Banjo Heaven: February 2025

Friday, February 28, 2025

A New Backing Track For “I'll Fly Away”

This is a Gospel favorite called, "I'll Fly Away" originally done in the Key of G. I used a YouTube recording by the “Backwoods Bluegrass Band” as a template. I made backing tracks in both the keys of G and A for your preference. Enjoy!

I'll Fly Away (Key of A, normal)
I'll Fly Away (Key of A, slower)
I'll Fly Away (Key of A, slow)
I'll Fly Away (Key of G, normal)
I'll Fly Away (Key of G, slower)
I'll Fly Away (Key of G, slow)

I used MIDI bass, drums and piano. I also added some MIDI Rhodes keyboard padding. There's a real audio loop cymbal at the end, and a real audio loop shaker for each chorus.

New Strings And A Railroad Spike On My Deering Calico

On a different note, I just bought some D'Addario banjo XT strings, medium guages: 10, 12, 16, 23 wound and 10 (fifth string). I bought this set of strings because D'Addario advertises that they stay in tune 131% better than regular strings, and for a banjo player staying in tune is a continual challenge. I wanted to try the stainless steel 9.5 to .20, but they are unavailable. My Deerings banjos seem to sound more resonant with lighter gauge strings. The thicker strings tend to sound better for single note playing.

I felt ambitious this evening, so I got out my Dremel tool and with a 1/32" drill bit I installed a railroad spike on my Calico banjo for the 7th fret of the fifth string. I was a bit nervous drilling a hole into a $4,436 banjo, but it came out well, praise the Lord. The key is to plan your work carefully and go slow. I wrote a blog with some tips on installing spikes, after completing my Deering Golden Era a couple months ago. I took some photos of my finished work on the Calico tonight. ...

I Installed a Railroad Spike on My Deering Calico

Friday, February 21, 2025

A New Backing Track For “Flop Eared Mule”

This is another one of my favorite songs to play on the 5-string banjo, titled: “Flop Eared Mule.” It's a fiddle tune from the United States, popular with dances. I used Dave Hum's YouTube recording as a template for my backing track. Dave recorded the song in the key of A, standard tuning. You'll need to capo the 2nd fret, and the 7th fret on the fifth string. I have also made backing tracks in the key of G for your preference. Enjoy!

Flop Eared Mule (key of A, normal)
Flop Eared Mule (key of A, slower)
Flop Eared Mule (key of A, slow)
Flop Eared Mule (key of A, woodshed)
Flop Eared Mule (key of G, normal)
Flop Eared Mule (key of G, slower)
Flop Eared Mule (key of G, slow)
Flop Eared Mule (key of G, woodshed)

I used MIDI for the piano, bass and drums. I used a real audio loop for the shakers and cymbals. I have difficulty playing this song at normal speed. I usually play along with the slow speed track. Once I've spent 30 minutes or so refamiliarizing myself with the song (and warming up my fingers), then I can move to the slower track. The chorus is a bit tricky, jumping quickly to the 4th fret of the 1st string with your left hand, but it gets easier with practice. You're hitting the 5th string in between notes, so that gives you time to move your hand quickly to the 4th fret of the 1st string. You'll see what I mean when you try to play the chorus.

As far as the improvisations that Dave Hum does in the song, wow, I love what he played! He does some great exteneded melodic runs. It's not difficult to play once you've played through it several times slowly. I recommend that you slow the YouTube video down to 25% speed and then follow it note by note to learn the song. I really enjoy playing this song.

Dave Hum (1966-2012)

Friday, February 14, 2025

A New Backing Track For “The Old Home Place”

This is a popular Bluegrass tune, especially for Dobro players. I purchased Jimmy Heffernan's Dobro song lessons, one of which is: “The Old Home Place.” So, I thought I'd make a backing track for it. Jimmy only tabs out and explains how to play the first part of the song, but he doesn't explain how to play the chorus for some reason. I was able to figure it out on my own. I used Ricky Scagg's performance of the song as a template.

I am also a member of the Reso Hangout (Dobro) and the Mando Hangout (mandolin). But those forums are about one twentieth as popular as the Banjo Hangout. That's where I learned about lessons from Jimmy Heffernan (who is a professional Nashvile musician).

Last year I was fortunate to buy a Gold Tone solid mahogany body Dobro with a Nashville pickup installed, which I was very pleased with out of the case. I purchased it directly from Gold Tone. It sounds much nicer than my Gretch Boxcar G9200 Dobro, although that is a fine instrument too for one fourth the price (that's the only Dobro that Patrick Agius plays). Enjoy!

The Old Home Place (key of A, faster)
The Old Home Place (key of A, normal)
The Old Home Place (key of A, slower)
The Old Home Place (key of A, slow)
The Old Home Place (key of G, faster)
The Old Home Place (key of G, normal)
The Old Home Place (key of G, slower)
The Old Home Place (key of G, slow)

I used MIDI for bass and drums. I'm playing my Eastman 505CC mandolin and Cort acoustic guitar. I added a real audio loop cymbal at the end. I use MixCraft Studio Pro to record my songs.

Dave Hum (1966-2012)

Friday, February 7, 2025

A New Backing Track For “Bluegrass Breakdown”

This is a nice upbeat tune. “Bluegrass Breakdown” is a classic instrumental Bluegrass song written and recorded by the legendary Bill Monroe. It was first released in 1947 and has since become one of Monroe’s most popular musical compositions. Dave Hum never recorded this song, but it's well worth the time to learn and play. To quote Dave's motto: So many tunes, so little time. I enjoy how the song keeps alternating between the F and C chords. I made backing tracks in both the keys of G and A for your preference. Enjoy!

Bluegrass breakdown (key of A, faster)
Bluegrass breakdown (key of A, normal)
Bluegrass breakdown (key of A, slower)
Bluegrass breakdown (key of A, slow)
Bluegrass breakdown (key of G, faster)
Bluegrass breakdown (key of G, normal)
Bluegrass breakdown (key of G, slower)
Bluegrass breakdown (key of G, slow)

I used MIDI for bass and drums. I'm playing my Cort acoustic guitar and Eastman 505CC mandolin for chord padding. This song uses the chords of C, D, F and G.

Dave Hum (1966-2012)

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The "Double C Tuning" is so happy and pretty to learn and play. I enjoy this tuning a lot. It has a natural feel to it. Here are some basic chord positions to familiarize yourself with it. Dave Hum loves this tuning and I see why. You simply raise your 2nd string from a B to a C, and lower your 4th string from a D note to a C (hence, "Double C Tuning"). Below is a list of Dave Hum's songs in this wonderful tuning. I encourage you to try it!

“When you practice slow, you learn fast.” —Barry Hunn, Deering Banjo Company

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.

BUY 115 OF DAVE HUM'S ORIGINAL BACKING TRACKS

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, February 28, 2025

A New Backing Track For “I'll Fly Away”

Friday, February 21, 2025

A New Backing Track For “Flop Eared Mule”

Friday, February 14, 2025

A New Backing Track For “The Old Home Place”

Friday, February 7, 2025

A New Backing Track For “Bluegrass Breakdown”

5 String Banjo Instruction [1967] - Earl Scruggs

Wikipedia

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