5 String Banjo Instruction [1967] - Earl Scruggs

5 String Banjo Instruction Album [1967] - Earl Scruggs

Dave Hum's Sound Is In His Hands, Not The Banjo!

One of my favorite people and musicians in the humble loving man, Dave Hum. Dave uses his 1992 ESS Gibson in nearly all of his YouTube videos, but as you will see in this awesome song, “The Arkansas Traveller (3),” he is using his ODE banjo. Dave's beautiful sound comes from using proper picking TECHNIQUE, not from using any particular banjo brand.

If there ever was a mountain man, it was our banjo buddy Dave Hum. I love the guy, and if you've ever heard him perform on the banjo, then you love him too! I marvel as I watch his hundreds of YouTube videos, seeing how curious people passing by admire the man's musical skills dearly. That is the incredible power of music friends. Music is a language that transcends all barriers, languages, cultures and ethnicities. The courageous shepherd boy David, with his stringed harp on which he was skillful, soothed the evil spirit which came upon King Saul to afflict him. David's inspiring music helped to calm the storm.

I have always marveled how ten different musicians can sit down behind a pedal steel guitar, and yet none of them will sound exactly the same. And in the case of pedal steel guitar, the differences can be drastic. The sound is in THE MAN, or THE WOMAN (there are some great female steel pickers in Europe). The sound is in your hands dear banjo enthusiast, and not as much in your banjo. Albeit, the brand of banjo you use, and whether it's set up properly, can make all the difference in the world. So please don't think I'm diminishing the quality of purchasing and maintaining a nice professional level banjo. It's definitely worth the money and you should save up an buy a used Gibson (they don't make new ones any more), Huber or Stelling! Those would be my top 3 choices to buy a banjo.

In 2009, I gladly paid $3,000 for my (black Formica, single neck, S-10, 4 x 5, Rittenberry) pedal steel guitar. The “S” stands for a singe neck. The “10” in S-10 refers to the instrument's 10 strings. My pedal steel guitar came with 4 pedals and 5 knee levers. I have never counted all the parts on a pedal steel guitar, but I'm going to guess there's probably about 300 parts total. The complicated changer mechanism, where all the magic takes place, must contain a couple hundreds parts by itself (e.g., return springs, hex nuts, pull-rods, adjustment screws, half-stops, rods and clips. And yet, a banjo, having just a small fraction of the parts needed to assemble one in comparison to a pedal steel guitar, costs about the same. In fact, a high end banjo will cost you TWICE more the prove as a steel guitar!

Lloyd Green (born 1937) once said that there are about 50 different things that go into guitar TONE. I fully agree with him. Lloyd better than anyone would know about tone, since he is famously known as “Mr. Nashville.” What a beautiful title! What a splendid honor! Chances are very good that if you've heard some older country music from the 1970's and 1980's on the radio lately, it was Lloyd playing on steel guitar. Lloyd plays on all the Johnny Paycheck's records. Lloyd played on all of Don William's recordings. 

So Lloyd knows good tone, and his is always unmatchable. I don't know about you guys and gals, but my Recording King (Elite-85 with a hard rock maple neck, made in China) banjo doesn't stay in turn very well. That 4th D string loves to wander. And since I put the pricey original "Keith D Tuners" on pegs 2 and 3 (so I could play "My Grandfather's Clock" like this), it's even more of a nightmare trying to keep the thing in tune. I love how John Kuhn outdid himself on that song. GREAT JOB! He plays very tastefully. 

One of the things that draws so many fans (including myself) to Dave Hums banjo artistry, is that he doesn't just limit himself to traditional Bluegrass style and licks, he gets much more creative. The idea behind making music on ANY instrument is to hopefully connect with the audience. Jerry Byrd (1920-2005), in his timeless autobiography called: "On The Wings Of Music," says in the book that when he performs on stage, he only looks for one person sitting on the front row, and he plays the entire concert for that one person, Jerry does this to make it personal, because music is personal. Jerry says he's making love to the person with the music! I have also heard Lloyd Green says that he does the same thing, “making love” to his musical instrument. A musician may perform the most exceptional he has ever played his instrument, but it will not move the audience if the tone is lacking. Good tone is an art!

I've said all that to emphasize that Dave Hum's exceptional banjo tone comes mostly from his hands. He does play through an $1,100 amplifier made in Europe. But all the state of the art equipment doesn't make someone sound professional, unless you've got the years of experience to go with it. Many young people today are looking for a gimmick, a shortcut, but there are no shortcuts to hard work and practicing. The way you get great at playing the banjo is to miss a lot of TV and video games...lol. Seriously, we all have 20 hours in a day. Wise people spend their time learning a hobby, cooking recipes, making things, studying and doing something constructive. Playing the banjo is a very wise and commendable ontaking in my humble opinion as a Christian, which will bring a lifetime of rewarding fulfillment (both to the enthusiast and to those around you). Music makes the world a better place!

Deering Calico Neck

Banjo MIDI Songs By Dave Hum

The following MIDI song files are invaluable! You cannot play a song until you first get the melody into your brain. It is possible, playing chords, to jump into any song and play along, and it will sound good. However, for someone who is familiar with the song, they will quickly realize that you don't know the song melodies unless you play them. Hence, it is important, I think, if you want to become proficient on the banjo, to learn the individual melodies of the songs you want to play.

• Acorn Hill
• Behind The Haystacks
• Big Scotia
• Bill Cheatham
• Boys Of Bluehill
• Cherish The Ladies
• Cherokee Shuffle
• Chicken Chaser
• Chicken Reel
• Cold Frosty Morning
• Cripple Creek
• Drowsy Maggie
• Eight More Miles To Louisville
• Farewell To Erin
• Glasgow Reel
• Gravel Walks
• Green Gates
• Greensleeves
• Harvest Home
• In The Summertime
• In The Summertime
• Kerry Slide
• Lost At Sea
• Mason's Apron
• Mississippi Sawyer
• Monaghan's Jig
• My Grandfather's Clock
• Nola
• Off She Goes
• Old Ned
• Saint Anne's Reel
• Setting Sun
• Shaun The Sheep
• Shaving A Dead Man
• Silver Spear
• Smoke Behind The Clouds
• Southern Flavour
• Sportsman's Hornpipe
• The Traveller
• Third Man Theme
• Timour The Tartar
• Waiting For The Federals
• Whiskey Before Breakfast
• Whisnant's Rag
• Zarana

Also, one of my favorite programs is called MixCraft (I use MixCraft 8 Pro Studio), which allows you to edit songs. It is a recording studio as well. I mainly use MixCraft to change the pitch and tempo of songs. You can input these MIDI songs and slow them down with MixCraft, to play along. For example: I just slowed down Dave's MIDI song for Mississippi Sawyer. This allows me to hear the note in my own SLOW time. I'm getting old
at age 52!

Also, YouTube allows users (under “settings” at the right corner of each video) to change the video speed. I've been slowing Dave's songs down to half and quarter speed, to learn the parts, and then play at three-quarter speed until I feel comfortable, and then go at it full speed. This is a very helpful tool to learn to play the banjo. Each and every one of Dave Hum's YouTube videos is an instruction course, if you do what I just said.

Dave Hum used an elaborate program called “Reason.” You can actually download a full working copy of the software for 30 days, which is a great opportunity to see if it works for you. I did try it for free for a couple weeks, but it was way over my head to be honest. I am curious how Dave was able to use Reason to make his tracks, since I couldn't find even one YouTube user who had made Bluegrass or Country tracks with it.

Dave Hum is amazing! Anyway, I simply bought a multi-track Zoom R-8 recording studio to lay down my bass tracks, like Dave does. If you listen to his rhythm tracks, they are extremely simple, usually just using a bass and perhaps some slight percussion, like a tambourine. Here is an example of one of Dave's tracks I tried to emulate. The song is called, Merrily Kiss The Quaker's Wife (fast tempo). Here's the song at medium tempo.

