A New Backing Track For “Five Speed”

This is one of those addictive songs that you never get tired of playing, called 'Five Speed' by 'The Johnson Mountain Boys.' They play it way too fast for my tastes. I like to play songs nice and slow, at my speed...lol. I have made backing tracks in the keys of G and A, and also in the original key of B, for your preference. I like playing it in A. It is done in standard tuning. I also tabbed the basic parts of the song to give you what you need to figure it out. If you want the whole song note for note, buy Sean Ray's 'The Session Book,' which also comes with a professional backing track. It's a fantastic deal for $45. Enjoy!

• Five Speed Tablature (TablEdit tabs)
• Five Speed Tablature (.PDF tabs)
• Five Speed (key of B, faster)
• Five Speed (key of B, normal)
• Five Speed (key of B, slower)
• Five Speed (key of B, slow)
• Five Speed (key of A, faster)
• Five Speed (key of A, normal)
• Five Speed (key of A, slower)
• Five Speed (key of A, slow)
• Five Speed (key of G, faster)
• Five Speed (key of G, normal)
• Five Speed (key of G, slower)
• Five Speed (key of G, slow)

I used MIDI for the bass and drums. I added a real audio cymbal loop. I played my Eastman 505CC mandolin and Cort acoustic guitar for accompaniment.

Dave Hum (1966-2012)

A New Backing Track For “Timour The Tartar”

This is a favorite Irish reel called, “Timour The Tartar.” It is also known as, “Peter Street.” Dave Hum recorded the tune in the key of A, standard tuning. Capo the 2nd fret, and the fifth street on the 7th fret. I love playing this song on the 5-string banjo. Dave does a lot of interesting improvising in version 2 of the song. Also, check out version 3. I recommend studying all the different versions, to get a good idea of what you can play in the song. Every time Dave plays, he articulates the song differently, which I love. He plays from the heart, not just a memorized performance. Without further ado, here is “Timour The Tartar.”

• Timour The Tartar (tablature by Anurakt Scheepers)
• Timour The Tartar (tablature by Michael Braquemart)
• Timour The Tartar (key of A, normal)
• Timour The Tartar (key of A, slower)
• Timour The Tartar (key of A, slow)
• Timour The Tartar (key of A, woodshed)
• Timour The Tartar (key of G, normal)
• Timour The Tartar (key of G, slower)
• Timour The Tartar (key of G, slow)
• Timour The Tartar (key of G, woodshed)

My musician friend Anurakt Scheepers in The Netherlands does a great job on this song. He made his own backing track for this song and many others, which he graciously shared with me. He's a member of the 'Banjo Hangout.' If you contact him through the forum, I am sure he will gladly share his backing tracks with you. He's a nice guy. Anurakt recently recorded a masterpiece of “Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines” (as arranged by Dave Hum). Anurakt is an amazing musician and an inspiration. He discovered Dave Hum's music  on YouTube in 2018, the same year that I did. What a blessing! Dave Hum's original backing track is the best I've heard, which is available for purchase from his family.

I used MIDI for the bass and drums. I'm playing my Eastman 505CC Satin mandolin and Cort acoustic guitar (the best guitar I've ever owned for $130 from Guitar Center). I used MixCraft Pro Studio software to make the backing track. I recorded the mandolin using a Shure 57 microphone. I'm using a Scarlett Solo USB interface (this gadget lets me record musical instruments into my computer).

In my humble opinion, you won't find a better song to learn and play on the banjo than “Timour The Tartar.”

What A Cool Guy, Dave Hum (1966-2012)

Check Out 'The Rochesters' Gospel Music

One of my favorite Bluegrass Gospel groups is 'The Rochesters' family from South Carolina. They have performed at our Baptist church's annual 3-day revival in October for the past 3 years. I bought their latest CD when they came this year to our church in Pensacola. I was delighted to also find the album freely available on YouTube at 'The Rochesters' channel. I love the pedal steel guitar in these songs, played by Jared Easter (second cousin of Jeff Easter). I have played pedal steel since 1992.

