dylant - Posted - 04/26/2025:  17:59:18

Hi all. I've loved this tune as played by Bruce Molsky's Mountain Drifters ever since I first heard it a few years ago on a Peghead Nation video. Now I'm trying to learn it.



youtu.be/ALra_qr4jW0?si=SnmK-bFTBcO6rESW



Allison de Groot plays a very sweet backup on this. I'm not trying to play exactly what she does, I'm just inspired try try singing and backing myself up.



I have figured out the key (F) and the chords (using sawmill tuning in my case because it works well for F, Bb, and C chords) but I cannot for the life of me get the hang of whatever picking patterns / rhythm Allison is using.



Any advice?



Thank you!

Edited by - dylant on 04/26/2025 17:59:58

banjered - Posted - 04/26/2025:  19:00:01

It's kind of straight clawhammer, drop thumb etc. You have to figure out what key/pitch/tuning works for YOUR voice and skill level. How you tackle a tune depends quite a bit on whether you are going to play solo or in a band. This tune sounds a lot like The Blackest Crow which I play in regular open G but lowered down with Minstrel strings to the key of D (dADF#A). Allison is known for double thumbing (bum-pa-dit-ty) although here she is more conventional to fit the cadence of a song as contrasted to a blazing fiddle tune. You might check out the "Q" search engine to the left of this page and type "singing with the banjo" for more insights. Good Luck! banjered

janolov - Posted - 04/26/2025:  23:27:02

The pattern she is playing is bum-pa-di-ty-di-ty (1 & 2 & 3 & .......). It is a waltz in triple time.

I think she is in a F tuning (fDGCD).

Bill Rogers - Posted - 04/26/2025:  23:47:27

An aside: It’s a 3/4-time version of a familiar song with several titles/versions: Girl I Left Behind; Always Been a Rambler; Maggie Walker Blues, among others.

banjered - Posted - 04/27/2025:  07:19:05

The most common 3/4 strum I use is bum-dit-ty-dit-X where the X is a skipped move with the thumb. Different stokes for different folks! banjered

dylant - Posted - 04/27/2025:  07:28:33

quote:

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Originally posted by janolov

The pattern she is playing is bum-pa-di-ty-di-ty (1 & 2 & 3 & .......). It is a waltz in triple time.

I think she is in a F tuning (fDGCD).

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That's really helpful about the rhythm, thank you! I knew it was a waltz but the triple time confused me.

I couldn't figure out her tuning at first. But that's basically Sawmill with the 5th tuned to F, which it turns out is what I'm using.

dylant - Posted - 04/27/2025:  07:29:10

quote:

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Originally posted by banjered

The most common 3/4 strum I use is bum-dit-ty-dit-X where the X is a skipped move with the thumb. Different stokes for different folks! banjered

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Helpful, thank you. 3/4 time is a weakness for me. More practice needed!