Wasn't that Delaney & Bonnie & Friends that had the hit that played constantly on the radio?
youtu.be/WCrZ5CN7ymc

There are several guitar instruction videos that you may be able to adapt to banjo.

Hint: you don't need to isolate the banjo part, you need the melody  and the chords, which you could get from sheet music and or chord charts.  In basic clawhammer or frailing bum ditty stroke, the melody is the "bum" note and the chords are the "ditty".  In fingerpicking the ditty is replaced by rolls or a pinch.

First, sing the song strumming chords. Then find the sung notes on the banjo and fill in chords around them.

Good Luck

Give this a try. The New Seekers sing this in the key of D, but the tab is in G, as you requested. If G is not a good singing key for you, you can capo to A or B. To move to C or D, double-C tuning would likely work better. I can't attach an MP3 without saving it to my home page. Send me an email if you need the MP3.

Here;s the video I based the tab on: New Seekers - Never ending song of love 1971 - YouTube

David

It's a song that I believe was written by Delaney and Bonnie Bramlett.  Bluegrass versions that include banjo have been done by a number of performers.  Below are a few links.

Never Ending Song Of Love - Country Gazette

Never Ending Song Of Love - Earl Scruggs

Never Ending Song Of Love - The Shenandoah Cutups

Never Ending Song Of Love - J.D. Crowe & The New South

Never Ending Song Of Love - The Brooklyn Bluegrass Collective

quote:

---

Originally posted by redterra

Hello all!
I am requesting the tab for a song that always cheers me up when I hear it. The title is " Never Ending Song of Love". The live version I found that is closest to what I used to hear on the radio is by The New Seekers from 1971. I found it on YouTube . I am learning fingerstyle banjo and clawhammer through the Brainjo System, and I usually play in open G. Since I almost always play alone, I would like to be able to pick the melody, maybe with some beginner level embellishment, and not just strum an accompaniment...

---

Okay, this rang a bell, and I went back and looked, and it turns out that on request I taught this to one of my banjo students ten years ago, in bluegrass finger three-finger style.  The tab below is from the version that Earl Scruggs did on his 1972 album I Saw the Light With a Little Help From My Friends.  Wayne posted a link toe the recording in his post above.  Earl doesn't actually play the bridge, so I made something up to fill in.  This is in Standard G tuning (gDGBD), but in the key of C, but it's pretty easy.  Now, I also worked up a tab of Alan Munde's picking on the song from The Country Gazette Live album.  That is also in Standard G, in the key of G, but it's a lot harder.  I'll be glad to post it here, too, if you would like.  No problem, it's done already.

Great job by David on the clawhammer version.

- -Don B.

Don, we old guys remember when this song was freshly hatched. Your tab accomplishes much more than mine, so it may offer more help to more people. I wasn't sure what level of skills Suzy (redterra) may have, so I stayed pretty basic.

David

Thank you for working the tab out for me! I will try it out. That is the video I was trying to add to my original post. How did you attach a link?? I tried several times but it wouldn't attach...

quote:

---

Originally posted by dbrooks

Give this a try. The New Seekers sing this in the key of D, but the tab is in G, as you requested. If G is not a good singing key for you, you can capo to A or B. To move to C or D, double-C tuning would likely work better. I can't attach an MP3 without saving it to my home page. Send me an email if you need the MP3.

Here;s the video I based the tab on: New Seekers - Never ending song of love 1971 - YouTube

David

---

 Hi RB3

Thanks for the links! None of these came up in my search. I like comparing different song versions.

quote:

---

Originally posted by RB3

It's a song that I believe was written by Delaney and Bonnie Bramlett.  Bluegrass versions that include banjo have been done by a number of performers.  Below are a few links.

Never Ending Song Of Love - Country Gazette

Never Ending Song Of Love - Earl Scruggs

Never Ending Song Of Love - The Shenandoah Cutups

Never Ending Song Of Love - J.D. Crowe & The New South

Never Ending Song Of Love - The Brooklyn Bluegrass Collective

---

Hello Don

That's a happy coincidence! Thanks so much for sharing this! I'm going to have fun learning it in both clawhammer and fingerstyle. I wouldn't mind seeing Alan Munde's version, too, if it's not too much trouble. 

Thanks again!

Suzy

Originally posted by Don:

Okay, this rang a bell, and I went back and looked, and it turns out that on request I taught this to one of my banjo students ten years ago, in bluegrass finger three-finger style.  The tab below is from the version that Earl Scruggs did on his 1972 album I Saw the Light With a Little Help From My Friends.  Wayne posted a link toe the recording in his post above.  Earl doesn't actually play the bridge, so I made something up to fill in.  This is in Standard G tuning (gDGBD), but in the key of C, but it's pretty easy.  Now, I also worked up a tab of Alan Munde's picking on the song from The Country Gazette Live album.  That is also in Standard G, in the key of G, but it's a lot harder.  I'll be glad to post it here, too, if you would like.  No problem, it's done already.