Both tracks are in the key of A, which Dave recorded the song in. Dave loves to play in the key of A, for obvious reasons. You effectively now have a zero-fret feel with the capo. The frets are also slightly closer together. These two advantages right off the bat make playing easier and more comfortable. I love playing in the key of A! I made this backing track using an inexpensive 4-string Squire Jazz bass I ordered from Amazon.com for around $200. I encourage other banjo players to get a bass and make your own backing tracks too (and please freely share as I am)!

Listen to Dave Hum's music on YouTube and you'll discover that his driving backing tracks are as much a part of his cheerful and inspiring music as is his magnificent banjo artistry! I have tried to obtain Dave Hum's tracks, but to no avail, likely because they are gone with the man himself. Hey, we can make our own tracks. God willing this will be an ongoing project for me, and I'll try to make a bunch more banjo tracks in the Dave Hum style for others to freely use and share! I think it is a great way to honor Dave, by keeping his music and style of playing alive!!! And as always, I NEVER take a penny, and never will, this is about the love of music! Thank you for reading this. God bless!

Dave Hum the man (above), and his 3 classic banjos (below)

Banjo Artist Extraordinaire Dave Hum

What a cool guy! I have made it a goal to study and learn as much from Dave Hum's style of music as I can. From the moment I heard him play Ballad of Jed Clampett on the banjo, my heart was knit to Dave's. He plays exactly how I feel in my heart, and the way I want to play.

There's really no mystery surrounding Dave Hum's playing style, he simply follows the chord patterns. Dave first learns the particular song, as it is tabbed or played; and then he adds his own stuff to it, which you can also easily do if you simply learn the scale progressions. I am going to share some of them below, so you can learn how to use them!

I have started transposing all of my banjo songs from G to the key of A, using a wonderful program called MixCraft (I use the Pro version). Dave uses the key of A extensively. The reason why is obvious, because the frets are slightly closer together in A, which makes playing a bit easier. The key of A is a comfortable key to play in. I love it! Plus it gives the same effect as having a Zero Guide Nut (lowering the strings, which makes it easier to play).

Something Really Cool - Using Only MIDI To Make Backing Tracks

I updated this old blog in June of 2024.

I have done my best to recreate several dozen of Dave Hum's backing tracks. I share them FREELY for the pure love of music. My only motivation is to promote the cheerful music of Dave Hum, to help other banjo enthusiasts learn, encourage others to purchase original backing tracks from Dave Hum's family, and not least of all to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with others (so you can know that your name is written in Heaven too - Luke 10:20).

I had no idea that I could use my MixCraft program to piece together backing tracks using MIDI bass and drums. It is so awesome! Here's how to do it...

1. Right mouse click on any audio track and choose “Insert Track,” and then select “Virtual Instrument Track.”
2. Double left mouse click anywhere on the new track (in the white area). This will create an Instrument Track to edit.
3. Click on the picture of the piano keys under the name of the track. Here you can select the MIDI instrument you want. I select bass (electric, finger bass), and then “Percussion - Drum Kits” and choose “Drum Machine Kit 1.” There's a nice kick drum in there that sounds like the one Dave Hum uses. I also like to use the “Standard Kit 1.” This is how Dave Hum made his drum lines, but he used Reason instead of MixCraft. Reason, to me, is MUCH more complicated.
   
   I made this backing track for “My Grandfather's Clock” in the Key of G, Dave Hum style. The process is simple and does not even require playing bass guitar at all. The track you just heard uses MIDI instruments that I made into an MP3 to share. When you finish your song in MixCraft, you can export it as a wav, mp3, ogg or other file format of your choice.

There are two things to remember that I have learned:

1. Make your drum track first and then use that as a guide to lay down your bass beats (synced with).
2. You can get a human feel to your backing track by adjusting the duration of certain bass beats, to give it rhythm and a bounce feel at times. In other words, I tried to make my bass beats sound like Dave Hum's playing. I cannot tell if Dave is playing bass or using MIDI bass, but I think he uses MIDI. I use both, depending on the song. For more faster songs I like to use MIDI, because I am not a skilled bass player. I can play simple songs.

Also, in the lower portion of your MixCraft screen, in the MIDI editing area, I set mine to “Snap 1/16.” This allows you to set your beats at 1/16 beats. If you want even more precision, choose “Snap 1/32” or even “1/64 triplets.” If you get good at your timing, you can create backing tracks that sound very realistic. I made this backing track for the song, The Maid Behind The Bar, using only a MIDI bass. It sounds very nice. So, if you cannot play bass guitar, you can do all your bass with your mouse in a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) like MixCraft.

For my MIDI bass, I always add a premade effect from MixCraft called “Smooth & Warm” (this adds a Compressor and a Parametric Equalizer). I learned something important about the Parametric Equalizer. You want to set the lower frequencies well below the zero line. If you don't your bass notes will distort in the finished recording. By reducing the low end of the bass, it ensures that at higher volume there won't be any distortion. This has allowed me to set the volume higher in my finished track, without concern about it pegging in the red on the signal intensity meter.

Also, I have tried the free MODO emulator software. They give you a 1960's P-bass for free. You can adjust the style of picking, type of amp simulation, old or new strings, and even choose rusty strings...lol. No kidding. After using MODO for a couple months, I came to the conclusion that I don't need it. I think just using regular MIDI bass with the “Smooth & Warm” preset effect within MixCraft is all I need to produce a great bass for my songs. By adjusting the Parametric Equalizer, you can get just about any bass tone imaginable.

I made this track of “Merrily Kiss The Quaker's Wife” recently using only MIDI bass. You can hear how nice it came out, humbly said. There is no distortion. I'm just as armature, learning as I go. I played an acoustic guitar in this track. It's a Cort brand that I bought at a local Guitar center. It's a very nice guitar for only $130. It has natural wood without any lacquer coating, which gives the instrument an organic sound that I really like. I'm playing along on a Cajon box that I bought used from Amazon for $88. I used a Rattle Shake loop at the end, pun for “Rattle Snake.” I found that free .wav loop online last week. You can download it to use in your projects, if you'd like.

MIDI bass is very nice quality. I don't think 99% of listeners could tell the difference between MIDI bass versus real bass. I think only a skilled bass player could tell the difference. I can't tell the difference, but I'm not a proficient bass artist.

Dave Hum On How He Makes His Own Backing Tracks

I have done my best to recreate several dozen of Dave Hum's backing tracks. I share them FREELY for the pure love of music. My only motivation is to promote the cheerful music of Dave Hum, to help other banjo enthusiasts learn, encourage others to purchase original backing tracks from Dave Hum's family, and not least of all to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with others (so you can know that your name is written in Heaven too - Luke 10:20).

In his own words, here's how Dave made his own backing tracks...

The album “TRAVELLING LIGHT” is a culmination of 15 years passing. When I have had spare time between teaching, learning, busking and making videos of 5 string banjo tunes , I have recorded original compositions which have more of a unique contemporary approach.

I arrange and play all the instruments and program the beats myself - The software i use is Reason for the midi samples such as basslines, loops and effects - which lets me export as WAV files into a program called Sonar for the audio recordings - i then combine the results in Sonar - to record the actual instruments i use a Zoom H2 straight into my laptop which makes the whole process easy as it has it's own soundcard which Sonar recognises.

I enjoy many styles of music and feel that the banjo is capable of being more than a bluegrass, Celtic, ragtime or classic style instrument. Essentially, a lot of the techniques used in the Travelling Light album on the banjo are the same as the aforementioned but by giving the banjo, and mandolin for that matter, more of a contemporary rhythm and backing so to speak i think they can be used to play most styles of music if sympathetic to the emotion of the tune. —Dave Hum (from his website)

Here's the newer Zoom H2 model. There are also more advanced models of the Zoom unit, reasonably priced, that have guitar inputs. It appears that Dave recorded his musical instruments live, and not directly into the recorder. A lot of people are fascinated with Dave Hum and his banjo music, myself included. I had read in the Banjo Hangout Online (BHO) forum that Dave made his backing tracks using Reason software, so in my ignorance I went and tried it for free for 30 days at their website. 

