Banjo Heaven

Friday, December 20, 2024

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)

Wednesday, December 18, 2024

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.

Friday, December 13, 2024

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.

Tuesday, December 10, 2024

Awesome Chrome Wipes To Polish Your Banjo

I recently learned about this awesome product. They are chrome wipes. These are MUCH better than trying to use chrome paste and an old cloth laying around the house to polish the chrome on your musical instruments. ...

Tub O' Towels Heavy Duty Chrome Wipes - Clean, Shine & Protect Chrome - Aluminum, Copper and Brass Surfaces - Oil-Based Polishing Wipes - Resists Streaks & Fingerprints - 40 Count for Auto Detailing

These wipes are also perfect for polishing the chrome on my pedal steel guitar. You can use them for any chrome surface, including wheel hubs, et cetera. The chrome wipes feel dry to touch (because they are oil based), but as it states on the container, this is intentional and normal.

Dave Hum (1966-2012)

Friday, December 6, 2024

A New Backing Track For “Harvest Home”

A couple weeks ago I uploaded a new backing track for “Boys Of Bluehill & Harvest Home.” If you're like me, sometimes you just want to play one song or the other, but not both. So I made another backing track for just, “Boys Of Bluehill.” I made backing tracks in both the keys of D and C for your preference. Dave Hum plays it in the key of D, Double C Tuning (gCGCD). Just capo the 2nd fret, and the fifth string on the 7th fret. Enjoy!

Harvest Home Tablature (TablEdit tabs)
Harvest Home Tablature (.PDF tabs)
Harvest Home (key of D, normal)
Harvest Home (key of D, slower)
Harvest Home (key of D, slow)
Harvest Home (key of D, woodshed)
Harvest Home (key of C, normal)
Harvest Home (key of C, slower)
Harvest Home (key of C, slow)
Harvest Home (key of C, woodshed)

I really like this traditional Irish hornpipe. When you learn the song well enough that you don't have to think what comes next, you can really start enjoy playing it, articulating your playing.

Family Dog With River Hum, Dave's Busking Buddies

Tuesday, December 3, 2024

I Recorded The Song “Off To California” With My Golden Wreath

This is one of my favorite songs to play on the 5-string banjo. It is in standard tuning. Like Dave Him does, I like to play it in the key of A (second fret capoed, also capo the 7th fret on the fifth string).

Off To California (I'm playing my Deering Golden Wreath banjo)

I use the same lick in this song that's used on Mason's Apron, which I teach how to do in this blog. I'm still developing my playing skills on the banjo. I can only sit in awe at Dave Hum's mastery on the banjo. I humbly think that progessing well, but still have miles more to go. I tried to record Tobin's Jig recently on Double C Tuning, but my playing is still too choppy. I wasn't satisfied with the recording when done. I need to keep working at it to play more fluently.

The important thing is to enjoy yourself along the journey and have fun. I heard Dave share some of his philosophy once and he emphasized that learning the banjo is not a competition. Every musician has a “musical signature.” That is, no one will ever sound exactly like you, nor you exactly like someone else. Music would be pretty boring if we all sounded the same. I love that uniqueness in each person.

I recorded Off To California using a Shure 57 microphone for the banjo. I'm using a USB Scarlett Solo interface. I made the backing track using Mixcraft Studio Pro 10.5 software.

My Deering Golden Wreath
(selfie photo taken in September 2024)

Friday, November 29, 2024

A New Backing Track For “Boys Of Bluehill”

Boys Of Bluehill Tablature (TablEdit tabs)
Boys Of Bluehill Tablature (.PDF tabs)
Boys Of Bluehill (key of D, normal)
Boys Of Bluehill (key of D, slower)
Boys Of Bluehill (key of D, slow)
Boys Of Bluehill (key of D, woodshed)
Boys Of Bluehill (key of C, normal)
Boys Of Bluehill (key of C, slower)
Boys Of Bluehill (key of C, slow)
Boys Of Bluehill (key of C, woodshed)

I really like this traditional Irish hornpipe. When you learn the song well enough that you don't have to think what comes next, you can really start enjoy playing it, articulating your playing.

