Banjo Heaven: A New Backing Track For “Gaspe Reel”

Tuesday, May 21, 2024

A New Backing Track For “Gaspe Reel”

I had never been interested in reels, jigs and hornpipes until I found Dave Hum's music. Wow! He plays songs in an irresistible way that compels me to want to learn them on the banjo. Another one of my favorite songs Dave plays is Gaspe Reel. Dave plays three different picking patterns in this song, all fun to learn and play. I did my best to tab the song as Dave Hum played it in Double C tuning, Key of D (capo the 2nd fret, and capo the 7th fret on the fifth string). Enjoy!

Gaspe's Reel Tablature (TablEdit Tabs)

Gaspe Reel was composed by Erskine Morris, an old-time fiddler from Douglastown, Quebec. I recently paid a man $149 to make me a backing track for Gaspe Reel. I am giving it to you for free. The track is not bad. It's not quite what I wanted, but it's good. You might like it. Hear it for yourself. You can download and freely use this track any way you want. ...

I set out today to see if I could do better on my own, so here is my backing track for Gaspe Reel. As I often do, I used Dave Hum's YouTube video as a template to build my track.

Humbly said, I like my backing track better, but they are both helpful tracks to play along with. The disappointing thing is that I sent Dave's video of Gaspe Reel to the man at NicoBackingTracks.com and asked him to recreate the track, but what he made sounds like the Eagles...lol. Still, it's not bad. I'm not wealthy, but I really want some great backing tracks. It's a matter of priorities.

I am hoping that Dave Hum's family will make all 179 remaining backing tracks available for purchase. They're worth more than gold to me! I cannot share those of course with others, but the one's I make from scratch I will freely share. Dave's backing tracks are ten times better than anything I can make, but I'm trying to emulate the man's music genius. I recommend that you buy Dave's tracks from his family.

I checked around online and the going standard rate for making a backing track is $150. Goodnight in the morning! At first that may seem ridiculous. Since I have spent the time to make my own backing tracks, I know the time that goes into them, so I don't think it is unreasonable to charge someone $150 to make one, if it is a legitimate project. I think the guy who made Gaspe Reel for me sincerely did his best, so I just thanked him and said this was the only song I want to do. Everybody makes music differently, so I am appreciative for his time and effort. You may like his backing track better than mine. I am glad to freely share it with others.

Although $150 is a reasonable price in today's world, I simply don't want to pay that kind of money for just one backing track (nor can I afford it). I was thinking of all the stuff I could have bought at Home Depot for $149. If my memory serves correct, I paid a man $125 about ten years ago to make a backing track for the song Hawaiian Paradise. I wasn't too happy with the outcome of that one either. Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. Those are the only two songs I've ever paid anyone to make. I admit that I am curious about what other musicians can do to make backing tracks.

Also, I spent some time today learning to play my new used Cajon box from Amazon (I paid $88 for a used one that looks brand new), which you will hear in my Gaspe Reel backing track. I also bought a percussive instrument from Amazon called a Kandu, which you will also hear used in my Gaspe Reel track. I want to make Dave Hum style backing tracks. When I get better at it, I want to go back and add the Cajon box to Earl's Breakdown, which you can hear Dave use in his track (you can hear the Cajon box at 31 seconds in Dave's video).

I found anther man who has been making backing tracks for 30 years. I might pay him $150 next month to make me a backing track for Dave Hum's song Peeler's Jacket. But that would likely be my last purchased backing track for $150, because it's just too dang expensive. I love that song! If I do decide to have it made, I'll freely share it with everyone. Dave Hum's backing tracks are the exception for me, I'd gladly pay thousands of dollars to his family to have the remaining 179.

I feel connected to Dave since I have listened to his music regularly since 2018. He's like a brother to me. You know you've got something special when people want to hear someone's music again and again, and you never get tired of hearing it. Dave Hum's music is that good. There are three musicians who inspire me like that: Jerry Byrd (1920-2005), Lloyd Green (born 1937) and Dave Hum (1966-2012).

This song is played in Double C tuning, Key of D. So you'll need to use a capo on fret 2. I installed my own railroad spike on the 7th fret of my new Deering Goodtime Special. I ordered the spikes from StewMac and the micro hand drill and bits from Amazon. Jake from Banjo Ben Clark's store explains how to install the spikes. It's easy to do. In 2019 I bought my daughter on Guam a Recording King Madison with a mahogany body. I also installed a railroad spike on that banjo. Like Jake does, I prefer to install my spike under the 5th string. I've seen some spikes installed half way toward the 4th string, which I don't like.

I think my tabs are fairly close to what Dave played. The more that I work on this song, the more comfortable I am with it, and the easier it gets to articulate the pull-offs with my fingers. It's amazing how a song opens up to you once you get it into your brain, so you don't have to keep thinking what comes next.

I was watching Dave play Devil's Dream today. Someone walked up and put some money into his banjo case and made a comment. Dave replied with a cheerful, "Thank you," looking right at them with a smile, all the while still quickly playing Devil's Dream without missing a beat. Wow! That tells me he knows the song so well that he can instinctively play it while being distracted. I would have had to stop and miss a few beats...lol. My mother (1935-2001) used to play Gospel hymns on the piano so good, that she could carry on a conversation with someone while playing. That always amazed me!

I really enjoy playing this Irish tune, Gaspe Reel. Enjoy!

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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. Play along with his songs. I so much wish Dave's backing tracks were available. 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

Tuesday, May 21, 2024

A New Backing Track For “Gaspe Reel”

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5 String Banjo Instruction [1967] - Earl Scruggs

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