It turns out that Dave only used Reason for his MIDI portion of his recordings, and nothing else! So the BHO gives INACCURATE advice to people! In fact, Dave recorded his instruments with a Zoom H2 personal recorder into his laptop, using Sonar software! I'm sure a lot of people have been frustrated trying to figure out how to use Reason to make Dave Hum's style of backing tracks. Now you know the whole story!

I use MixCraft Pro to make all my backing tracks. Lately I've been just using MIDI bass, which is remarkably indistinguishable from playing a real bass guitar. Everything you need comes with MixCraft. I use a Scarlett Solo interface to input my musical instruments to my computer. There are several other models available. Each backing track is unique. It's much like an artist with a blank canvas, deciding what he is going to create.

There are millions of free audio loops online for your projects (please make sure you have a good antivirus program through before download free loops. Bitdefender is a FREE program that works well, which is what I use). I have downloaded thousands of free audio loops (like a kid collecting baseball cards). I only had one virus problem. I don't know where it came from, but Bitdefender removed it. You may not even want more loops, because MixCraft Pro already comes with over 7,000 loops in their Library.

Plus, in the Library section of MixCraft you can search online for thousands more free loops in the public domain. Dave Hum used audio loops in many of his backing tracks, like this really cool Rattle Shake (pun for Rattle Snake) loop that I found online. I sometimes use the Rattle Shake at the very end of a backing track. Audio loops are resources to implement in your songs (e.g., drums, shakers, sticks, djembe, bongos, Cajon, chimes, tambourine, organs, pianos, et cetera). Loops are repeating patterns of real instruments that can be used in your songs to make them realistic.

You can also use YouTube videos. I found this cover drum track on YouTube for the Bee Gee's song Jive Talking. Look what I did with the track for my Bluegrass backing track for Temperance Reel. I used a MIDI kickdrum and tambourine, added a real shaker loop, and I used a MIDI bass (I entered all the bass notes with my mouse into MixCraft). I humbly think it came out nice. There are so many creative things you can do with MixCraft and all the resources available. I have also purchased several audio loop collections for my projects. If you decide to use MixCraft, there is a wealth of helpful information online to help you. I don't receive anything for promoting anything, I just want to help other musicians.

There are many different DAW's (Digital Audio Workstations) for sale. I love MixCraft and have used it for over 10 years. I recently tried the 30-day free trial of Ableton Live, which I hated. The software has bugs in it. I've never had any problems with MixCraft. Ableton kept erasing audio files of my bass and guitar that I had preciously recorded. I had a bunch of latency issues, so that the recordings were echoing. I spent hours trying to fix the problem, and read dozens of websites, but couldn't remedy the issue.

Ableton is interesting, switching between the Session View and Arrangement View. I really like the Groove Samples in Ableton. I am not familiar with all the different styles of music. By applying a Groove Sample to your song, it overlays a specific drum pattern to a song, giving it a unique rhythmic pattern. MixCraft doesn't have that nice feature. Ableton's full program costs $749; MixCraft's full program costs $149. So, there's that. Since Ableton was causing me a bunch of grief by not being able to get it working properly, I removed it from my computer. The company is in Germany, so I was surprised that it wasn't better quality to use.

Also, Ableton does not fully support MIDI. I couldn't adjust the timing of my MIDI tracks in Ableton, because there's no way to do so. MixCraft does let you adjust the track length by holding down Ctrl while grabbing the edge of the track to move it. In Ableton you need to hold down Ctrl + Shift and then drag the edge. But it only works for audio tracks, not for MIDI.

Dave Hum used the Reason DAW, which is still available. I tried it several years ago but didn't like it. Honestly, it has been so long that I cannot remember anything about it. I went last week to try it again for their 30-day free trial, but they want my credit card information to charge me $1, which I don't like. Plus, the program costs $499, which is expensive in a struggling economy. My main thought is that since MixCraft works for me, why spend three times more for a program that essentially does the same thing? Yet, I admit I am intrigued. It's like different musical instruments of the same type—they all basically do the same thing, but each has it's own unique look, feel and sound. Reason comes with different audio loops, which I am curious about. Most of all, Dave Hum used Reason, which is the main reason (no pun intended) I want to try it. I cannot remember why I didn't like it several years ago. I'm getting older...lol.

Making your own backing tracks is rewarding, fun and a fulfilling feeling. I love it as a hobby. I love playing the banjo and backing tracks make it much more interesting and enjoyable. I love sharing my tracks freely with everyone. I just love music and want to spread the same cheer that Dave Hum did through his music. We have a good God in Heaven who has blessed us with music. By the way, there are 7 notes in a diatonic music scale, 7 colors in a rainbow, 7 days in a week, et cetera. God likes the number 7. I am a born-again Christian, since age 13, so please bear with me if you are not and I brag on my dear Savior from time to time.

I am very thankful to Dave and his family for sharing this information with others. I pray for Dave's family often, as I know that is what he would want, and am glad that God made Dave Hum! Music makes the world a better place. Thank you friend for visiting my music blog.

Musical Artist Dave Hum (1966-2012)

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
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
All other parts standard.

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
All other parts standard Ode.

Dave uses a Compact 60 AER rechargeable acoustic amplifier, which runs roughly $1,000. The amp plugs into the wall to recharge (no replaceable battery). I just run my MP3 player through my JBL Xtreme speaker using Bluetooth, and don't mic the banjo. There's really no right or wrong equipment set up, whatever is available and works is fine with me.

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! Amazon sells some inexpensive Piezo pickups for $10.

Music truly does make the world a better place.

Gibson ESS, Baldwin Ode, Gibson Epiphone

A Study Of Dave Hum's Awesome Banjo Style

I have done my best to recreate several dozen of Dave Hum's backing tracks. I share them FREELY for the pure love of music. My only motivation is to promote the cheerful music of Dave Hum, to help other banjo enthusiasts learn, encourage others to purchase original backing tracks from Dave Hum's family, and not least of all to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with others (so you can know that your name is written in Heaven too - Luke 10:20).

It is important to understand SEVEN things about Dave Hum's musical style:

First, Dave KNOWS his chords well! He didn't just memorize some tablature like most of us do and stick to that. By knowing his chords, he is free to improvise and expand his playing. Everything that we pick on the banjo falls within a certain chord at any given time.

Second, Dave KNOWS the melody of the particular song he is playing extremely well. This gives him confidence to pick with authority in his playing, which you can definitely hear! Just as when driving a car: "You control the banjo, don't let the banjo control you!" Dave doesn't just "wing it" as many banjo players do, which is why he has a very specific sound for each song that he plays. He knows exactly what he is playing, deliberate and confident, knowing what he is going to pick next!

Third, Dave simply follows the chord patterns when he improvises. There is nothing magical about Dave's picking, but the music he produces and the joy created in the listener's heart is MAGICAL!

Fourth, Dave mastered his single note picking technique. Here is an excellent finger picking exercise that I love working through each day multiple times.

Fifth, Dave hum doesn't try to conform to traditional banjo playing. Dave did what he felt in his heart, which sets him apart from everyone else. Each of Dave's YouTube performances is a wonderful instruction course! The first step to emulate Dave Hum is to learn the tablature for any particular song, and then study Dave's performance of the song, to learn his unique ideas.

