Mickhammer - Posted - 11/12/2025:  00:21:07

I find myself stuck in the first five frets, partly because that's where most of the walkthroughs/tab/lessons I find are stuck as well.

Can anyone point me to a song/songs that involve playing up the neck (in clawhammer style)? Video walkthroughs/lessons preferred, but tab will do.

Bill H - Posted - 11/12/2025:  01:57:29

Check out Sean Ray's site. He has great videos and tablature.

seanray.com/category/banjo/

Mickhammer - Posted - 11/12/2025:  02:14:46

I just stumbled across this (I'm still at Nathan Bowle's opening set): 

youtube.com/watch?v=uVbeesKhYqk

lucas73b - Posted - 11/12/2025:  05:09:06

Nice tunes to play up the neck are e.g. Chilly Winds, Marching Jaybird, Coal Creek March, or (advanced) Walt Kooken's tunes Banjonique and Big Sandy.

A tab of Chilly Winds is in Art Rosenbaum's book (pm me if you need a copy), I guess the others are in the Hangout tab library.

And there is much more... Have fun

calicoplayer - Posted - 11/12/2025:  05:27:44

In addition to learning specific songs that use up the neck playing, it is very useful to learn all the major chord inversions. If you experiment with up the neck inversions on songs and tunes you already know, you'll find wonderful ways to enrich your playing. For example, a "G" chord played in the "D" shaped inversion has a richness that is much different from the open G or the G played in the F formation. All the same notes are there in each inversion, just played on different strings. And our well-known bluegrass rolls played against inverted chords offer lots of new options.

In my experience, the two tunes that helped me get a bit of comfort playing up the neck were "Blackberry Blossom" and "The Entertainer", by Scott Joplin. Both are really challenging tunes with lots of up the neck work, but they are both great learning tools.

Tim Jumper - Posted - 11/12/2025:  07:09:01

Check out the very fine song collections put together by Michael J. Miles.
They contain well-conceived arrangements utilizing both ends of the neck.

Mickhammer - Posted - 11/12/2025:  12:23:35

quote:

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Originally posted by calicoplayer

In addition to learning specific songs that use up the neck playing, it is very useful to learn all the major chord inversions. 

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Yep, that's what I'm working on this evening (in double C). Great advice, thanks!

I'm also interested in working on specific songs, though. I'll think it'll be useful to see how these are used in actual music.

banjered - Posted - 11/12/2025:  12:50:41

Do you mean songs or tunes? Or both? I play mostly folk songs and I find the limitations of going up the neck is my vocal range so I generally don't go past the fifth fret. I find for my self that the simple songs I do sound best to me with simple accompaniment as contrasted to fretboard pyro-techniques up the neck. Tunes are another matter. But different stokes for different folks! banjered

Mickhammer - Posted - 11/12/2025:  13:01:19

quote:

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Originally posted by banjered

Do you mean songs or tunes? Or both? I play mostly folk songs and I find the limitations of going up the neck is my vocal range so I generally don't go past the fifth fret. I find for my self that the simple songs I do sound best to me with simple accompaniment as contrasted to fretboard pyro-techniques up the neck. Tunes are another matter. But different stokes for different folks! banjered

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Ha, yeah, I guess I don't know the lingo... I mean tunes in that case - I'm looking at these as exercises toward making up my own songs (I'm a singer, accompanying myself on banjo). I've been playing for a few years now, I'm trying to break out of the rut of what I already know, which isn't much...

banjoak - Posted - 11/12/2025:  16:30:46

A lot of G fiddle tunes go up to the b note... which puts you up to the ninth fret. (in gDGBD)



A common approach is simply extending reach up and back down on the first string. However you can use this as staring point to think more as shifting position, playing the phrase via incorporating the the second string (maybe third) in that position. That is use a any melodic phrase that has something like g, a, b notes; and keep hand to play ninth fret (b), play the a and g notes on second string. Again lot's of tunes do that.

Bill Rogers - Posted - 11/12/2025:  18:33:55

Play the same tune up the neck Work out the notes yourself. You’ll learn the neck better that way. Watch Walt Koken’s banjo videos. On many tunes he plays them both down and up the neck. Don’t necessarily try to copy him, but see how it works. Btw, he plays his d tunes in standard C tuning (aka drop-C(=).

AndrewD - Posted - 11/22/2025:  14:40:26

Thinking about tunes I play that go beyond the 5th on the inner strings...
Seneca Square Dance - Maybe from a Rosenbaum tab ?
Wildwood Flower from a green book published in the 60's. Can't remember the name but it had a few tunes in Gm tuning, and clawhammer and 3 finger version f Wildwood Flower in G tuning. Somebody will remember this book.
Also worth looking a Perlman's melodic clawhammer Irish tunes.

Mickhammer - Posted - 11/22/2025:  15:02:18

quote:

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Originally posted by Bill Rogers

Play the same tune up the neck Work out the notes yourself. You’ll learn the neck better that way. Watch Walt Koken’s banjo videos. On many tunes he plays them both down and up the neck. Don’t necessarily try to copy him, but see how it works. Btw, he plays his d tunes in standard C tuning (aka drop-C(=).

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Banjonique seems like a fine place to start (a bit slower than he plays it...)

Lew H - Posted - 11/26/2025:  14:16:02

Adam Hurt's recommendation for playing a tune up the neck is first, find your root chord. The melody notes will mostly be in and around that area of the neck. The 4 and 5 chords will be nearby also. I find it easier to play un the neck in open G than in other tunings. That's partly from more experience in open G, but also because the chords are easier to get my fingers to.



I have no tabs, but here are videos of two tunes: Home Sweet Home in double D, and Sounds of Silence in open G. Each has a lot of brush chords and double stops. Maybe I overuse these but I like them more than a line of single notes. 

If you want a closer look, click on the cogwheel in the video, and an option for slower playback speeds will emerge. 

Edited by - Lew H on 11/26/2025 14:20:52

VIDEO: Sound of Silence, Clawhammer
(click to view)

VIDEO: Home Sweet Home
(click to view)