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Posted by JanetB
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- Play count: 198
Size: 1,376kb, uploaded 1/11/2019 11:50:57 AM
Genre: Old Time / Playing Style: Clawhammer and Old-Time
From the playing of Dwight Diller, this old-time Tune of the Week is one I've heard, but not tried. It was nice learning from a video of Dwight recently playing the tune at a slow tempo. It's one of the tunes taught to our TOTW presenter, Andy Fults, at the first music camp he attended with Dwight.
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Posted by JanetB, written by Turlough O'Carolan
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- Play count: 131
Size: 1,747kb, uploaded 11/30/2015 11:31:44 AM
Genre: Fiddle/Celtic/Irish / Playing Style: Clawhammer and Old-Time
O'Carolan composed John Drury on his harp with lyrics to honor the wedding of John Drury and Elizabeth Goldsmith in 1724. The last line praised marrying for love, not money, though both bride and groom were well-to-do. Unfortunately the groom died a year later. I'm reminded to gratefully enjoy life's precious moments as they occur. My clawhammer adaptation, with finger-thumb-finger, finger-thumb-finger for the most part, allowed me to claw a jig -- a rare technique for me to use. It's quite fun to get into the 6/8 time rhythm, which I'm playing rather slowly here. I first heard the tune picked in Banjo Hangout member Ron Hughes' instructional book/CD called O'Carolan for 5 String Banjo.
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Posted by JanetB
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- Play count: 116
Size: 1,815kb, uploaded 9/1/2021 10:11:57 AM
Genre: Old Time / Playing Style: Clawhammer and Old-Time
From another time when Plinky & Plunky used to perform this ballad....I haven't sung it in years, but for the sake of TOTW, here is our version, less Plinky whose arthritic hands don't want to play mandolin these days.
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Posted by JanetB
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- Play count: 1259
Size: 762kb, uploaded 2/15/2014 3:41:09 PM
Genre: Old Time / Playing Style: Clawhammer and Old-Time
A great American folk hero song, the Tune of the Week for February 14, 2014, played on a Gold Tone cello banjo.
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Posted by JanetB, written by Turlough O'Carolan
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- Play count: 661
Size: 1,467kb, uploaded 3/14/2017 1:13:06 PM
Genre: Fiddle/Celtic/Irish / Playing Style: Clawhammer and Old-Time
Here's a clawhammered planxty from Turlough O'Carolan (1670 - 1738) in 6/8 jig time with cello banjo accompaniment.
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Posted by JanetB, written by Turlough O'Carolan
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- Play count: 761
Size: 2,070kb, uploaded 6/23/2018 9:23:50 AM
Genre: Fiddle/Celtic/Irish / Playing Style: Clawhammer and Old-Time
In topics:
Playing Jigs
The O'Reilly's of 17th century Ireland were amongst Turlough O'Carolan's supportive patrons as the blind harpist traveled far and wide. When O'Carolan wrote a tune in their honor it was given the label "planxty." Unable to play for several weeks due to my broken shoulder, I offer something recorded previously on my clawhammer banjo.
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Posted by JanetB
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- Play count: 1328
Size: 1,627kb, uploaded 2/14/2013 6:20:59 AM
Genre: Old Time / Playing Style: Clawhammer and Old-Time
The similarity of these tunes' beginnings inspired me to combine them as a medley.
6 comments
Posted by JanetB
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- Play count: 49
Size: 4,126kb, uploaded 9/20/2024 11:10:47 AM
Genre: Old Time / Playing Style: Clawhammer and Old-Time
Chords are added to an older recording in the first time through for John Riley the Shepherd,
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Posted by JanetB
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- Play count: 589
Size: 1,472kb, uploaded 6/1/2018 9:22:27 AM
Genre: Old Time / Playing Style: Clawhammer and Old-Time
For the old-time Tune of the Week, 6/1/18, with no real title. It may have been collected in Ireland and the title forgotten. The tune has a beautiful emotional quality I like. Thank you, Mary Z Cox for presenting another one of your outstanding repertoire pieces this week.
2 comments
Posted by JanetB
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- Play count: 118
Size: 849kb, uploaded 9/30/2012 7:55:26 AM
Genre: Old Time / Playing Style: Clawhammer and Old-Time
This is one of Don Borchelt's Clifftop, 2012 tunes he played with a WV fiddler named Ralph Roberts. This tune was learned from Ralph's grandfather, John. Its structure is unique, with 12 measures that lead right back to the beginning. I'm grateful to Don for sharing Ralph's music.