Sixth, the magic behind Dave's performances in his driving backing tracks. Dave Hum skillfully made all his own rhythm tracks. I have purchased several hundred dollars worth of backing tracks online, and NOTHING comes even close to Dave's tracks! The reason why is Dave keeps it simple, just some simple percussion with a bass. Anything else is clutter! I wish more banjo artists would make, share or sell quality backing tracks, but they don't for some reason. Most available tracks are garbage! Dave inspired me to carry on his music tradition of making my own backing tracks to play along with on my banjo.

Seventh, Dave enjoyed sharing his music with others, which motivated him. I cannot express in words what Dave's music means to me personally. His family has a great legacy and something to be very proud of and cherish. I am amazed how professional Dave's videos are, and how he captured so much life (family in the videos, people, incredible scenery, cool moments and historical places). What awesome videos! Whoever was behind the camera much of the time deserves a lot of credit for paying attention to what was going on, and I'd like to say, "Thank you!" I love Dave Hum and thank God for making him!

t = thumb / i - Index / m = middle

(Standard bluegrass tuning: g, D, G, B, D...
Go Downtown Get Better Dog)

Dave Hum's Substitute For The Famous G Lick

I tried to tab out Dave Hum playing this beautiful ascending run in this clip from: 'The Ballad of Jed Clampett')...

Banjo Chord Progressions in Standard G Tuning (Dave Hum makes extensive use of
these chord progressions when improvising, which makes his playing so refreshing
and unique). ...

Here's a common melodic run...

A Helpful Chord Finder

As Dave Hum says:
“So many songs, so little time!”

Download All Of Dave Hum's YouTube Videos Before They're Gone, Because You Never Know! 

4K DOWNLOADER

(an awesome freeware program)

I Love This Guy!!!

Take Control Of The Banjo, Don't Let It Control You

Something that I've learned from playing along with Dave's songs (at a slower speed on YouTube) is that he manhandles the banjo. That is, he firmly controls the instrument.

When an older friend of mine in high school (Tim) taught me how to drive, he took me in the winter in Chicago to an empty parking lot with snow on the ground. He told me to do some spinouts, then speed up and slam on the brakes to go into some skids, and he had me doing 360 donuts in the snow. He wanted me to get “a feel” for the car and how to handle it, which in hindsight was a brilliant way to teach me how to drive. My friend Tim helped me immensely that day. He taught me, “You control the car, you don't let the car control you.”

I have applied that same philosophy to my banjo playing, taking control of the banjo and making it do what I want, and not be afraid to pick the strings firmly and with authority. I've been learning the song, Mason's Apron, one of my favorites that Dave recorded.

A brilliant melodic run from Dave Hum's rendition of 'Flop Eared Mule'... 

This was difficult for me to figure out, but I think I tabbed how Dave did it right (Slowed down clip From "Flop Eared Mule")... (carefully notice that he gets all those notes on only TWO strings!)

A Helpful Tool For Every Banjo Artist

I love this chord finder tool. Dave Hum knew his chords well!!! Anytime you are having difficult figuring out what Dave is picking, simply follow the chords and it will make more sense. Here is another chord generator.


The Peaceful 'Double C Tuning'

I think where Dave Hum really shines on the banjo (in my humble opinion) is on the Double C tuning. Listen to him play Whiskey Before Breakfast and The Maid Behind The Bar in Double C. When I hear these songs, I picture a log cabin with dinner cooking on an old cast iron stove in the summer, and a peaceful pristine river flowing nearby with pretty trees along its banks, on a clear sunny day with a pleasant gentle wind blowing, and all is well (no bears...lol). That is not an easy thing for a musician to do, to have that kind of an impact on your audience. Dave Hum was a gifted musician and a beautiful man. I sure wish I could have known him personally, and feel like I do through his music.

Dave also plays Gaspe Reel, Coleman's March, Boys Of Bluehill/Harvest Home, Fergal O' Gara, O' Carolan's Concerto, The Merry Blacksmith, Tobin's Jig and Tripping Up The Stairs in Double C, which I encourage you to listen to on YouTube. I recently did my best to make a backing track for The Maid Behind The Bar, and I tabbed out Dave's version of the song as played in Double C, which I think is purdy accurate. I encourage every banjo player to spend some time with the Double C tuning, because it is beautiful and easy to play once you learn your way around. The more time you spend with the tuning, the more friendly it will become to you, and inviting. I love the Double C tuning.

Dave Hum's Family Has Made His Backing Tracks Available

Download All Of Dave Hum's YouTube Videos Before They're Gone, Because You Never Know! I have already downloaded all 219 of Dave's videos. I saved them to my MP3 player to listen in my car. I was listening to "Timour The Tartar" yesterday to and from the doctor. Wow, Dave's playing is amazing, and the powerful bass in his backing track is awesome!

I am so thankful to Dave's family for releasing his backing tracks for purchase. They're worth every penny! At present there are 115 tracks for sale for about $12.50 each, a great deal. The going rate now online to pay someone to make you a custom backing track is about $150. I paid the guy at Nico Backing Tracks $149 back in April 2024 to make me a backing track for the song, "Gaspe Reel" by Dave Hum. You can have the track I paid to have made from Nico for free (just click the preceding link).

I also paid David Day $150 in June 2024 to make me a custom backing track for the song, "Peeler's Jacket." I DON'T recommend doing business with David ever! His attitude is really poor. He messed up the first two times he attempted to make the track. He was a couple bars too short on the ending. I am a reasonable person. If he simply would have gladly completed the song as promised, there wouldn't have been a problem. But instead he got upset at me for kindly asking him for the second time to finish the track right, and he blew me off. He wanted more money! Unreal, as if $150 wasn't enough to make a simple song. He didn't do the ending right in the first place, but he wanted more money. In the preceding link you can hear exactly what he did, and what I am talking about. My track came out as nice, if not better, than his did.

Anyway, Dave Hum's backing tracks are superb and very reasonably priced. Dave no doubt spent over a thousand hours making his tracks. It takes me 3 to 8 hours to make just one backing track, depending on its complexity. I love making tracks. Most of all I love freely sharing them with others. On my Banjo Heaven blog you'll find several dozen great backing tracks. In time, I'll have hundreds, Lord willing. Enjoy!

Dave Hum the man (above), and his 3 classic banjos (below)

Dave Hum's Song Comments On YouTube

Compiled (in alphabetical order) by David J. Stewart

For anyone who loves music (especially banjo enthusiasts like me) and has had the privilege of discovering Dave Hum (1966-2012), then you know the precious feeling in your heart that Dave Hum's music inspired! I love this man dearly! What an awesome artist! I am now 52 years old in 2019. I was born in 1967, a year after Dave. Sadly, Dave Hum died at age 46 from cancer. Life is not fair! Dave went too soon. I would love to have known him, but I do feel like I've known him my whole life, through his music. One of the things that makes Dave's playing so inspiring is his driving backing tracks, which he made himself, using the experience he acquired over a lifetime of busking and playing with bands. Dave's music has been called "unique" and assigned a banjo style category all it's own, but if you study his music, you'll find that he is simply following the chords and playing from his heart what comes natural if you flow with the music. I love this guy!

I was concerned that one day Dave's videos might disappear from YouTube (which happens quite often online), so I downloaded all of Dave's videos using a free helpful program called 4K DOWNLOADER. I have over 200 videos. You can also download the songs as MP3's (which I recommend) using another related free program called, 4K YOUTUBE TO MP3. (I also sometimes us this YouTube-To-MP4 converter tool.) The BEST way to learn to play Dave's style of music is first to LISTEN to his songs, to get the sounds into your brain. Then play along with Dave's songs, which is the BEST backing tracks you will find anywhere, bar none! I use Bluetooth and play through my JBL XTREME portable speaker. I absolutely love this thing! What a great tool for musicians! Perhaps you didn't know that YouTube allows you to slow (or speed) any video's tempo. Simply click on the gear symbol for "settings" in the lower right corner of any YouTube video, and then you'll be able to slow a song down. On songs like Mason's Apron by Dave Hum, it is an invaluable tool to help you learn the song, and then you can play at normal speed once you develop your skills. Cool huh?

