Banjo Heaven: A New Backing Track For “Behind The Haystack & The Setting Sun”

Friday, June 28, 2024

A New Backing Track For “Behind The Haystack & The Setting Sun”

This is one of my favorite song mixes by Dave Hum, “Behind The Haystack & The Setting Sun.” They are both fun songs to play, especially The Setting Sun. Dave's family has tablature available for both of these songs and 39 more at their website. They also have this original backing track made and used by Dave. My tracks are inferior to Dave's. He's a constant inspiration for me to do better. I used Dave's recording as a template for my backing track. The song is done in standard tuning in the Kay of A. Use a capo on the second fret, and also on the 7th fret for the 5th string. Enjoy!

Behind The Haystack & The Setting Sun (faster)
Behind The Haystack & The Setting Sun (normal)
Behind The Haystack & The Setting Sun (slower)
Behind The Haystack & The Setting Sun (slow)

The bass is all MIDI (I like the Finger Bass in MixCraft). I also added a MIDI piano like Dave uses. I have an Akai MIDI controller (a small 25-key keyboard) that makes it easy to see what notes to enter. I played along tapping on a Cajon box to carry the rhythm a bit. Lord willing, if I can do better in the future I will revisit these older tracks and redo them. I think these came out pretty good, humbly said.

I must say that I am really impressed with the MIDI bass. After experimenting for the past few weeks, I have concluded that I don't need the MODO emulation plugin. Just a regular picked MIDI bass works fine. I do add some premade effect patterns within MixCraft though, which enhances the sound. For bass I always select the “Smooth & Warm” preset.

I have learned also that to prevent a distorted bass in the finished recording, it is best to keep the lower end of the Parametric Equalizer in MixCraft nice and low (well below the line). The bass notes are still full, but not overwhelming or distorted. This is why you've likely noticed that my backing track volume has been increasing, without a distorted bass. I'm starting to get the hang of this. And remember, Dave's family has tablature available for both of these songs and 39 more at their website.

This is a really great song combination to play. The banjo is a happy and cheerful instrument. Thank you for your continued interest in my music blog. Everything is FREE!

Steel Guitar Stuff

I also have a website dedicated to the Hawaiian steel guitar, which is my main instrument since 1992.

If you've never tried to learn to play the lap steel, I encourage you to give it a try. The sweetest sound this side of Heaven is the steel guitar. Here is one of my favorite heart-gripping Hawaiian steel guitar intros by Jerry Byrd (1920-2005). Wow, Jerry really made that old Bakelite Rickenbacker sound sweet. He's playing through a Fender Twin Reverb amplifier. Jerry played this concert at the Marriott Hotel at Waikiki, where I visited a few times myself. I personally met Jerry Byrd in 1993 in Winchester, Indiana, at their bi-annual Hawaiian Steel Guitar Convention. I had the privilege of shaking his hand and talking with him for a brief time. At the same event that day I also met Bud Tutmarc (1924-2006). Both Jerry and Bud were Christians, like myself, and I miss them dearly.

I bought both the short and long scale models of the Jerry Byrd Frypan steel guitars, similar recreations of Rickenbacker's original 1932 Frypans, which are highly coveted instruments today. The new ones are made in Japan. Jerry helped redesign the new Frypans, making them heavier (8 pounds) to avoid slipping off your lap. I bought the stand with my short-scale and regret that I didn't buy the stand with the long scale (the stand is about $400, but well worth the extra money, so you can stand up while playing). I prefer the short scale because the frets are closer together, making it easier to do bar slants. The longer scale has a sweeter tone, but the short scale sure is sweet too. Many banjo players also play steel guitar, since the two instruments share commonalities (using thumb and finger picks, rolls, pick blocking, trills, slides and harmonic techniques, et cetera).

You can learn everything you want to know about steel guitar in the Steel Guitar Forum, where I have been a member since 1997. Jerry Byrd (1920-2005) is my favorite Hawaiian Steel Guitar artist, and Lloyd Green (born 1937) is my favorite Pedal Steel Guitar artist. Lloyd was a highly sought after Nashville studio musician for over 25 years. He played on over 10,000 recordings. Lloyd is now 86 years old and still recording for the music subculture in Nashville who are trying to keep alive the dead Country music of yesteryear. I love the steel guitar!

About 15 years ago I bought a used 1936 Rickenbacher that looks similar to this guitar. I paid $900 for mine from a guy in Nine Mile Falls, Washington. The guitar didn't include a case, it came in Styrofoam. It has a sweet tone. Here is a photo of me playing it on Guam at Ypao Beach about 17 years ago. ...

I also have a 1953 Rickenbacker Bakelite. Both of my Rickenbacher steel guitars have Horse-shoe Pickups. They have a sweet tone that todays steel guitar don't have. I like my 1953 better because it also has a tone control. I originally came with black and white panels (aka, the Panda model). I removed the plates, sanded them, and repainted them silver). Bakelite is the same material used to make bowling balls. Pretty neat.

I am shocked how much prices have skyrockets on musical instruments over the past 15 years! I recently looked at a reissue of a 1965 black Emmons pedal steel guitar, which costs about $12,000 with tax. That's insane! I paid $2,500 for my new double neck Emmons' LeGrande in 1992. I sold it years later. My favorite pedal steels as far as tone are the old Pro-II Sho-Buds, but mechanically they are limited in what they can do. For someone with a very basic pedal/knee setup that would be fine, but you can forget about lowering strings 5 and 6 a whole tone.

On my S-10 Rittenberry (which I paid $3,000 for about 13 years ago) I lower strings 5 and 6 a whole tone on separate knee levers (which is what Tommy White does). As a general rule you should always buy NEW when getting a pedal steel, to avoid inheriting other people's headaches. Show-Pro is what I would recommend for a new pedal steel.

Also, Jackson Steel Guitars is a great choice, who are building the new Sho-Buds today. “Jackson” is named after Sho-Bud founder Shot Jackson. His family runs the company today. Interestingly, new pedal steels cost about the same as a high end Huber or Deering banjo. A pedal steel is MUCH more complicated and has hundreds of parts. Go figure! Personally, I think U.S. made banjos are WAY overpriced. And I thought milk was getting expensive...lol.

Look how nice this black pedal steel is with gold string rollers and hardware. Sweet! I simply cannot afford that insane price ($8,000 to $11,500, not including extra features, tax and shipping costs). I paid $11,500 for my 2013 Honda FIT in 2021. On Huber's website they have some vintage pre WWII Gibson banjos selling for $80,000 and $140,000. Great Jiminy Crickets, Batman! I'm not sure how much longer I can afford music...lol.

Here is one of my favorite steel guitar events recorded in 2002. Lloyd Green is seated on the left, and Grand Ole Opry session steel player Tommy White on the right. Good stuff!

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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

Friday, June 28, 2024

A New Backing Track For “Behind The Haystack & The Setting Sun”

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5 String Banjo Instruction [1967] - Earl Scruggs

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