Dave Hum And Friends

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The "Double C Tuning" is so happy and pretty to learn and play. I enjoy this tuning a lot. It has a natural feel to it. Here are some basic chord positions to familiarize yourself with it. Dave Hum loves this tuning and I see why. You simply raise your 2nd string from a B to a C, and lower your 4th string from a D note to a C (hence, "Double C Tuning"). Below is a list of Dave Hum's songs in this wonderful tuning. I encourage you to try it!

“When you practice slow, you learn fast.” —Barry Hunn, Deering Banjo Company

Dave Hum's Banjo Tunings

Standard - gDGBD
Double C - gCGCD
G Modal - gDGCD
G Minor - gDG(Bb)D
Open D - aDF#AD
D Minor - aDFAD
Other D - aDGBD
Reuben's Tuning - f#DF#AD

Dave Hum shines on whatever tuning he plays, but I really enjoy his work on the "Double C tuning" (e.g., Maid Behind The Bar, Gaspe' Reel and Coleman's March.)

Dave says: “I like to set up my three main banjos so I can get a compromise between a dry snapping tight head sound associated with the Bluegrass sound and a mellower warmer tone for the Celtic, old-time and ragtime tunes. I have found that some condensed foam inside the pot helps and a combination of medium strings and a not too tight head with the tailpiece parallel to the head helps me to achieve the tone I like. Each banjo has its own character and tone and I am forever tinkering with them to see what gives - which is half the fun!” (quoted from his website)

My banjo is a Recording King Elite 85 with a maple neck. It has a longer than standard neck, at 27 3/8" verses the standard 26 1/4" neck, which I really like. It is built to exact Prewar Gibson specifications. It has a great tone, but I'd say about 80% of a Gibson. I've learned that much of the tone comes from the player's hands, and not the particular banjo brand that is being played (to an extent). Dave Hum's awesome sound comes from his skilled hands. Dave controls the banjo, masterfully, he doesn't allow the banjo to control him.

I did try the things which Dave mentioned above, like loosening my banjo head, putting a block of foam inside my banjo, setting my tailpiece parallel to the head, and putting on some heavier gauge strings (12,12,16,24,12). The result, after 3 months of playing it that way is that I very much like the foam inside, because without it I get overtones that throw off my ears while playing. The foam trick is brilliant, I think.

I prefer my head tight, so I went back up to between an F# and a G# (when you tap on the head you'll get a pitch to tune the rightness by). On my Recording King, it seems that F# is as high as I can safely get without risking over tightening the head. I kept the tailpiece parallel. My string action is as close as I can get without an annoying buzz. I actually have a very slight buzz (at times), that I don't mind, having the strings nice and close to the neck.

I am learning to pick the strings more firmly, like Dave Hum does, which makes a BIG difference in my tone overall while playing! It is important not to try to play just like Dave Hum; but rather, learn TECHNIQUES from him, and apply those skills to your own playing, and you will become more like Dave that way, than merely trying to copy him.

One thing that I have notice is that Dave KNOWS the songs he is trying to play. It is easy to wing through a song without really buckling down and getting into the nitty-gritty of the tablature, which is a mistake. Learn slow, and then work up your speed playing accurately. YouTube is an awesome tool, which allows you to slow down the speed of any video, so you can see what is going on. For many of Dave's songs, like Mason's Apron, I am still playing it at 3/4 speed, because I cannot keep up with him...lol. That is perfectly okay. Music is not a competition, which Dave Him himself once said. Enjoy!

Dave Hum's Banjos

Dave Hum's main banjo is a Gibson ESS (Earl Scruggs's Standard) banjo, a reissue of the original Gibson classic.

Gibson ESS (Earl Scruggs Standard) 1992

SET UP:

Head - Remo
Tailpiece - Fults 1934
Tuners - Keith D (strings 2 and 3) and Scruggs
Strings - D'Addario
Gauges - 12,12,16,24,12
Bridge - Snuffy Smith 5/8
Origin - Nashville, USA
All other parts standard Gibson.