It is tragic that Dave's hundreds of backing tracks died with him in 2012. I'm sure Dave would have gladly shared them if he were still alive today, as he always encouraged other musicians. Dave was a skilled musician with an ear for music, and his abilities shine in his creative backing tracks. Since I don't have his tracks, I simply play along with the YouTube songs, which is the next best thing, but aren't great for public performances. I think it is truly sad, after all of Dave Hum's hard work, that his backing tracks all died with him. It is my sincere hope that Dave's family will make his backing tracks available in the future, if possible, which would help thousands of banjo players. They could have been such a big blessing to thousands of banjos enthusiasts, like me. My prayers are often with Dave's family, which I know he would want. I don't know if Dave Hum was a Christian, by it is my earnest hope that he was.

For some of Dave's trickier techniques, like this awesome piece from "Ballad Of Jed Clampett (run begins at 1:35 in time)," you can even slow the video down to quarter speed (using "settings") to hear each know picked slowly, and you can learn MUCH that way, as I have done so far. On the preceding piece that I gave you a link to for the Ballad Of Jed Clampett, Dave is picking on only strings 1 and 2. He is using 3 fingers during this piece. Once you get the hang of this beautiful technique, you can use it everywhere, picking up and down the neck. And it works great on strings 2 and 3 too. Just follow the chords. It is awesome! The key is to play it faster. I hope I have inspired you a little bit so far with the information I have shared with you. 

The following information is INVALUABLE from Dave Hum himself, in which he comments on all his hundreds of songs regarding the tunings that he used (and there are several). Without this helpful information I would have been in a world of hurt musically trying to figure out what Dave is doing on the banjo. Without knowing the proper tuning, you cannot even begin to learn what somebody is playing, so this is VERY helpful stuff, and I thought it was worth alphabetizing and archiving, which I have done on this webpage for anyone who wants it, like me. God bless and cheers my friend!

* * * * * * *

From The Banjo Of Dave Hum...

ACORN HILL - An arrangement of this traditional fiddle tune "Acorn Hill" - also known as "Acorn Hill Breakdown" - played on the 5 string banjo - GDGBD tuning - key of D.

APPLES AND SLOES - This is a bluegrass style tune I composed in memory of my mother in laws home made apple and sloes jam! I find this tune is a good exercise for trying out lots of G and C licks. (Spot the lick from "Theme Time") - played on the 5 string banjo - GDGBD tuning.

ARKANSAS TRAVELLER - "Arkansas Traveller" - popular old time fiddle tune played on the 5 string banjo - GDGBD tuning - capo 2nd fret, 5th string capo 7th fret for key of A.

BAGS OF SPUDS - Irish reel "Bag of Spuds" played on the 5 string banjo - GDGCD tuning, capo 2nd fret, 5th string capo 7th fret for key of A minor.

BEHIND THE HAYSTACK/THE SETTING SUN - Two Irish jigs - "Behind the Haystack" and "The Setting Sun" played on the 5 string banjo - GDGBD tuning capo 2nd fret, 5th string capo 7th fret for key of E.

BIG MON - Classic Bill Monroe bluegrass tune "Big Mon" - played on the 5 string banjo - GDGBD tuning - capo 2nd fret, 5th string capo 7th fret for key of A - with improvisations.

BILL CHEATHAM - Traditional / Old Time tune "Bill Cheatham" played on the 5 string banjo - GDGBD tuning - capo 2nd fret, 5th string capo 7th fret for key of A.

BLACKJACK - J D Crowe's signature tune "Blackjack" played on the 5 string banjo - GDGBD tuning - I was inspired to learn this after seeing a video on banjohangout.org of a great picker and banjo teacher called "Banjophobic" (check him out!!) - if you are watching this John I hope you don't mind me trying out a few of your great licks!!

BLACK MOUNTAIN RAG - "Black Mountain Rag" - played on the 5 string banjo - GDGBD tuning - capo 2nd fret, 5th string capo 7th fret - for key of A - This is a traditional old fiddle tune made popular by flatpicking guitar wizard Doc Watson.

BOYS OF BLUEHILL/HARVEST HOME - Traditional Irish tunes (hornpipes) - "Boys of Bluehill" and "Harvest Home" played on the 5 string banjo - GCGCD tuning - capo 2nd fret, 5th string capo 7th fret for key of D.

BOYS OF MALIN - Irish reel - The Boys of Malin - played on the five string banjo - GDGBD tuning, capo 2nd fret, 5th string capo 7th fret for key of A.

BUFFALO GIRLS - Traditional American tune "Buffalo Girls"- played on the 5 string banjo - GDGBD tuning - capo 2nd fret, 5th string capo 7th fret for key of A - Also known as "Buffalo Gals."

CHEROKEE SHUFFLE - Popular tune for the banjo - "Cherokee Shuffle" - played on the 5-string banjo - GDGBD tuning - Capo 2nd fret, 5th string capo 7th fret for key of A - with improvisations - Also known as "Lost Indian."

CHICKEN REEL - "Chicken Reel" - Played on the 5 string banjo - GDGBD tuning - Capo 2nd fret, 5th string capo 7th fret for key of A. This is a dance tune composed by Joseph M. Daly in 1910 - Also known as "Performers Buck."

CLINCH MOUNTAIN BACKSTEP - Busking in Cambridge on the 5 string banjo - Improvising to "Clinch Mountain Backstep" by Ralph Stanley - GDGBD tuning, capo 2nd fret, 5th string capo 7th fret for key of A.

CLUCK OLD HEN - Third variation of "Cluck Old Hen", a popular Appalachian American fiddle and banjo tune -played on the 5 string banjo - GDGBD tuning - capo 2nd fret, 5th string capo 7th fret for the key of A.

COLD FROSTY MORNING - An arrangement of this traditional Irish/American reel "Cold Frosty Morning" - also known as "Frosty Morn" - played on the 5 string banjo - GDGCD tuning -capo 2nd fret, 5th string capo 7th fret - for key of A minor.

COLEMAN'S MARCH - Coleman's March played on the 5 string banjo - double C tuning - GCGCD - capo 2nd fret, 5th string capoed 7th fret for key of D. Also known as Coleman Killed His Wife, Joe Coleman's March, Joe Dobbins, Old Hickory.

CRIPPLE REEK - An arrangement of the popular old tune "Cripple Creek" played on the 5 string banjo - GDGBD tuning - capo 2nd fret, 5th string capo 7th fret for key of A.

DANCING LEDGE - "Dancing Ledge" (© Dave Hum 2005) - Original composition as a memory of Dancing Ledge a rocky cove with a ledge which is in Langton Matravers, on the Dorset coast of England near The Square and Compass pub - well worth a visit!

DEVIL'S DREAM/BLACKBERRY BLOSSOM - Melodic and Bluegrass arrangement of "Devils Dream" and "Blackberry Blossom" played on the 5 string banjo - GDGBD tuning.

DOWN THE ROAD - Popular Flatt and Scruggs tune - "Down The Road" - Played on the 5 - String Banjo - GDGBD tuning - capo 2nd fret, 5th string capo 7th fret for key of A.

DUELING BANJOS - "Dueling Banjos" - Theme from the movie "Deliverance" - played on the 5 string banjo - GDGBD tuning.

EARL'S BREAKDOWN - Classic Earl Scruggs tune "Earl's Breakdown" played on the 5 string banjo - GDGBD tuning - key of G. (My comment: Dave uses a Keith D Tuner on the 2nd string for this song).

EIGHT MORE MILES TO LOUISVILLE - Old Time tune "Eight More Miles to Louisville" played on the 5 - string banjo - GDGBD tuning - capo 2nd fret, 5th string capo 7th fret for key of A.

