A New Backing Track For “Little Rock Getaway”

The famous tune “Little Rock Getaway” was first recorded and released by Joe Sullivan in 1935. This tune has become a staple in the Bluegrass community. I used a nice recording by Marshall Wilborn to make my backing track. Here's a great arrangement by Bill Knopf. Enjoy!

• Little Rock Getaway (Richie Dotson explains how to play this tune)
• Little Rock Getaway (.pdf tablature by J. Gentle, Jr.)
• Little Rock Getaway (key of A, faster)
• Little Rock Getaway (key of A, normal)
• Little Rock Getaway (key of A, slower)
• Little Rock Getaway (key of A, slow)
• Little Rock Getaway (key of A, very slow)
• Little Rock Getaway (key of A, woodshed)
• Little Rock Getaway (key of G, faster)
• Little Rock Getaway (key of G, normal)
• Little Rock Getaway (key of G, slower)
• Little Rock Getaway (key of G, slow)
• Little Rock Getaway (key of G, very slow)
• Little Rock Getaway (key of G, woodshed)

I used MIDI for the bass, drums and piano.

I also have a recording of Dave Hum masterfully playing this tune in it original ragtime style, which I did my best to make a backing track from. Since I bought the recording from his wife, I cannot share it. Mine track is inferior to Dave's awesome backing track, but I was able to capture some of his brilliant essence in this ragtime style track. I used an upright MIDI string bass for this track. Since Dave played the tune in G, I have only made backing tracks in the key of G. Enjoy! ...

• Little Rock Getaway (key of G, faster)
• Little Rock Getaway (key of G, normal)
• Little Rock Getaway (key of G, slower)
• Little Rock Getaway (key of G, slow)
• Little Rock Getaway (key of G, very slow)

Bad habits are hard to break. I sincerely thought all my life that this tune was titled, “Little Rock Gateway.” It's “Little Rock Getaway.” I like doing a lot of thumb strumming in this tune to give it a ragtime feel. It's a really great song to learn and play.

Dave Hum

(April 11, 1966 - November 14, 2012)

A New Backing Track For “Home Sweet Home”

“Home! Sweet Home” is a Traditional tune that is 202 years old, adapted from American actor and dramatist John Howard Payne's 1823 opera “Clari” or “The Maid of Milan.” The fun tune's melody was composed by Englishman Henry Bishop with lyrics by Payne. During the American Civil War this song was banned as it was thought to encourage desertion by soldiers. I used Earl Scruggs' 1961 album recording as a template to make my backing tracks in the keys of G and A. This tune is played in Standard C tuning (gCGBD). For Jim Pankey's lesson below, simply use the backing track in the key of A. Enjoy!

• Home Sweet Home (Eli Gilbert explains how to play this song in Standard C)
• Home Sweet Home (Jim Pankey explains how to play the song with D tuners in D)
• Home Sweet Home (normal, key of A)
• Home Sweet Home (slower, key of A)
• Home Sweet Home (slow, key of A)
• Home Sweet Home (very slow, key of A)
• Home Sweet Home (woodshed, key of A)
• Home Sweet Home (normal, key of G)
• Home Sweet Home (slower, key of G)
• Home Sweet Home (slow, key of G)
• Home Sweet Home (very slow, key of G)
• Home Sweet Home (woodshed, key of G)

This is a fun song to learn and play. Remember to lower your fourth string from D to C for Standard C tuning. I used MIDI for the bass, drums, keyboard and piano. I'm using a real audio loop for the shaker and tambourine. I use MixCraft Pro Studio to make all my backing tracks, which is very user friendly software. I really like this DAW (Digital Audio Workstation).

Dave Hum

(April 11, 1966 - November 14, 2012)

A New Backing Track For “The Big Old Tree”

I did something different for this song. I was searching for banjo music on YouTube and I found this song, which was artificially generated. Yes, A.I. It didn't take me but a moment to realize that this wasn't a real banjo, because it lacks the beautiful resonance and overtones that a real physical banjo produces. And also, that the individual song lacked a title and attribution to a human musician was a give away clue. Albeit, the tune's chord progression moved me musically, so I made a backing track in the keys of G and A. I've included a link to the song (the first one in the video), so you can hear what the A.I. played. I just named the tune, “The Big Old Tree.” These A.I. generated unknown songs provide good backing tracts to enhance your chord knowledge, which is what I did with this tune.

