiddle version though it is not exactly the same – but then this is banjo music.

You can purchase the video lesson (for unlimited streaming and download) here on the Banjo Hangout for $6.

Get it here >

Dan included it in his book Old Time Favorites for Clawhammer Banjo (Melbay 30224 and its fiddle companion 30225). In the Clawhammer version you will find 2 lines of tab (basic and advanced) as well as a standard notation line. The fiddle version has 2 lines of standard notation (basic and advanced) as well as a line of mandolin/fiddle tablature for those not yet reading the dots.

Feel free to post any questions you have on it, remark on sections you would like clarified or things you might like added. Yes even the things you don’t like are fair game. It grows the tune and the community when you know what you like and don’t like as you build your own style.

It would be great to hear some of your versions so far so post them here for all to hear!

Finally, please excuse some distortion as Dan was unable to use his regular rig to record this.