Jack Baker - Posted - 07/22/2026:  07:05:23

Here is a well known tune that's fun to play. I believe that John Burke taught it to me when He taught at my School in Greenwich Village NYC years ago  ...Jack

 

Edited by - Jack Baker on 08/23/2026 17:34:56

Laurence Diehl - Posted - 07/23/2026:  09:19:01

Where is he now? I saw his book of old-time fiddle tunes on Amazon for $150! If I knew it was gonna be worth that much I would’ve hung onto mine.…

Jack Baker - Posted - 07/23/2026:  09:27:13

Laurence,

I speak with John every so often. He lives in Washington State in a Barn (or used to)...His two Daughter s are now a Doctor (Attorney?) I believe. He is part of my Instagram and Facebook. How can I be of help?...Jack

Edited by - Jack Baker on 07/23/2026 09:42:08

chuckv97 - Posted - 07/23/2026:  09:51:48

I had his book but like Stefan Grossman’s early tabs he didn’t denote proper bar lines or note values. A person would have to be very familiar with the tunes, which actually isn’t a bad thing unless you’re in a 1897 banjo orchestra…..

Jack Baker - Posted - 07/23/2026:  10:14:50

Chuck,

Actually, John notated his tabs quite well if you take the time to figure what His tabbing method is. That's how I use and post a lot of his tabs from his Book. Stefan Grossman had a Frenchman musician do most of the tabs in his books...Jack   p.s. I'm looking at his book right now. Look at his Long horizontal notes which are 1/4 notes usually followed by two horizontal 1/8th notes close together. It's really quite simple Chuck 

Edited by - Jack Baker on 07/23/2026 10:23:46

chuckv97 - Posted - 07/23/2026:  10:46:18

Ok, I lost that book about 50 years ago so I can’t figure it out now. At the time I bought it I was green as grass tab/musically so that’s probably why it confused me.

Jack Baker - Posted - 07/23/2026:  10:57:13

Ah,

Too bad Chuck as that book was ahead of its time and a fantastic source of Clawhammer tabs but you play Bluegrass so it is not  a gret loss I guess....Oh well....Jack

Edited by - Jack Baker on 07/23/2026 10:58:12

chuckv97 - Posted - 07/23/2026:  11:06:43

I was obsessed with Colored Aristocracy the way Tom Paley played it on a New L City Rmblrs album I had. I think John had that tab in his book. At the time I had learned some frailing from Seeger's book,, Shady Grove and Cripple Creek.  I could read his tabs just fine, but had trouble with John's.  A few years ago I met Dan Levenson at a fiddle contest in Yuma - I bought a couple of his CH books in case my picking fingers go south on me.  

(just some boring information fer y'all to mull over.....)

Edited by - chuckv97 on 07/23/2026 11:22:04

Jack Baker - Posted - 07/23/2026:  11:13:46

Okaly Doakely.....:-) I do think that Clawhammer has evolved greatly since the days of Pete Seeger, Tom Paley, Dan Levison but that is just my personal opinion I guess....J

Edited by - Jack Baker on 07/23/2026 11:29:04

Tim Jumper - Posted - 07/23/2026:  16:53:43

I agree with Chuck; I, too, found Burke's and Grossman's tabs quirky and unnecessarily confusing, so I spent many hours re-tabbing a lot of their material in the standard format, including, and most importantly, bar lines, as it's always good to know where the down-beat is. Both men provided useful arrangements -- of great old banjo tunes and blues-guitar songs -- and I learned a lot from them, for which I remain grateful.

chuckv97 - Posted - 07/23/2026:  17:10:13

If anyone has Burke’s book could you post maybe half of one of his tabs - I’m now curious how they look to me all these years later.

dbrooks - Posted - 07/23/2026:  18:58:01

Here's tab for "The Girl I Left Behind" from Burke's book.  I did not see "Year of Jubilo" and wanted to post a well-known tune.

David

John Burke tab

 

Jack Baker - Posted - 07/24/2026:  06:38:32

David,

I think John wrote by the phrase which you have to play and then listen to what the timing would be. At least that's how I always deciphered John's method of writing....Jack   p.s. I believe John just showed me the Year Of Jubilo as I remember or, maybe I just made that version up....

Edited by - Jack Baker on 07/24/2026 06:41:51

chuckv97 - Posted - 07/24/2026:  08:45:52

quote:

---

Originally posted by dbrooks

Here's tab for "The Girl I Left Behind" from Burke's book.  I did not see "Year of Jubilo" and wanted to post a well-known tune.

David

---

Thank you, David. Other than not denoting the pickup notes in a partial measure at the beginning and using 8 beats per measure (8/4 time?)  that one is easy to understand.  It's so long ago now that I can't remember where I was having problems back in the sexy sixties....

Jack Baker - Posted - 07/24/2026:  08:50:10

Chuck,

That is not what John meant when He wrote the book. He did it by the phrase and there weren't always 8 beats in a measure...Play the notes in David's attachment and you'll hear that He is really in 4/4 time but not using the conventional 4 beats in a measure as He wanted people to use their ears.....Jack    p.s. if you want to call it 8/4 in a measure then so be it HA

Edited by - Jack Baker on 07/24/2026 08:52:02

chuckv97 - Posted - 07/24/2026:  08:52:37

quote:

---

Originally posted by Jack Baker

Chuck,

That is not what John meant when He wrote the book. He did it by the phrase and there weren't always 8 beats in a measure...Play the notes in David's attachment and you'll hear that He is really in 4/4 time but not using the conventional 4 beats in a measure as He wanted people to use their ears.....Jack

---

I get that, Jack. Not criticizing him, just commenting on his unusual bar line placement.