Banjo Heaven: New Backing Track For “Jig Runrig” & “Wee Todd”

Friday, April 11, 2025

New Backing Track For “Jig Runrig” & “Wee Todd”

These are two Scottish jigs by Fergie MacDonald: “Jig Runrig” and “Wee Todd,” played on the 5-string banjo with improvisations. This is a tremendous song to learn and play in standard tuning (gDGBD tuning - capo 2nd fret, 5th string capo 7th fret for keys D then A). I used Dave Hum's performance on YouTube as a template. This was a tedious song for me to make, because of the complicated bass lines, jig rhythm and extensive piano parts. It took me about 12 hours over 3-days to complete the backing track. I also tabbed out the song “Jig Runrig” as Dave Hum played it. What a tremendous tune! Enjoy!

Jig Runrig Tabs (.pdf tabs)
Jig Runrig Tabs (TablEdit tabs)
Jig Runrig & Wee Todd (Normal, Key of A)
Jig Runrig & Wee Todd (Slower, Key of A)
Jig Runrig & Wee Todd (Slow, Key of A)
Jig Runrig & Wee Todd (Woodshed, Key of A)
Jig Runrig & Wee Todd (Normal, Key of G)
Jig Runrig & Wee Todd (Slower, Key of G)
Jig Runrig & Wee Todd (Slow, Key of G)
Jig Runrig & Wee Todd (Woodshed, Key of G)

I'm using MIDI bass, piano padding, piano chords, drums and sticks. I also used a real audio tambourine, cymbals, djembe, and then a kick drum (for the intro). I tried meticulously to recreate the extraordinary rhythm that Dave Hum did. Since he is using Reason software for his MIDI and then recording his audio files into Sonar, and I am using MixCraft, I simply don't have some of the sounds that he used. I tried Sonar but didn't like it. Plus, it costs $499, whereas MixCraft Studio Pro is only $149 (sometimes it's on sale for $99).

I love MixCraft because it is very user friendly. I have made all my Dave Hum style backing tracks using MixCraft. And once you purchase the program, it's yours for life. I have also purchased some percussive audio loop bundles (e.g., Drums On Demand) elsewhere online to use with MixCraft, which are invaluable. Even though I don't have the exact sounds that Dave Hum used, I always seem to find something that works well.

To be honest, I am not sure if Dave recorded his bass live or used MIDI. His bass playing has a texture in this song that I couldn't recreate. You can actually hear the bass strings being picked, a nice percussive sound which I couldn't recreate with MixCraft, or even by playing my bass. I am still learning. Albeit, I think the backing track overall came out very nice. Artists are always most critical of their own work, and that is certainly true of me too.

Dave is such an incredible inspiration to me. I have kept in touch online with his wife, Mel, for the past couple years and she is a very sweet lady. I cannot thank her enough for making Dave's backing tracks available to the banjo world. If you haven't purchased them yet, I highly recommend buying all of his backing tracks. They're pricey, about $12,50 a piece, but when you consider all the several hundreds (if not thousands) of hours of hard work that Dave invested in making the 115 tracts that are available, it's a super great deal.

Dave's wife told me recently that there hasn't been much interest in his backing tracts. That is so sad. I know the economy is hurting right now, but it's a matter of priorities. I thank God that I don't smoke tobacco, drink booze or gamble on lottery tickets (I don't condemn those who do). That is why I have the extra money to buy things like Dave's backing tracks. I bought all 115 of the backing tracts and cherish them! The thing that makes Dave's banjo playing shine and come alive are his driving backing tracks. That is why I strongly encourage you to buy some of them. If you just buy one pack each month, you'll have all 12-packs in a year. The available backing tracks are 100% authentic—the same exact tracks that Dave plays along with in his public performances as seen on YouTube.

Having said that, I know that some of you guys don't have the extra money to purchase $1,400 worth of Dave's backing tracks. So, I have continued in the spirit of Dave Hum, making my own backing tracks to play along with, and gladly share all of them freely in this blog for the love and joy of making music and playing the banjo. The banjo is a happy instrument.

I recorded myself in August of 2024 playing along with Dave's backing track for Mason's Apron, one of my favorite songs. I used a Deering Golden Era banjo for this recording. The banjo had a bad buzz on fret one, so I returned it and bought a Deering Golden Wreath instead, which sounds very nice. I slowed the track down a bit to accommodate my slower speed. This is such a fun song to play. You can hear that I am trying to emulate some of the cool things that Dave plays. I wrote this blog to teach you how to play the captivating run-up that Dave does in songs like Mason's Apron and Speed The Plough. There is a technique to everything that Dave plays on the banjo. If what you are playing doesn't sound like what he is playing, your technique is likely wrong. Technique is how something is done.

Here is another favorite fun song that I recorded, called: “Green Gates.” I'm using my Deering Calico banjo for this recording. I have three Deering banjos: Calico, Golden Wreath and a Goodtime Special with a tone ring. They are all uniquely different. For sustain, the Calico wins hands down, but for recording I like the Golden Wreath; and believe it or not, the Goodtime Special sounds great for recordings, weighs 3 pounds less and is one very nice quality banjo for $1,100. Here is my recording of “Green Gates” played on my Deering Goodtime Special.

Here is my recording of “My Grandfather's Clock” played on my Golden Wreath banjo. These are all Dave Hum's backing tracks. It's hard to sound bad when you're playing along with Dave's rhythm tracks. I've been learning new things from Don Reno. He likes to strum pick a lot, which you can hear me doing quite a bit in this song. Gotta love banjo pickers! Check out Jason Skinner's YouTube channel. In the same way that I love and humbly try to emulate Dave Hum's artistry, so also does Jason skinner love and try to emulate Don Reno's playing.

Here is an invaluable FREE banjo course by Jason Skinner teaching the Don Reno style of playing. The course is 31-pages long. If you download the .pdf file to your computer, the interactive audio links will all work. On my computer, there was a message at the top of the page when I opened it, which said for security reasons the links were blocked. Simply click on “Options” and specify to trust the document and then the links will all work, so that you can hear Jason play the tablature. I love this Don Reno course!

Psalms 150:3, “Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp.” God bless you friend and THANK YOU kindly for reading my banjo blog.

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

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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 sound is in his hands, not the banjo! Dave uses his 1992 ESS Gibson in nearly all of his YouTube videos, but as you will see in this awesome song, “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. By the way, Dave's ODE banjo was made in Arkansas in the 1970's. No doubt he intentionally used the ODE made in Arkansas on the song “Arkansas Traveller.” Dave's widow told me that he later sold the ODE. Gotta love banjos!

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, April 11, 2025

New Backing Track For “Jig Runrig” & “Wee Todd”

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5 String Banjo Instruction [1967] - Earl Scruggs

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