• The Big Old Tree (normal, key of A)
• The Big Old Tree (slower, key of A)
• The Big Old Tree (slow, key of A)
• The Big Old Tree (normal, key of G)
• The Big Old Tree (slower, key of G)
• The Big Old Tree (slow, key of G)

I used MIDI for the bass, drums, keyboard and piano. I'm using a real audio loop for the tambourine. I use MixCraft Studio Pro to make all my backing tracks.

Dave Hum

(April 11, 1966 - November 14, 2012)

A New Backing Track For “All The Good Times Are Past And Gone”

Here's a traditional old Waltz from the 1800s called, “All The Good Times Are Past And Gone,” played in standard tuning (gDGBD). The tune was popularized in 1937 by The Monroe Brothers (Bill Monroe), and has been covered by Earl Scruggs and The Kingston Trio to name but a couple artists. Dave Hum didn't record this song, but I'm sure if he had more time would have. I've made backing tracks in the keys of G and A for your preference. Enjoy!

• All The Good Times (Bill Nesbitt explains how to play this song)
• All The Good Times (normal, key of A)
• All The Good Times (slower, key of A)
• All The Good Times (slow, key of A)
• All The Good Times (very slow, key of A)
• All The Good Times (normal, key of G)
• All The Good Times (slower, key of G)
• All The Good Times (slow, key of G)
• All The Good Times (very slow, key of G)

I used MIDI for the bass, drums and keyboard. I use MixCraft Studio Pro to make all my backing tracks. I'm playing a Cort 6-string acoustic guitar and Eastman 505CC mandolin.

Dave Hum

(April 11, 1966 - November 14, 2012)

New 'Dave Hum Style Backing Tracks' YouTube Channel

I wanted to upload all of my hard work to the internet, just in case something happens to me, to preserve my hard work for others. I have uploaded 309 backing tracks that I've diligently spent several hundreds of hours making over the past few years, which I want to share freely with everyone. They're not copyrighted (although the original song may be), so you can use them freely as you desire. I made this music blog and these backing tracks as a tribute to Dave Hum, whose music has greatly inspired me as a musician and brought much joy into my life. Enjoy! ...

Dave Hum Style Backing Tracks

I will continue to upload a new backing track every Friday throughout 2026 and into 2027, which are already scheduled to upload once a week, but I just went ahead and uploaded everything I have to YouTube, so you can have them all now if you'd like. I enjoy making backing tracks as much as I enjoy playing along with my 5-string banjo. I have earnestly tried to make these tracks simple and uncluttered, in true Dave Hum style.

I also encourage you to take advantage of YouTube's helpful tools by clicking on the 'settings' icon down in the right corner of each video. In 'settings' you can change the speed of the song as slow as you need to learn it. Therefore, I have only uploaded the normal tempo of each song, and you can adjust each song accordingly as needed. I have tried to upload backing tracks in G and A for standard tuning, and C and D for Double C tuning.

And also, here is a FREE transpose extension for your browser that allows you to change the key of any YouTube video. So if you need a different key not available on YouTube, you might be interested in installing this feature for free. I use it often.

I thank God for music and musical instruments. I love all stringed instruments. My first musical love will always be the pedal steel guitar and Hawaiian music on the lap steel, but I also love the 5-string banjo.

And finally, I don't make a single penny from any of this. I did this for fun and the love of music. But I do kindly encourage you to purchase Dave's original backing tracks, albums and tabs from his family, which are superior to mine. I am not one fifth the musician as Dave, but as Dave himself said, music is not a competition. So many tunes, so little time! I love this guy!

Dave Hum

(April 11, 1966 - November 14, 2012)

A New Backing Track For “Lark In The Morning”

This is a popular Irish Jig called, “The Lark in the Morning,” played by Dave Hum on the 5-string banjo in standard tuning (gDGBD); capo 2nd fret and 5th string capo at the 7th for key of E. Usually this tune has four parts, but Dave is only playing the first two parts, adding a D flat minor variation. I used Dave's recording as a template to make this backing track. This tune is also known as “Ha'penny Bridge” and “Father Kelly's” and “Kelso Races.” I've made backing tracks at various speeds in the keys of G and A for your preference. I also tabbed out the main parts of the tune as Dave played it. Enjoy!