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Posted by JanetB
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- Play count: 997
Size: 801kb, uploaded 9/21/2013 4:31:58 PM
Genre: Old Time / Playing Style: Clawhammer and Old-Time
For the Tune of the Week, Sept. 19, 2013, played on a Gold Tone mini-openback. I think the other names for it are related, and I like them better, like Johnny Booker or Johnny Bucker, but oh, well. The way Lee Hammons played and, more specifically, the way Chuck Levy interpreted it, make it another Lee Hammons beautiful piece I'm glad to learn.
2 comments
Posted by JanetB
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- Play count: 288
Size: 1,124kb, uploaded 3/21/2015 4:25:11 PM
Genre: Old Time / Playing Style: Clawhammer and Old-Time
For the old-time Tune of the Week, this comes from Texas fiddler Duck Wootan (1882 - 1964) whose grandson posts on Fiddle Hangout. The paper collar part was an education for me. Check it out: http://www.banjohangout.org/topic/301201. I was able to learn this quickly through the tab of Ken Torke. It's a light-hearted tune for this Saturday afternoon before company comes, but we're going to work the garden a bit, not dress up in anything with a fancy collar.
5 comments
Posted by JanetB
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- Play count: 204
Size: 969kb, uploaded 9/21/2019 5:03:12 PM
Genre: Old Time / Playing Style: Clawhammer and Old-Time
From the playing of Virginia fiddler Albert Hash, this Tune of the Week for 9/20/19 is an old and widely recorded and tune.They say it goes back before the Civil War and was a comical courting song. The Johnson Boys really got around, even when they were broke.
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Posted by JanetB
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- Play count: 132
Size: 1,352kb, uploaded 9/14/2019 4:09:43 PM
Genre: Old Time / Playing Style: Clawhammer and Old-Time
As brisk a storm as one can imagine caused Jonah to be thrown off the ship to Tarshish in the biblical account. I don't normally attempt to play this rapidly, but that's how it was played when Kentucky fiddler Glen Fannin was recorded. Then again, many fiddlers play faster than I like to (or can) go...
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Posted by JanetB, written by Roger Talroth
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- Play count: 233
Size: 852kb, uploaded 6/7/2014 5:41:39 PM
Genre: Old Time / Playing Style: Clawhammer and Old-Time
Tune of the Week, 6/6/14, from an original modern piece by a Swedish guitarist in a well-known folk band called Vasen. It's a moving, poignant waltz named for his niece at her baptism. The band plays it in F. I'm playing it in the key of C.
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Posted by JanetB
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- Play count: 506
Size: 1,580kb, uploaded 6/24/2016 6:51:33 AM
Genre: Old Time / Playing Style: Clawhammer and Old-Time
For the old-time Tune of the Week, 6/24/16, Josie Girl was learned by Tennessee fiddler Charlie Acuff (b. 1919) from his grandfather. A josie is said to be a lady's overcoat with a cape. Art Stamper called the tune Josie-O.
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Posted by JanetB
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- Play count: 69
Size: 2,034kb, uploaded 1/11/2025 4:51:17 PM
Genre: Old Time / Playing Style: Clawhammer and Old-Time
From the playing of Dick Hutchison. The rest of the title stated, "Take These Shackles Off of Me." Judge Parker was a real judge who sentenced many criminals to be hung.
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Posted by JanetB
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- Play count: 2046
Size: 873kb, uploaded 2/10/2014 12:18:30 PM
Genre: Old Time / Playing Style: Clawhammer and Old-Time
I'm playing on a Gold Tone cello banjo, re-strung with nylon strings. In my continuing Skype lessons with Adam Hurt, he encouraged me to listen to Emmett Lundy's fiddling and arrange a tune for clawhammer. Mr. Lundy, from Grayson County, Virginia, born in 1864, is one of many highly-regarded fiddlers from that region. He learned from an elderly fiddler, Greenberry Leonard, born in 1812. Mr. Leonard was said to be one of the very best fiddlers from that region, so studying Lundy's style takes me way back in history. I find that the syncopated and slurred notes of this well-known tune make it stand out as unique and pretty.
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Posted by JanetB
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- Play count: 853
Size: 774kb, uploaded 4/9/2012 1:42:35 PM
Genre: Old Time / Playing Style: Clawhammer and Old-Time
BHO pickers have posted so many good versions of this great tune that I was inspired to learn it.
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Posted by JanetB
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- Play count: 200
Size: 783kb, uploaded 4/10/2012 7:22:54 AM
Genre: Old Time / Playing Style: Clawhammer and Old-Time
Learning to play the cello banjo is an interesting challenge. It does remind me of playing the cello a long time ago, but with no bow. We called that "pizzacato."
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