A fine choice for Tune of the Week, Jim! I learned this some years back, one of the other members of a jam session I used to have at my house brought it in. I did listen to a bunch of recordings in order to work it up, including Dyer's, but I confess I stuck with the modern versions that don't use Dyer's flatted 7th for the cadence. I made a video of my interpretation that I posted on YouTube back in 2012, back before I got old:

A few years later, in 2017, I made another video busking with my pals John Maguire on fiddle, and the late Ed Britt on clawhammer banjo:
 

I have a tab of my 3 finger version posted on my website, which you can find here:

Jim Shank-3 Finger Style

I have attached a PDF file of Ed Britt's first rendition in the video, which I just transcribed this morning.  It was pretty easy to work out, the camera picked up Ed's playing very clearly.

Allow me an observation regarding Dyer's original recording.  I've included a link below.  You are correct that he is not playing a major 7th in the cadence (the phrase that resolves to the tonic) in the A part, but I would argue that he is not playing the natural 7th (in this case a G), either.  What he is doing is playing a neutral tone, a note somewhere between the natural 7th (G) and the major 7th (G#), albeit a little closer to the natural 7th.  He is also sliding a little bit, so I think he is ending pretty much on the neutral tone.  Old time fiddlers hit those neutral tones a lot in their playing, on the 3rd and 7th degrees of the scale.  

Jim Shank, as played by Sam Dyer

Thanks for the great contribution to the TOTW, one more step towards the one thousand mark!!!

- Don B.

Nice job on a fun tune Jim. Thanks.

That is pretty catchy....my banjo and my fiddle await!

"What he is doing is playing a neutral tone, a note somewhere between the natural 7th (G) and the major 7th (G#), albeit a little closer to the natural 7th. He is also sliding a little bit, so I think he is ending pretty much on the neutral tone. Old time fiddlers hit those neutral tones a lot in their playing, on the 3rd and 7th degrees of the scale."

That is wonderful playing, Don, especially up the neck. Your explanation of what Dyer is doing is much better than mine.  It would be really fun to play this on a fretless, but I don't have one in my arsenal.

quote:

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Originally posted by Jim_VA

...That is wonderful playing, Don, especially up the neck. Your explanation of what Dyer is doing is much better than mine.  It would be really fun to play this on a fretless, but I don't have one in my arsenal.

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I was still half asleep when I saw your OP yesterday mornimg, and I  forgot to mention how much I enjoyed listening to your two excellent renditions of this tune. Your picking was very clean and smooth, and a wonderful translation of Dyer's fiddling into the language of the banjo.

I wasn't being critical when I mentioned Dyer's use of the neutral 7th note.  Playing the natural 7th is what you have to do when playing a fretted banjo.  One way to get the note Dyer is actually hitting is to choke the string after you hit the note, but since you are on the 4th string, you will likely have to pull it rather than push it, depending on how close the string is to the fingrrboard.  But what you played sounded fine, I didn't mean to suggest it was "wrong."  I thought it was very creative to contrast the popular version with the original, more ancient sounding one.  Ed would have stolen some of your  notes!

- Don B.

Thanks, Jim, for a fun tune and your two versions.  I like the nuances of notes in the A part best, probably because of the light-hearted feeling it gives. How about you?  Don, the effect of your trio of friends is like having a full band sound and is toe-tapping as well!  Your tab of Ed Britt's clawhammer shows slides, which gives a pleasing sound when I try it (and of which I don't use enough of).  

When Jimmy Shank (or Jim Shank) was a TOTW back in 2012, which has other examples to hear, I listened to Sam Dyer and played it on a Gold Tone mini Plucky Banjo with its high ringing tone.  My tab was in pencil, before I learned of TablEdit, so as of yesterday it's now a pdf, recorded on my short-necked Doc's Banjo.