EIGHTH OF JANUARY - Early Americana stringband tune commemorating the Battle of New Orleans on January 8, 1815. Played on the 5 string banjo - GDGBD tuning - capo 2nd fret, 5th string capo 7th fret for key of A.

FAREWELL TO ERIN - A photo montage to an arrangement of this traditional Irish tune Farewell To Erin, sometimes known as Farewell To Ireland, played on the 5 string banjo - GDGCD tuning, capo 2nd fret, 5th string capo 7th fret for key of A.

FERGAL O'GARA - Irish reel "Fergal O' Gara" played with a hornpipe lilt on the 5 string banjo - GCGCD tuning - capo 2nd fret, 5th string capo 7th fret for key of D - Also known as "The Falcarragh" - "Faral O'Gara" - "Fearghal O'Hara" - "Hewletts."

FETCHING FRED - Original composition "Fetching Fred" (© Dave Hum 2005) played on the 5 string banjo - GDGBD tuning - capo 2nd fret, 5th string capo 7th fret for key of A.

FIREBALL MAIL - Popular bluegrass version of Fireball Mail played on the 5 string banjo - GDGBD tuning, capo 2nd fret, 5th string capo 7th fret for key of A.

FLINT HILL SPECIAL - Popular Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs tune - "Flint Hill Special" from the 1959 Flatt and Scruggs album - played on the 5 string banjo - GDGBD tuning.

FLOP EARED MULE - Old Time fiddle tune "Flop Eared Mule" from the States - popular for dances - played on the 5 string banjo - GDGBD tuning - capo 2nd fret, 5th string capo 7th fret for key of A - with improvisations.

FLYING CLOUD COTILLION - Traditional tune "Flying Cloud Cotillion" also known as "Flying Clouds" - played on the 5 string banjo - GDGBD tuning - key of G.

FOGGY MOUNTAIN BREAKDOWN - Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs bluegrass classic "Foggy Mountain Special" played on the 5 string banjo - GDGBD tuning - key of G.

FORKED DEER - Old Time fiddle tune "Forked Deer" played on the 5 string banjo - GDGBD tuning - capo 2nd fret, 5th string capo 7th fret for key of A.

GASPE' REEL - French Canadian tune "Gaspé Reel" played on the 5 string banjo - GCGCD tuning - capo 2nd fret, 5th string capo 7th fret for key of D - with improvisations. Also known as "Reel de Gaspé " - "Apex Reel."

GOLDEN SLIPPERS - Popular minstrel show parody song "Golden Slippers" played on the 5 string banjo - GDGBD tuning - key of G - more info here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Slippers.

GRASSHOPPER SITTING ON A SWEET POTATO VINE - Old Time fiddle tune "Grasshopper Sitting On A Sweet Potato Vine" played on the 5 string banjo - GDGBD tuning - capo 2nd fret, 5th string capo 7th fret for key of A.

GRAVEL WALKS - Irish reel, the "Gravel Walks", also known as "Barty's Choice", or "The Gravel Path To Granny's" played on the 5 string banjo - GDGCD tuning, capo 2nd fret, 5th string capo 7th fret for key of A.

GREE GATES/SILVER SPEAR - An arrangement of these two traditional reels "Green Gates" and "Silver Spear", with a short burst of "The Traveller" nearing the middle of the piece - played on the 5 string banjo - GDGBD tuning.

GREEN GATES/SILVER SPEAR - An arrangement of these two traditional reels "Green Gates" and "Silver Spear", with a short burst of "The Traveller" nearing the middle of the piece - played on the 5 string banjo - GDGBD tuning.

GROUNDSPEED - Classic Earl Scruggs tune "Groundspeed" played on the 5 string banjo - GDGBD tuning - with improvisations.

GROWLING OLD MAN AND THE GRUMBLING OLD WOMAN - Third take of this Old Time fiddle tune "Growling Old Man and the Grumbling Old Woman" - on the 5 string banjo - GDGCD tuning - capo 2nd fret, 5th string capo 7th fret for key of Am.

HALF PAST FOUR - Old Time Ed Haley fiddle tune "Half Past Four" played on the 5 string banjo - GDGBD tuning - capo 2nd fret - 5th string capoed 7th fret - Key of A.

HELVIC HEAD - Irish Jig - "Helvic Head" played on the 5 string banjo - GDGBD tuning. Also known as "Jump Out Of It Hogan" - "Melvin Head" - "Walk Out Of It Hogan" - "Yellow Stockings". Helvic Head is on the coast in the county of Waterford, Ireland.

HUMOURS OF GLENDART/ CONNAUGHMAN'S RAMBLES - Glendart / Connaughtman's Rambles - Two Irish jigs - "Humours of Glendart" and "Connaughtman's Rambles" played on the 5 string banjo - GDGBD tuning - capo 2nd fret, 5th string capo 7th fret for keys of A then E - First tune is also known as "The Housemaid" - "Saddle The Pony." Second tune is also known as "Bold Doherty" - "Mooney's Jig."

HUMPTY'S JIG - Humpty's Jig - (© Dave Hum 2005) - Original composition in memory of a lovable Jack Russell - played on the 5 string banjo - GDGBD tuning.

HUM'S HORNPIPE - "Hum's Hornpipe" played on the 5 string banjo - GCGBD tuning - key of C - This tune was composed and dedicated to me by Jim Reed from Sidney, Kentucky - one of my favourite pickers on the BanjoHangout website - he has a YouTube channel if you want to check him out - http://www.youtube.com/user/lowrotor100.

HUNTER'S PURSE - An arrangement of this traditional Irish reel played on the 5 string banjo - GDGCD tuning - capo 2nd fret, 5th string capo 7th fret for key of A minor.

IN THE SUMMERTIME - Ray Dorset's tune "In The Summertime" which was a skiffle blues hit for his band "Mungo Jerry" in the 70's - played on the 5 string banjo - GDGBD tuning - capo 2nd fret, 5th string capo 7th fret for key of A - I've added some improvised bluesy licks.

JERUSALEM RIDGE - Bill Monroe tune "Jerusalem Ridge" played on the 5 string banjo - GDG(Bflat)D tuning - capo 2nd fret, 5th string capo 7th fret for key of A minor.

JIG RUNRIG - Two Scottish jigs by Fergie MacDonald, "Jig Runrig" and "Wee Todd" played on the 5 string banjo with improvisations - GDGBD tuning - capo2nd fret, 5th string capo 7th fret for keys D then A.

JIG RUNRIG/WEE TODD - Two Scottish jigs by Fergie MacDonald, "Jig Runrig" and "Wee Todd" played on the 5 string banjo with improvisations - GDGBD tuning - capo 2nd fret, 5th string capo 7th fret for keys D then A.

KING OF THE FAERIES - A slower version of this traditional Irish hornpipe "King of the Faeries" also known as "King William of Orange" - played on the 5 string banjo - GDGBD tuning - key of E (Dorian).

LARK IN THE MORNING - Irish Jig - "The Lark in the Morning" - played on the 5-string banjo - GDGBD tuning - Capo 2nd fret, 5th string capo 7th for key of E. Usually this tune has four parts, here I am only playing the first two parts then adding a D flat minor variation - This tune is also known as "Ha'penny Bridge" - "Father Kelly's" and "Kelso Races."

LAST NIGHT'S FUN - Irish reel - "Last Night's Fun" - played on the 5 string banjo - GDGBD tuning - capo 2nd fret, 5th string capo 7th fret for key of A - Also known as "Joe Cooley's No. 1" - "Killoran's Reel".

LOCUST HILL - Bluegrass instrumental - "Locust Hill" played on the 5 string banjo with improvisations - GDGBD tuning - capo 2nd fret, 5th string capo 7th fret for key of A.

LOST AT SEA - Had a few requests to upload the banjo part of the tune I composed called "Lost at Sea" which is on the Jigweed album by The Huckleberries, so here it is, if anyone is interested in hearing the accompanying instruments and the actual melody that goes with it you can hear it at The Huckleberries MySpace page where it is in the mp3 player, www.myspace.com/thehuckleberries.