Baldwin Ode Model D '70's

SET UP:

Head - Renaissance
Tailpiece - Fults 1934
Tuners - Keith D/Scruggs
Strings - D'Addario
Gauges - 10,12,16,24,10
Bridge - Moon Lightweight 1/2
Origin - Arkansas, USA
All other parts standard Ode.

Epiphone MB250 '90's

SET UP:

Head - Five Star
Tailpiece - Fults 1934
Tuners - Keith D
Strings - D'Addario
Gauges - 10,12,16,24,10
Bridge - Snuffy Smith 5/8
Origin - Made in China

All other parts standard Epiphone.

Dave uses a Compact 60 AER rechargeable acoustic amplifier, which now costs $1,999, made in Germany. The amp was MUCH cheaper 20 years ago. The amp plugs into the wall to recharge (no replaceable battery). Tommy Emmanuel uses the same amp, but using corded power. These amps were specifically designed for acoustic instruments. However, the amp weighs 29 pounds!

Here is a more affordable alternative for busking, I humbly think.

Dave mics his banjo using a Shure Beta 98D mic with A98D bracket clamp.

What NOT to buy...

NOTE: I bought a “Feather” Goose pickup for $199 and hate it. It whines continually from feedback, and has wires all over, ripping off when I forget they're attached by clip to my waist. The item comes with umpteen parts that you have to assemble, and it is not easy. Please don't waste your money on it!

I recommend using a Gold Tone ABS pickup, which includes a stompbox from Banjo "Ben" Clark.

Music truly does make the world a better place.

Banjo Has A Steep Learning Curve

Like pedal steel guitar (my favorite instrument), the banjo has a steep learning curve. That simply means the hardest part is getting started. If you can stick with it long enough to learn a couple dozen songs fluently, you'll be off to a fantastic start. I learned 5-string banjo fairly quickly, finding out that there are common picking patterns that once learned, overlap into nearly every other song. I encourage you to learn Blackberry Blossom right away, which will teach you melodic runs.

At first my picking fingers stumbled, because my brain wasn't familiar with the tabs. Friend, if you can play even one thing fast, you can play anything fast once you learn it. Also, I learned 30 years ago while learning to play pedal steel guitar, that my brain processed what I learned at night while I am sleeping. You read right! So when you are plowing away, and it seems hopeless like you'll never get it, during the night your brain will process what you've learned. It's similar to workout out in a gym. You don't build muscles at the gym. You lift heavy weights at the gym. But then during the night is when your body builds new muscle.

I also recommend learning the song, Sailor's Hornpipe, which is another great song to learn your melodic runs. After a month I was playing subconsciously, which is called "muscle memory." I didn't stumble anymore when playing melodic runs, because my fingers already knew what to do. Trust me, if you practice for at least a solid hour every day, you'll quickly advance on the banjo, but you must apply yourself to learn the tabs.

What I am about to say is IMPORTANT. Start out going very slow, to accurately pick every note in the tabs. Your speed will increase in time, as you become familiar with the song, and don't have to think what comes next. Dave Hum is a master of chords, progressions and single note scale runs. What makes Dave Hum so different than all the other banjo artists is that he simply follows the chords and does his own thing musically.

I love Dave Hum and could relate to him the first time I heard him play the banjo. The song was "The Ballad Of Jed Clampett." I cried when he started playing those triplets in the second half of the song. I had never heard anything so pretty. It took me awhile to figure out how he is doing those triplets, but it is super easy once you get it. I slowed it down using MixCraft software so I could hear exactly what he's doing. It reminds me of being on a river boat on the Mississippi River.

Friend, when you're as good as you want to be, you're as good as you're going to get! Hawaiian steel guitar legend, Jerry Byrd (1920-2005), taught me that. Anyone can play the banjo if they are willing to work at it. Talent is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration! Intellect also plays a big part, which I learned about the pedal steel guitar from my musical hero, Lloyd Green.

The best way to learn the banjo, once you have the tabs in front of you, is to study Dave Hum's YouTube videos. I downloaded all of them and converted them into mp3 files for my own use.