Great job by David on the clawhammer version.

- -Don B.

---

Hi Fathand

Thanks for the advice ;-) It will be very helpful, since I am completely new to learning a song without sheet music. I can read music and tabs, so that is easier for me. I was able to pick out some of the notes, but I am still working to improve my skill at playing by ear. 

Suzy

quote:

---

Originally posted by Fathand

Wasn't that Delaney & Bonnie & Friends that had the hit that played constantly on the radio?
youtu.be/WCrZ5CN7ymc

There are several guitar instruction videos that you may be able to adapt to banjo.

Hint: you don't need to isolate the banjo part, you need the melody  and the chords, which you could get from sheet music and or chord charts.  In basic clawhammer or frailing bum ditty stroke, the melody is the "bum" note and the chords are the "ditty".  In fingerpicking the ditty is replaced by rolls or a pinch.

First, sing the song strumming chords. Then find the sung notes on the banjo and fill in chords around them.

Good Luck

 

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by redterra

Hello Don

That's a happy coincidence! Thanks so much for sharing this! I'm going to have fun learning it in both clawhammer and fingerstyle. I wouldn't mind seeing Alan Munde's version, too, if it's not too much trouble...

---

 

---

Okay, I have uploaded the tab in Tabledit format to the BHO Tab library.  This is a banjo lesson I prepared for a student ten years ago. I may have simplified Alan Munde's picking here and there to accomodate my student's playing level, I can't remember for sure. Note that the TEF file has all of the tracks, not just the banjo, so if you play the MIDI, you can hear what the whole robot band sounds like.  Here's a link to the MIDI file: 

Never Ending Love MIDI

If you don't have the Tabledit program, they offer a free viewer, called TefView, that allows you to open, read, and play any already created TEF tab file.  You can download it here:

TefView.exe Download

The great thing about this is that you can not only look at the tab file, but you can play the MIDI and here what it sounds like, and play along.  If you are playing the MIDI through TefView, you can start at whatever speed you can follow, and then gradually speed it up as you feel more comfortable with it.  I put together all of my lessons like this, it's a really great system.

Note that there are a lot of places where Munde plays "stop time,"  where he hits the first note of a measure and than dampens, while another instrument answers in response.  You may want to fill in with something for playing solo, I leave that up to you, if you decide to tackle it.

I have also attached the banjo track in PDF format.

Alan Munde was a great influence on me, early on.

- Don B.

quote:

---

Originally posted by redterra

I can read music and tabs, so that is easier for me. I was able to pick out some of the notes, but I am still working to improve my skill at playing by ear. 

Suzy

---

Here's the basic melody using a form of SOLFEGE in the key of C in open G tuning. This is a great way to get your ear used to hearing the intervals.

Wow, Don, that's great! Thanks a million!!  ~Suzy

quote:

---

Originally posted by Don Borchelt

quote:

---

Originally posted by redterra

Hello Don

That's a happy coincidence! Thanks so much for sharing this! I'm going to have fun learning it in both clawhammer and fingerstyle. I wouldn't mind seeing Alan Munde's version, too, if it's not too much trouble...

---

 

---

Okay, I have uploaded the tab in Tabledit format to the BHO Tab library.  This is a banjo lesson I prepared for a student ten years ago. I may have simplified Alan Munde's picking here and there to accomodate my student's playing level, I can't remember for sure. Note that the TEF file has all of the tracks, not just the banjo, so if you play the MIDI, you can hear what the whole robot band sounds like.  Here's a link to the MIDI file: 

Never Ending Love MIDI

If you don't have the Tabledit program, they offer a free viewer, called TefView, that allows you to open, read, and play any already created TEF tab file.  You can download it here:

TefView.exe Download

The great thing about this is that you can not only look at the tab file, but you can play the MIDI and here what it sounds like, and play along.  If you are playing the MIDI through TefView, you can start at whatever speed you can follow, and then gradually speed it up as you feel more comfortable with it.  I put together all of my lessons like this, it's a really great system.

Note that there are a lot of places where Munde plays "stop time,"  where he hits the first note of a measure and than dampens, while another instrument answers in response.  You may want to fill in with something for playing solo, I leave that up to you, if you decide to tackle it.

I have also attached the banjo track in PDF format.

Alan Munde was a great influence on me, early on.

- Don B.

---

mmuussiiccaall, Thanks very much! I've read a bit about solfeggio and it's pretty interesting. I'll definitely check this out. ~Suzy

quote:

---

Originally posted by mmuussiiccaall

quote:

---

Originally posted by redterra

I can read music and tabs, so that is easier for me. I was able to pick out some of the notes, but I am still working to improve my skill at playing by ear. 

Suzy

---

Here's the basic melody using a form of SOLFEGE in the key of C in open G tuning. This is a great way to get your ear used to hearing the intervals.

---

you might want to take a look at my old post on the subject

https://www.banjohangout.org/archive/279248