A tune to enjoy this week comes from long-time contributor and player Carl Baron, who actually played the tune with Melvin Wine.  As Carl tells in his post, the tunes passed on within this family go back to the earlier part of the 1800's.  Some tunes were learned via the whistling of Melvin's grandfather to his son, Bob.  What a story!  Especially check out the interesting B part: TOTW, 9-30-22, Bob Wine's Tune.

With a long presence here and a long presence also in the dance venues of the Bay Area, presenter John D gave us an interesting tune to work on.  It is "crooked," as John puts it, and meanders as well in its chordal flavors.  The very title of it gives you an idea that there's something unexpected and imaginative in the tune.  Try out our new TOTW, 10/7/22, Ship in the Clouds.

As RG said, HOT DAWG! -- it's long-time contributor Don Borchelt's turn to do a TOTW and he's given a presentation worthy of publication.  Don gives us the historic details of this tune from Georgia, plays it with his buddies, and even tabs it out both for 3-finger picking and clawhammer.  It's fitting that Don's iconic campsite at Clifftop in West Virginia over the years is called Banjo Hell, and now here's his TOTW, 10/14/22, Hell Broke Loose in Georgia.

Here goes an interesting journey into a tune with a mysterious path of multiple titles as it traveled across state lines.  From Kentucky fiddler Darley Fulks to West Virginian fiddlers Melvin Wine, Wilson Douglas and Gerry Milnes, you can hear the basic same melody.  Current players are now bringing these sources into one Tune of the Week to explore.  Thanks to Mtngoat who has originated this new TOTW, 10/21/22, Shoe Heels Crackin' on the Floor.

Yours truly has presented a two-fer tune.  They have the mildest resemblance to allow me to conclude they just might be related, musically speaking.  I tied in the title to the autumn season when squirrels around the house are now active and amusing to watch, however mischievous some of them have been around the bird feeders.  The modern backgrounds of the two tunes with the same title are distinct and any connection must be quite old.  See what you think when you hear TOTW, 10/28/22, Chase the Squirrel.

This week we're treated to a fiddle tune from Kentuckian J.P. Fraley.  Presenter Mark Gentry of the UK offers an excellent clawhammer arrangement and a tab, along with as much history as he can find on the tune.  Learning about cloth named in the title itself will prove to be interesting, too, and connects to the rural lifestyle we're drawn to when we seek our tune source.  Hope to see your comments and participation in this TOTW, 11/4/22, Swing Nine Yards of Calico.

Mississippi is a proven source of good fiddle tunes, but we don't get too many here on Tune of the Week. Our presenter, Mark T, is offering one learned in his lessons with Adam Hurt.  I had a similar lesson with Adam years ago and his extra assignment was to arrange the A part up the neck in double C tuning.  This will be a challenge to try again. Hope you also enjoy working on the TOTW, 11/11/22 Little Princess Footsteps.

Andy Alexis calls today's new tune a sprightly one.  It has a politically oriented title, but he steers clear of politics and gives us a very nice history of the tune and his own banjo beginnings, which coincided somewhat with my own.  One of my early clawhammer "mentors" has a link to the tune, making it even more interesting on a personal level.  In the tradition of tunes named for our American presidents, check out TOTW, 11/18/22, Nixon's Farewell.

A beautiful Thanksgiving tune to extend this best of holidays, presented by UK player Andy Taylor including his video which brings tears and smiles thinking of the time we spend with family and friends during this special time of the year. The composer is the famous Jay Ungar of Ashokan Farewell fame.  Let's learn TOTW, 11/25/22, Thanksgiving Waltz.

It's always an instructional journey when RG presents one of his favorite banjo instrumentals. Though called a waltz, it's really not.  RG quotes: "Clyde (Troxell) reports that this tune was brought back from WWI by veteran Jeff Gregory, who learned it from a banjo-playing Frenchman."  As RG says, let's dive into this interesting tune played by Clyde in the unusual tuning of gBbFBbD and have some fun with TOTW, 12/2/22, French Waltz.

Some of us in the old-time music world go back to a time when learning resources weren't plentiful.  One of those sources was tune collections done in the earlier part of the 20th century.  Some of the collectors notated them as well.  In our new Tune of the Week, presenter Carl Baron shares from Dance to the Fiddle, March to the Fife by Samuel Bayard. With hundreds of notated tunes and stories to choose from, Carl used his skill of reading notes, learned in childhood, to figure our TOTW, 12/9/22, Cheat River.  We also get a good geography lesson.

 A dramatic contra dance melody comes to us this week from Mtngoat who keeps us up-to-date with many current popular tunes people are dancing to.  A Celtic tune, its flavor draws us in and one gets curious about how to portray it on clawhammer banjo.  Fortunately, there are already a couple of tabs to help, plus links with fiddlers to hear.  It sounds like a good challenge for TOTW, 12/16/22, Old Grey Cat..  Anyone here have an old grey cat?  I do!