BUY 115 OF DAVE HUM'S ORIGINAL BACKING TRACKS

His backing tracks are superior to anything available on the internet that I have found. Those wonderful driving tracks are a wonderful canvas for Dave's awesome banjo artistry. I wish Dave was still with us. He sadly died of cancer at age 46 in 2012. It is quite amazing to me that he had the physical and mental strength to record so many of his greatest banjo videos—with cancer, an eye removed and part of his picking fingers amputated. I thank God for Dave Hum and his cheerful music!

I wrote these words to encourage you dear banjo enthusiast. I used to think I would sound like Dave Hum if I bought a 1995 ESS Banjo like he used. Not so! Dave had an aggressive picking style, taking charge of the banjo, and used amazing advanced techniques. TECHNIQUE is the key word (how he majestically manipulated the strings to get the sounds he wanted). You need to watch his subtleties while he's playing. If your playing doesn't sound like him, then you're not doing something the way he's doing it, and that is technique!

One thing that Dave does is he applies quite a bit of picking pressure on the strings, driving the banjo. That is why he needs to wear metal thumb picks and use Velcro to keep the picks from flying off his fingers!

Make Your Own Backing Tracks

I have purchased several hundred dollars worth of backing tracks available online, AND MOST ARE WOEFULLY LACKING ANY REAL INSPIRATION. Some tracks I've found are superb (like Jay Buckey), but there's just something about the simplicity of Dave Hum's tracks, with just a bass guitar!

If the backing track doesn't move the player, you're not going to “feel” the music! Dave's tracks are profoundly simple and have a happy energy to them, reflective of Dave himself. In my humble opinion, Band-In-A-Box is lame compared to Dave's tracks. If anyone has ever tried to make your own rhythm tracks, then you know how difficult and time consuming it is, so I wanted to share some helpful ideas.

Songs are generally composed of 16 to 32 bars. The first thing you need to do is find a song's chords. I found a helpful website which provides the chords to hundreds of oldtime songs, many of which Dave plays on YouTube. For example: Here are the chords for a jig titled, “Merrily Kiss The Quaker's Wife.” Here is Dave Hum playing the song (awesome). And here are some backing tracts that I made, which you are freely welcome to use and share. By the way, I NEVER sell anything or receive donations. IT'S ALL FREE (as it should be in my humble opinion). All my music is free, and you are encouraged to freely share my backing tracks with others! I am still learning how to make tracks, so I am progressing slowly.

If you'd like to work at making your own backing tracks, as I am doing, you'll need a bass guitar. If you can play guitar, you can definitely play bass, which is simply the four lowest strings on a guitar! Dave Hum's backing tracks are simple, usually just a bass and perhaps a tambourine for simple percussion. Many of Dave’s songs use only a bass guitar.

Buy A Shubb F5 Capo

I really like my Shubb F5 Capo, which stays on the banjo. I had purchase a cheaper Paige banjo capo for about $40, trying to save money, but I hate the thing because it falls off the banjo neck every time I loosen the tension knob. If you're going to spend $40, you might as well splurge and spend the $75. I assure you that you won't be disappointed.

When playing in the key of G, I just loosen the tension nut and slide the capo up over the nut, which works fine. Plus I like the shiny look of the Shubb F5 capo. It is small and easy to use.

I also like that the capo firmly presses the strings down, eliminating any string buzz. I had also purchased some of the cheaper clamp-on type capos for $20 and under, which are okay if that's all you can afford, but you have to play with them oftentimes to get the strings to stop buzzing.

I really like the Shubb F5 Capo!

Banjo Heaven

Friday, December 20, 2024

New Backing Track For 'Eight More Miles To Louisville'

Wednesday, December 18, 2024

Check Out “Take's Bluegrass Album Channel”

Friday, December 13, 2024

A New Backing Track For “The Lilting Banshee”

Tuesday, December 10, 2024

Awesome Chrome Wipes To Polish Your Banjo

Friday, December 6, 2024

A New Backing Track For “Harvest Home”

Tuesday, December 3, 2024

I Recorded The Song “Off To California” With My Golden Wreath

Friday, November 29, 2024

A New Backing Track For “Boys Of Bluehill”

5 String Banjo Instruction [1967] - Earl Scruggs

Wikipedia

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