LOUISVILLE BREAKDOWN - Instrumental Bill Monroe tune "Louisville Breakdown" - played on the 5 string banjo - GDGBD tuning - key of G, with improvisations.

LULWORTH MOON - Original composition "Lulworth Moon" - (© Dave Hum 2005) - played on the 5 string banjo - GDGCD tuning - capo 2nd fret, 5th string capo 7th fret for key of A minor.

MAID BEHIND THE BAR - Whilst busking at Wimborne Folk Festival I was joined by a Morris Dancer called Pip from the "Hunter's Moon Morris" who plays the "spoons" along with me to the tune of an Irish reel called "Maid Behind The Bar" - GCGCD tuning - capo 2nd fret, 5th string capo 7th fret - for key of D.

MASON'S APRON (3) - Irish Reel - Masons Apron played on the 5 string banjo - GDGBD tuning, capo 2nd fret, 5th string capo 7th fret for key of A.

MERRILY KISS THE QUAKER'S WIFE - Traditional Irish slide played on the 5 string banjo - GDGBD tuning - capo 2nd fret,5th string capo 7th fret for key of A - Also known as Kiss The Crater, Kiss The Quaker's Wife, Merrily Danced The Quaker's Wife, Merrily Danced With The Quaker's Wife.

MISSISSIPPI SAWYER - Traditional 'Old Time' fiddle tune - "Mississippi Sawyer" - played on the 5-string banjo - ADGBD tuning - (5th string capo 7th fret).

MIST COVERED MOUNTAINS - Irish Jig - "Mist Covered Mountain" - played on the 5 string banjo - GDGCD tuning - capo 2nd fret, 5th string capo 7th fret for key of A - also known as "Mist On The Mountain" - "Misty Mountain."

MORRISON'S JIG - Irish Jig - "Morrison's Jig" - played on the 5 String banjo - GDGBD tuning - key of E minor - Also known as "Cry Of the Celtic" - "Stick Across The Hob" - "Maurice Carmondy's Favourite."

MY GRANDFATHER'S CLOCK - "My Grandfather's Clock" is a song written in 1876 by Henry Clay Work, the author of "Marching Through Georgia". It is a standard of British brass bands and colliery bands, and is also popular in bluegrass music. Here is a second take of my version played on the 5 string banjo - GDGBD tuning - capo 2nd fret, 5th string capo 7th fret for key of A.

NASHVILLE BLUES - Classic Earl Scruggs tune "Nashville Blues" - played on the 5 string banjo - ADFAD tuning.

NOLA - A ragtime piano tune composed by Felix Arndt in 1915 - played on the 5 string banjo - GDGBD tuning.

OFF TO CALIFORNIA - Old Time tune "Eight More Miles to Louisville" played on the 5 - string banjo - GDGBD tuning - capo 2nd fret, 5th string capo 7th fret for key of A.

OLD NED ("Steptoe and Son" theme) - Here is my take on the theme tune played on the 5 string banjo - GDGBD tuning - capo 2nd fret, 5th string capo 7th fret for key of A - with some blues improvisations thrown in - "Steptoe and Son" is a British sitcom written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson about two rag and bone men living in Oil Drum Lane, a fictional street in Shepherd's Bush, London. Four series were broadcast by the BBC from 1962 to 1965, followed by a second run from 1970 to 1974. Its theme tune, "Old Ned", was composed by Ron Grainer.

OLD SPINNING WHEEL - Old Time mountain song "The Old Spinning Wheel" - played on the 5 string banjo - GDGBD tuning - key of C - with improvisations.

O'CAROLAN'S CONCERTO - Irish blind harpist Turlough O'Carolan's beautiful tune played on the 5 string banjo - GCGCD tuning - capo 2nd fret, 5th string capo 7th fret for key of D.

OVER THE WATERFALL - Old Time fiddle tune - "Over The Waterfall" played on the 5-string banjo - GDGBD tuning - capo 2nd fret, 5th string capo 7th fret for key of A.

PALLADIUM RAG - A current work in progress - Joe Morleys "Palladium Rag" played on the 5 string banjo GDGBD tuning - classic ragtime piece - i was inspired to learn this after watching Mike Moss - a great classic banjo player - check him out at http://classic-banjo.ning.com/ and http://www.banjohangout.org - Mike says of this tune "One of Joe Morley's iconic pieces, whose title, like that of "The Palladium March", reminds us of when he led a troupe of 34 banjoists in the "London Palladium Minstrel Show" in 1912 in what was probably the most famous West End theatre...."

PEELER'S JACKET - Irish reel "Peeler's Jacket" played on the 5 string banjo - GDGBD tuning - Also known as "The Flannel Jacket" - "Gilbert Clancy's" - "The Peeler's Jacket".

PIKE COUNTY BREAKDOWN - Bill Monroe tune "Pike County Breakdown" played on the 5 string banjo - GDGBD tuning - capo 2nd fret, 5th string capoed 7th fret for key of A.

RAGGLE TAGGLE GYPSY/ DROWSY MAGGIE - An arrangement of "Raggle Taggle Gypsy" and "Drowsy Maggie" together - played on the 5 string banjo - GDGBD tuning - key of E minor.

RED HAIRED BOY - Traditional Irish tune "Red Haired Boy" also known as "Little Beggar Boy" - played on the 5 string banjo - GDGBD tuning - capo 2nd fret, 5th string capo 7th fret for key of A.

REED'S HORNPIPE - This is a tune composed by Jim Reed from Sidney, Kentucky who regularly uploads banjo vids to YouTube - a great picker - here is a link to his version which inspired me to learn it and make a backing track: https://youtu.be/MTthB-q8oCw (Jim Reed).

RICKETT'S HORNPIPE - Traditional hornpipe "Rickett's Hornpipe" played on the 5 string banjo - GDGBD tuning - capo 2nd fret, 5th string capo 7th fret for key of D (played out of a C chord) - also known as "The Aldridge" or "The Wrexham."

ROCKY TOP - Instrumental version of "Rocky Top" written by Felice & Boudleaux Bryant in1967 and made popular by the Osborne Brothers - played on the 5 string banjo - GDGBD tuning - capo 4th fret, 5th string capo 9th fret for key of B.

RUEBEN - Classic Earl Scruggs tune "Reuben" - sometimes known as "Reuben's Train" - played on the 5 - string banjo - D tuning - (F# - D - F# - A - D).

SAILOR'S HORNPIPE - Popular hornpipe - "Sailors Hornpipe" played on the 5 string banjo - GDGBD tuning - also known as "The College Hornpipe" and "Jack's the Lad".

SALT CREEK - A favourite bluegrass tune Salt Creek - GDGBD tuning, capo 2nd fret, 5th string capo 7th fret for key of A.

SHADY AND THE TRAMP - Original tune on 5 string banjo - standard tuning GDGBD - no fingerpicks (I had to keep the noise down!).

SHAKE THE SHED - Original composition "Shake The Shed" - played on the 5 string banjo - GDGBD tuning. - MP3 Downloads available at http://www.davehum.com (© Dave Hum 2005. All rights reserved) - This tune is in memory of a friend who offered to build a shed I had bought at the time - it came as a flatpack so he got to work constructing it - when it got to putting the final part on which was the roof, something wasn't quite right - it was too small - he had used the actual roof sections for the floor then built on that - so he was left with the floor to put on the roof ! - (He was a qualified labourer as well !) - aah well, we all make mistakes and learn from them so it's not such a bad thing - only thing is the roof leaked after a bodge job - I composed many a tune in that shed and this is one them.

SHENANDOAH BREAKDOWN - Shenandoah Breakdown - bluegrass instrumental - played on the 5 string banjo - GDGBD tuning - capo 2nd fret, 5th string capo 7th fret for key of A.