Here we have an old-time special Christmas treat from Andy Alexis who gives us a 1700's lullaby with words by a famous hymn writer, combined with the melody and banjo accompaniment of a traditional tune most of us know, but with a unique version.  Andy gives us background on both the words and the instrumental and has performed for us using the best of the lyrics which honor the birth of Jesus.  Have a Merry Christmas while you check out the TOTW, 12/23/22, Isaac Watt's Cradle Hymn/Johnson Boys.

Adam Schweigert of Pittsburgh, PA brings a very old tune which he says makes the rounds at his jams.  The source fiddler is Virginia Emmett Lundy, born in 1864 and mentored by an elderly fiddler, Greenberry "Green" Leonard, born in the early 1800's.  Now let's enjoy the music of this remarkable fiddler and learn it for our banjo repertoire before the New Year in just a couple of days..  TOTW, 12/29/22 Belle of Lexington

When Stephen Rapp presents we know we'll get an obscure old-time tune.  This week's comes from a Virginia fiddler, Earl Phelps, who once ventured to New York City and played with Tex Ritter in the 1930's.  The title honors an animal not normally named in a tune, in a locatiion associated with southern vegetable gardening.  Come and join us for a fun and lively tune TOTW, 1/6/23, Skunk in the Collard Patch.

The talented clawhammer player Pat Lyons chose a contemporary tune named for a type of finch, composed by the legendary John Reischman. One of the Jaybird band members who plays an amazing 2-finger old-time style with John is our own Nick Hornbuckle. Let's learn a new tune, TOTW, 1/13/23, Little Pine Siskin.

A happy old hoe-down reel is the topic for Tune of the Week by mandobanjolibrarian who gives us a historical tour through time of some fiddlers who played it, earning their "dram," as in the lyrics.  Enjoy learning the tune by ear or checking out the tabs provided. I like the link of the Highwoods String Band and may go with that one as a learning source for TOTW, 1/20/23, Dance All Night with a Bottle in My Hand.

Always learning what's being shared in the old-time jam world, Mtngoat has offered us a tune to hear and work out.  The first recording appears to go back to Kentucky fiddler Everett Kay. Then to Pete Sutherland of Vermont whose version helped spread the tune. Plus there are several other links. Give a look and listen to the TOTW, 1/27/23, Shuffle About. 

Long-time contributor Jan Olov Sundqvist has offered a tune from the great and legendary Walt Koken.  He describes it as simple, yet a complex, challenging masterpiece.  The highest note uses the 17th fret!  If you haven't explored Walt Koken yet, this is a good opportunity to learn and see him in action on the banjo.  The challenge is awaiting on TOTW, 2/3/23, Banjonique.

It's not often we get a song from the Child Ballads collections.  Faithful presenter RG Hocutt sings what he captions a Valentines Day "Love Song."  You can decide.  The lyrics are a big part of the song, but RG shows us what can be done with banjo.  He has lots of good history to read and sends us to study some of the oldest contributors in the folk music genre.  Join us to examine this TOTW, 2/27/23, Little Margaret.

We don't often explore other genres on Tune of the Week. Today Andy Alexis introduces us to a French dance music style of the 1700's called bourrées with a medley of two tunes.  The flavor of the music is mid-eastern, quite different than the usual fare of old-time music.  For an exotic adventure in clawhammer, tune in to our TOTW, 2/24/23, L'Orientale/Less Trois Canards.

This week we're re-visiting a past tune after presenter Mark T heard an intriguing version by the talented Jake Blount, who is always interested in the historic sources of such tunes. Upon listening to this one, you might hear a conversation between two siblings. Tune in to our TOTW, 3/3/23, Twin Sisters.

 Mark Gentry of York, UK has offered a sweet West Virginia tune with very old roots going back to the 1700's. He's provided links, history of a family, his own performance and tab for us to pursue this Tune of the Week.  Let's try learning TOTW, 3/10/23, Phoebe Ice.

A French Canadian tune is a real treat for Tune of the Weekers, as we don't get many from that region and each one is worth knowing.  Longtime contributor Mtngoat learned this tune while at a jam years ago and found only sparse roots, but perhaps readers can contribute more to its story.  The tune is named for a peninsula on the St. Lawrence River.  Some people add a third part, which resembles another familiar tune, Money Musk.  Join us for this week's TOTW, 3/17/23, Gaspe Reel.

Self-professed old timer Carl Baron has offered a tricky tune  of legendary fiddler Ed Haley. Carl managed to play through the whole recording along with the fiddler and that is saying alot. Perhaps you'll attempt the challenge, too, on the new TOTW, 3-24-23, Lost Indian from Ed Haley.