UncleLongHair - Posted - 03/09/2025:  08:55:40

This is a Henry Reed fiddle tune collected by Alan Jabbour, and I've seen videos of Ken Perlman and Alan playing it. There's a clawhammer tab in Ken's book and also another I found by Donald Borchelt.



I... don't know where to start. The tune has a fun and quirky syncopated melody but the tabs are all over the place. It doesn't seem possible to play with a typical bum-ditty type rhythm, I'm familiar with skip strokes and syncopated rhythms but I don't even know how to read this tab. One of Ken's playing tips is,



"Start with a Type 2-T pattern (or, think of it as a reverse double- thumb with a skip on the second downstroke). Use the skip on beat 2 to bring T into contact with string 3; then – halfway between beats 2 and 3 – use T to pluck 3,9 and follow that with a downstroke that plucks the “double- stop” 3,7 and 2,7"



?



In his tab, he frets the drone string! Which I've honestly never seen before. I don't want to post clips from Ken's book here but, for instance, how do I elide from drop thumb to a skip stroke on the same fret/string?



Donald's tab goes up to the 21st fret which I have not seen in performances.



Maybe I'm not sure what I'm asking but maybe is there a simpler documented version of this that I can try first to get the melody and then add these other adornments?

Edited by - UncleLongHair on 03/09/2025 08:56:19

janolov - Posted - 03/09/2025:  13:14:00

I guess you have to read Ken Perlman's book from the beginning to understand the tab. He is a very skilled and advanced banjo player and you have to exercise on easier tunes before you grab this.  He does not play ordinary bum-di-ty and uses "skip brushes" (or "air brushes" (omitting the "bum" or "di") and a lot of drop thumbs,  fretting of fifth string, alternate string pull off, alernate string hammer on, and other advanced licks. This style is usually called meloduc clawhammer.

Don Borchelt's version is a kind of three-finger and is played in another style som you cannot compare Don's and Ken's tabs.

West Virginia Rag is a complex tune and I doubt there are any easy version that sounds good (a rag is a rag, and requires those syncopation and ornaments). Otherwise it is a good idea to strip off unnecessary notes and focus on the core melody and step by step build up a the full tune.

Edited by - janolov on 03/09/2025 13:26:39