Friday, February 20, 2026

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!
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)

Wednesday, February 18, 2026

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! ...


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 of 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)

Friday, February 13, 2026

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!
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)

Friday, February 6, 2026

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!
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)

Friday, January 30, 2026

A New Backing Track For “Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines”

“Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines” is the title song of the popular 1965 British film of the same title. Dave Hum does a fabulous job playing this tune. I used Dave's performance as a template. I've made backing tracks at various speeds in the keys of G and A for your preference. Enjoy!
To make this backing track I used MIDI for the bass, drums and piano. I'm using a real audio clip for the tambourine. As always, I use MixCraft Studio Pro to make all my backing tracks. It's the most affordable and easy to use Digital Audio Workstation in my humble opinion.

Dave Hum
(April 11, 1966 - November 14, 2012)

Friday, January 23, 2026

A New Backing Track For “Banjo Signal”

“Banjo Signal” is a classic Bluegrass tune composed by banjo legend Don Reno (1926-1984). Don Reno was born in South Carolina, raised in North Carolina, and began playing banjo at the age of five. By age 12 he was performing on local radio. Dave Hum never recorded this song to my knowledge. This is a fun song to learn and play. It's actually quite simple to play once you learn the main roll. Remember: The way to play fast is to play slow. That is, start out very slow so you can learn to play the tune accurately note for note, and then increase your speed. Don't just wing it. I did my best to make a nice backing track at various speeds in the keys of G and A for your preference Enjoy!
To make this backing track I used MIDI for the bass, drums, keyboard and piano. I used real audio clips for the tambourine, Cajon and percussion sounds. I'm playing my Cort 6-string acoustic guitar and Eastman 505CC mandolin.

Dave Hum and Friends

Friday, January 16, 2026

A New Improved Backing Track For “Smoke Behind The Clouds”

This is a fun song to learn and play. The picking pattern is addictive. I used Dave Hum's performance of “Smoke Behind The Clouds” as a template. Here is my original backing track that I made in 2024. Dave recorded the song in the key of G. I had only made backing tracks in the key of G for the first one, but for this new one I have made backing tracks in both keys of G and A for your preference. Enjoy!
I used MIDI for the bass, keyboard padding and piano. I'm using Real Audio loops for the drums, shaker, tambourines and Cajon. I use MixCraft Pro Studio to make all my backing tracks and recordings. It's very user friendly and I haven't had any technical issues with the software. Plus, the program costs only a fraction of other audio workstations.

The original backing track for this song and 113 more are available at Dave Hum's website. I encourage you to buy them. My backing tracks pale in comparison to Dave's. I am so thankful for his music and backing tracks, and to Dave's family for making them available to everyone. God bless.

Dave Hum
(April 11, 1966 - November 14, 2012)

5 String Banjo Instruction [1967] - Earl Scruggs

5 String Banjo Instruction Album [1967] - Earl Scruggs