Banjo Hangout Top 100 Old Time Songs

Coal Creek, Virginia fiddler Roscoe Parish (1897 - 1984) was visited and recorded in the 80's by Andy Cahan and Alice Gerrard. I found this tune in the Milliner-Koken American Fiddle Tunes Book and an MP3 of Alice performing it. Its melody is like a music box! As I'm researching Roscoe Parish right now; it's given me more insight into his music. This tune is related to Flying Indian and O Lassie, Art Thou Sleeping Yet?, indicating it has deep roots.

A tune from Ernie Carpenter for this week's Tune of the Week

a quick recording I made to demonstrate some of the techniques I use to create variations of a tune. A tab and lesson are available on my website, dropthumb.com played in open D tuning (f#DF#AD) on my Fielding Catamount banjo (12" rolled brass ring up on risers)

Here's my take on this classic from the fiddling of Henry Reed. I'm playing it in the key of G (G modal tuning) on my Lee Tubaphone, and accompanying myself with a guitar. I'm also using this recording to help me launch my new website dropthumb.com. I'd love it if you stopped by the site sometime for a visit.

Learned from Luther Strong in the Library of Congress. This tune was claimed to have earned him $500 in fiddle contest wins. Reading about him in Stephen Wade's book The Beautiful Music Around Us reveals much about Mr. Strong's life and music.

Old English ballad... but here i'm playing behind Hobart's high-octane fiddle... lot's o' fun! Playin' a Romero in G modal tuning... and thanks for listening.

A "cover" of "Mary Z. (and Bob) Cox's 'cover'" of the McGee Brothers banjo tune, recorded by me in three tracks: Clawhammer Banjo (Ome Wizard), Bass (Marimbula by Michael Allen), and Guitar (Martin 00-28VS). Use headphones.

Recorded at a Saturday afternoon pickin' in the park jam in Tucson.

Recorded on my Gold Tone WL-250 with a blue snowball mic set on Live Performance in Garage Band. One of my favorite songs.

for TOTW 3-1-13 double-C tuning

Just wanted to get a slow clean version going.

For the Tune of the Week, 2-22-13. This tune's name is the name of a Missouri fiddler who played it. He must have been a happy fellow! It's in the Milliner-Koken Collection of American Fiddle Tunes as played by Preston "Pete" McMahan (1918 - 2000).

My 'version' of JBD - not quite the classic tune, but close in feel I think. Note this is the audio version of a previously uploaded video.

My 'version' of JBD - not quite the classic tune, but close in feel I think. Note this is the audio version of a previously uploaded video.

Played on my Brooks Masten 10L Fretless