SHOVE THE PIG'S FOOT A LITTLE CLOSER TO THE FIRE - "Shove That Pig's Foot A Little Closer To The Fire" - played on the 5 string banjo - GDGBD tuning - The "pigs foot" in the title refers to a kind of poker used in blacksmithing, or more commonly to move the fuel around in a hearth or wood stove. The tune comes originally from western North Carolina fiddler Martin Marcus - Thanks to Don Borchelt (great banjo player) for this info and inspiration to learn this tune - Also known as "Ruby With The Dancing Eyes".

SMOKE BEHIND THE CLOUDS - Old Time tune "Smoke Behind The Clouds" - played on the 5 string banjo - GDGBD tuning.

SOLDIER'S JOY - Popular old folk tune "Soldier's Joy" played on the 5 string banjo - GCGBD tuning, Also known as "The King's Head" - "French Four" - "The Clap Dance" - "The Gower".

SOUTHERN FLAVOR - A photo montage of days busking with my banjo - to the tune "Southern Flavour" from my second solo album "Celtic and Bluegrass 5 String Banjo Vol. 2" - Southern flavour is a classic Bill Monroe tune - I play all the parts and the banjo is GDGBD tuning - capo 2nd fret for key of E minor.

SOUTHERN FLAVOUR - A photo montage of days busking with my banjo - to the tune "Southern Flavour" from my second solo album "Celtic and Bluegrass 5 String Banjo Vol. 2" - Southern flavour is a classic Bill Monroe tune - I play all the parts and the banjo is GDGBD tuning - capo 2nd fret for key of E minor - (5th string capo 9th fret).

SPEED THE PLOUGH - An arrangement of Speed The Plough, a traditional British Isles Reel, played on the 5 string banjo - GDGBD tuning, capo 2nd fret, 5th string capo 7th fret for key of A.

SPORTSMAN'S HORNPIPE - English hornpipe fiddle tune "Sportsman's Hornpipe" - played on the 5 string banjo - GDGCD tuning - capo 2nd fret, 5th string capo 7th fret for key of A minor - also known as "Oldham Sportsman" or "The Sportsman".

STAR OF MUNSTER - Irish Reel - Star Of Munster - played on the 5 - String Banjo - GDGCD tuning - capo 2nd fret, 5th string capo 7th fret for Key of A minor.

TAM LIN (The Glasgow) - An arrangement of this traditional reel "Tam Lin" also known as "The Glasgow" - played on the five string banjo - ADGBD tuning - key of D minor.

TAM LIN - A photo montage of a day busking in Bath 2009 - the tune is featured on my second solo album "Celtic and Bluegrass 5 String Banjo - Vol. 2" - An arrangement of this reel "Tam Lin" - also known as "The Glasgow" and "Howling Wind"- played on the five string banjo - ADGBD tuning - key of D minor.

TEMPERANCE REEL - Traditional Irish reel "Temperance Reel" - also known as "Teetotaler's Fancy" or "Road to Newbridge" - played on the 5 string banjo - GDGBD tuning for key of G.

THOSE MAGNIFICENT MEN IN THEIR FLYING MACHINES - Theme tune from the 1965 British comedy film - played on the 5 string banjo - GDGBD tuning - capo 2nd fret, 5th string capoed 7th fret for key of A.

TIMOUR THE TARTAR - Traditional Irish Reel - "Timour the Tartar"- also known as "Peter Street" - played on the 5-string banjo - GDGBD tuning - capo 2nd fret, 5th string capo 7th fret for key of A.

THE CROW - Steve Martin's tune "The Crow" played on the 5 - string banjo - GCDCD.

THE LARK IN THE MORNING - Irish Jig - "The Lark in the Morning" - played on the 5-string banjo - GDGBD tuning - Capo 2nd fret, 5th string capo 7th for key of E. Usually this tune has four parts, here I am only playing the first two parts then adding a D flat minor variation - This tune is also known as "Ha'penny Bridge" - "Father Kelly's" and "Kelso Races".

THE LILTING BANSHEE - Irish Jig - "The Lilting Banshee" - played on the 5 string banjo - GDGCD tuning - capo 2nd fret, 5th string capo 7th fret - for key of A minor - also known as "Ryan's Favourite" - "The Miller of Glanmire" - "Wail of the Banshee" - "The Sligo."

THE MATHEMATICIAN - Scottish hornpipe "The Mathematician" composed by fiddle player Scott Skinner - played on the 5 string banjo - GDGBD tuning for key of G - more info on Scott Skinner here: http://www.mustrad.org.uk/articles/skinner.htm.

THE MERRY BLACKSMITH - Irish reel "The Merry Blacksmith" played on the 5 string banjo - GCGCD tuning - capo 2nd fret, 5th string capo 7th fret for key of D.

THE TRAVELLER - A photo slideshow to a traditional Irish reel "The Traveller" - also known as "Walker Street" - with modulations and embellishments, played on the 5 string banjo - GDGBD tuning - capo 2nd fret, 5th string capo 7th fret for key of A.

THEME FROM "THE THIRD MAN" - A more recent arrangement of the theme tune from the movie "The Third Man" (sometimes known as The Harry Lime Theme) played on the 5 string banjo - GDGBD.

TOBIN'S JIG - Irish Jig "Tobin's Jig" - played on the 5 string banjo - GCGCD tuning - capo 2nd fret, 5th string capo on 7th fret for key of D - with improvisations - Also known as "The Mug Of Brown Ale" - "Tobin's Fancy" - "Tobin's Favorite."

THE OLD SPINNING WHEEL - Old Time mountain song "The Old Spinning Wheel" - played on the 5 string banjo - GDGBD tuning - key of C - with improvisations.

TRIPPING UP THE STAIRS - Popular Jig "Tripping Up The Stairs" played on the 5 String Banjo - GCGCD tuning - capo 2nd fret, 5th string capo 7th fret for key of D - Also known as "The Evesdropper" - "Plains Of Kilkorkery," and the "Pride Of Kildate."

TWIN SISTERS - I learned this tune after listening to an Old Time clawhammer banjo CD by a great player called Reed Martin (ref: Sydna and Fulton Myers - "Twin Sisters" ) - Though I am playing "2 finger style" with picks on - playing in the key of A rather than G - capo 2nd fret, 5th string capo 7th fret - GDGCD tuning - I've also added a couple of sections to play over some modulations.

WHISKEY BEFORE BREAKFAST - Irish Reel - "Whisky Before Breakfast" - played on the 5 string banjo - GCGCD tuning, capo 2nd fret, 5th string capo 7th fret for key of D.

WHISKEY BEFORE BREAKFAST - Old Time tune - Whisky Before Breakfast - Reel played on the 5 string banjo - GCGCD tuning, capo 2nd fret, 5th string capo 7th fret for key of D.

WHISNANT'S RAG - Ragtime tune "Whisnant's Rag" written by Johnny Whisnant - played on the 5 string banjo - GDGBD tuning for key of G.

ZARANA - "Zarana" - played on the 5 string banjo - GDGBD tuning - This is an English tune composed by the famous banjo player & composer Joe Morley 1923.

ADDITIONAL NOTE: I originally made a music website to promote my first and foremost love, which is and always be the steel guitar! C6th is the most popular lap steel tuning used in Americanized Hawaiian music (e.g., Beyond The Reef, Lovely Hula Hands, Sweet Leilani, My Yellow Ginger Lei and other classic songs). I also have a love for ALL stringed instruments. I play ukulele, guitar, banjo and am now learning the lute and stringed harp. Cool stuff! Next to steel guitar, banjo is my favorite! Dave Hum inspires me on the banjo, as does Jerry Byrd (1920-2005) on the lap steel, and Lloyd Green (born 1937) on pedal steel! I am happy to make this new banjo blog!

Dave Hum (1966-2012)

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