• Tablature For Lark In The Morning (PDF | TEF)
• Lark In The Morning (normal, key of A)
• Lark In The Morning (slower, key of A)
• Lark In The Morning (slow, key of A)
• Lark In The Morning (very slow, key of A)
• Lark In The Morning (woodshed, key of A)
• Lark In The Morning (normal, key of G)
• Lark In The Morning (slower, key of G)
• Lark In The Morning (slow, key of G)
• Lark In The Morning (very slow, key of G)
• Lark In The Morning (woodshed, key of G)

I used MIDI for the bass, drums, keyboard and piano. I used real audio loops for the tambourine, cymbal and shaker. As always, I use MixCraft Studio Pro to make all my backing tracks, which is very affordable and easy to use. The software company is located in Germany. I've had no technical issues with the software over the years.

Surprisingly, if you search online for quality Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs), MixCraft doesn't show up in a search engine, which amazes me. For a fraction of what more expensive DAWs cost, you cannot beat MixCraft for about $149 for their pro version. I've tried numerous different DAWs. Each has it's own pros and cons, but I am very content using MixCraft. The program comes with over 5,000 real audio loops to work with, and there's tons more for free or purchase online. I've only scratched the tip of the iceberg.

Please download all of these backing tracks I've made. I made them for YOU dear friend, meaning everybody who wants them. You can do whatever you want with all of these backing tracks. Nothing is copyrighted. I just made them for the love and fun of making music. Backing tracks are invaluable tools to learn and play songs. Dave Hum inspired me by making his own backing tracks, which I have diligently tried to recreate for other banjo enthusiasts. If you have a song that I haven't done yet, I'll be glad to freely make a backing track for it. Just send me an email request and include a link to the original song, so I can use it as a template.

God bless you and thanks for your continued interest in my music blog.

Dave Hum

(April 11, 1966 - November 14, 2012)

A New Backing Track For “Wreck Of The Old 97”

The “Wreck Of Old 97” is the name of one of the most famous Bluegrass songs ever written, about a fatal train wreck in 1903. Though he did not write the song, Henry Whitter was the first to record the old-time railroad ballad back in 1923, on Okeh Records. To my knowledge Dave Hum never recorded this tune. Dave's motto was: So many tunes, so little time! I used a recording by Earl Scruggs and Lester Flatts to make my backing track.

The timing is a bit tricky after doing the common “G-lick.” There's an additional bar of time between parts. You can either do two G-licks, or add whatever you'd like to fill the space. This is how Earl Scruggs did the tune, which I followed carefully to make my backing track. Listen to Earl play. The original tune was done in the key of Bb, so I have made backing tracks in the keys of G, A and Bb for your preference. Enjoy!

• Wreck Of The Old 97 (Jim Pankey explains how to play the song)
• Wreck Of The Old 97 (Bill Nesbitt explains how to play the song)
• Wreck Of The Old 97 (key of G, faster)
• Wreck Of The Old 97 (key of G, normal)
• Wreck Of The Old 97 (key of G, slower)
• Wreck Of The Old 97 (key of G, slow)
• Wreck Of The Old 97 (key of G, very slow)
• Wreck Of The Old 97 (key of G, woodshed)
• Wreck Of The Old 97 (key of A, faster)
• Wreck Of The Old 97 (key of A, normal)
• Wreck Of The Old 97 (key of A, slower)
• Wreck Of The Old 97 (key of A, slow)
• Wreck Of The Old 97 (key of A, very slow)
• Wreck Of The Old 97 (key of A, woodshed)
• Wreck Of The Old 97 (key of Bb, faster)
• Wreck Of The Old 97 (key of Bb, normal)
• Wreck Of The Old 97 (key of Bb, slower)
• Wreck Of The Old 97 (key of Bb, slow)
• Wreck Of The Old 97 (key of Bb, very slow)
• Wreck Of The Old 97 (key of Bb, woodshed)

Right after the train whistle ends, that your que to start a banjo kickoff!

I used MIDI for the bass, drums and piano. I added audio loops for the train whistle, train rhythm, tambourine, cymbals and shakers.

Dave Hum

(April 11, 1966 - November 14, 2012)