Grace Carried Me Here

I Still Trust You

Listen To The Entire Album

A New Backing Track For “Humours Of Glendart”

I really enjoy playing Irish jigs on the 5-string banjo. This jig is called, “Humours Of Glendart.” The tune is also known as “The Housemaid” and “Saddle The Pony.”  Dave Hum recorded this song together with the jig “Connaughtman's Rambles,” but I prefer playing the first song by itself. So, I made a backing track just for “Humours Of Glendart.” I used Dave's song as a template. It's a fairly easy song to figure out, nothing tricky. The song is done in the key of A, standard tuning. I also made backing tracks for the key of G for those who want it. Enjoy...

• Humours Of Glendart (key of A, normal)
• Humours Of Glendart (key of A, slower)
• Humours Of Glendart (key of A, slow)
• Humours Of Glendart (key of A, woodshed)
• Humours Of Glendart (key of G, normal)
• Humours Of Glendart (key of G, slower)
• Humours Of Glendart (key of G, slow)
• Humours Of Glendart (key of G, woodshed)

I used MIDI for the bass, piano, bongo and kickdrum. I used real audio loops for the tambourine and cymbal. As always, I used MixCraft Pro Studio software to make my backing track. This particular track was easier for me to make, having straightforward percussion.

Dave Hum and Daughter, Perri

New Backing Track For 'Eight More Miles To Louisville'

'Eight More Miles to Louisville' is a Bluegrass song written and originally recorded by Grandpa Jones in 1946. I used Dave Hum's YouTube video as a template to make this backing track. Dave Hum plays the song a little differently than others, so listen to his YouTube video to hear how he plays it. This is a fun song to learn and play. I've made backing tracks in both keys of A and G for your preference. Enjoy! ...

• Eight More Miles To Louisville (key of A, normal)
• Eight More Miles To Louisville (key of A, slower)
• Eight More Miles To Louisville (key of A, slow)
• Eight More Miles To Louisville (key of A, woodshed)
• Eight More Miles To Louisville (key of G, normal)
• Eight More Miles To Louisville (key of G, slower)
• Eight More Miles To Louisville (key of G, slow)
• Eight More Miles To Louisville (key of G, woodshed)
• Eight More Miles To Louisville - Tabs (Jay Buckey Tablature)
• Eight More Miles To Louisville - Video (Bill Nesbitt explains how to play the song)

l used a MIDI bass and piano. I added audio loops of a real shaker and tambourine. Dave's wife told me that he developed a cancer tumor in his brain, which changed his voice before he passed away, which you can hear in this video he made comparing his 3 banjos. Dave sold the Baldwin Ode banjo, which was made in Arkansas, USA. I noticed that he used his Ode for recording his song, 'Arkansas Traveller.' I thought that was cool.

My Favorite Banjo Artist, Dave Hum (1966-2012)

Check Out “Take's Bluegrass Album Channel”

I encourage you to visit Take's Bluegrass Album Channel, which has several hundred rare to find Bluegrass albums. I found this song tonight by “Doyle Lawson And Quicksilver”...

Help Is On The Way

I also found this nice song this week by Summer Wages...

Your Memory

If you find a song that you really like, you can use the freeware program Audacity to record it in your computer, which is what I do. I'm using the 3.5.1 version. Music makes the world a better place! I also found this cool meme today, which I wanted to share with others. God is so good.

A New Backing Track For “The Lilting Banshee”

This is an Irish Jig called "The Lilting Banshee." The tune is played in Sawmill tuning (gDGCD). Dave Hum recorded the song in the A position using a capo on the 2nd fret, and also capo the 5th string 7th fret (for key of A minor). Dave Hum says the song is also known as: "Ryan's Favourite," "The Miller of Glanmire," "Wail of the Banshee" and "The Sligo." I've made backing tracks in both the keys of A and G for your preference. I wrote some tabs for you from listening to Dave Hum's YouTube video. Enjoy!

• Lilting Banshee Tablature (TablEdit Tabs)
• Lilting Banshee Tablature (.PDF Tabs)
• The Lilting Banshee (key of A, normal)
• The Lilting Banshee (key of A, slower)
• The Lilting Banshee (key of A, slow)
• The Lilting Banshee (key of G, normal)
• The Lilting Banshee (key of G, slower)
• The Lilting Banshee (key of G, slow)

I used MIDI for bass, drums and piano. I also added s synthesizer and some additional chord padding like Dave Hum did. I used a real audio loop cymbal at the end. I humbly think the backing track came out well.

Dave Hum (1966-2012)
Dave used to busk with his guitar in the subways of London in his youth.