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. It's important that you watch the video from which I made the backing track, so that you will know how the song is arranged. They play one verse as the intro, and then repeat the ending, and then they play the first verse of the song. I put a noticeably loud piano chord after the intro, to help you know where the second ending begins, and then the first verse of the tune shortly follows. This is a great Gospel song to jam on the 5-string banjo. I made backing tracks in both the keys of G and A for your preference. Enjoy!

• Learn To Play 'I'll Fly Away' On The 5-String Banjo (by Eddie Collins)
• 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 gauges: 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 Deering banjos seem to sound more resonant with lighter gauge strings, but the thicker strings tend to sound better for single note playing. So, there's a trade off. Personally, I prefer thicker strings, so I compromise by choosing a gauge somewhere in the middle. Dave Hum used heavy gauge strings on his Gibson ESS (low to high: 12, 24, 16, 12, 12).

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

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)

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)

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)

A New Backing Track For “Shuckin' The Corn”

This is a very popular Bluegrass song, "Shuckin' The Corn." The song was made famous in 1957 when Earl Scruggs and Lester Flatts recorded it on their Foggy Mountain Jamboree album. Dave Hum recorded this song in the key of G. I made backing tracks in the keys of G and A for your preference. Enjoy!

• Shuckin' The Corn (key of G, faster)
• Shuckin' The Corn (key of G, normal)
• Shuckin' The Corn (key of G, slower)
• Shuckin' The Corn (key of G, slow)
• Shuckin' The Corn (key of G, woodshed)
• Shuckin' The Corn (key of A, faster)
• Shuckin' The Corn (key of A, normal)
• Shuckin' The Corn (key of A, slower)
• Shuckin' The Corn (key of A, slow)
• Shuckin' The Corn (key of A, woodshed)

I used MIDI for bass, piano and drums. I added a real audio Cajon with a shuffle beat. As always, I use MixCraft Pro Studio software to make my backing tracks.

Dave Hum (1966-2012)

A New Backing Track For, “The Boys Of Malin”

Here's another interesting song that Dave Hum recorded, “The Boys Of Malin.” He plays this tune in standard tuning, key of A. You'll need to capo the 2nd fret, and also the 7th fret on string five. I humbly think Dave's original backing tracks are much better than mine. Thankfully they are still available from his family on their website. Tabs are also available for “The Boys Of Malin.”

• The Boys Of Malin (key of A, normal)
• The Boys Of Malin (key of A, slower)
• The Boys Of Malin (key of A, slow)
• The Boys Of Malin (key of A, woodshed)
• The Boys Of Malin (key of G, normal)
• The Boys Of Malin (key of G, slower)
• The Boys Of Malin (key of G, slow)
• The Boys Of Malin (key of G, woodshed)

I used MIDI for the bass and drums. I also added an audio loop kick drum, Cajon and shaker. I'm playing my Eastman 505 CC mandolin and Cort acoustic guitar. This backing track was a bit more difficult to make. The bass notes are difficult to hear in some parts of his YouTube video, but I think I got it all right. It's  great song to learn and play, like all of Dave's music. I was working on Mason's Apron last night, which is one of my favorite songs that he does. Enjoy!

Dave Hum (1966-2012)

New Backing Track For “Ballad Of Jed Clampett”

'The Ballad of Jed Clampett' is the theme song for the popular 1970's television series: The Beverly Hillbillies. The song was composed by Paul Henning and recorded first by Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs in 1962. This was the first song I ever heard Dave Hum play in 2018, and it was so beautiful the way he played it (starting at 48 seconds into the song) that I literally cried. I had never heard anybody play the banjo that way before. I used Dave's recording as a template to make my backing track to share with everyone. I've made backing tracks in both the keys of A and G (Dave plays the song in A). I love this popular Bluegrass song. Enjoy! ...

1. Ballad Of Jed Clampett PDF Tablature (by Richard Van Patten)
2. Ballad Of Jed Clampett (video lesson with tabs by Ted Nesbitt)
3. Ballad Of Jed Clampett (video lesson by Jim Pankey)
4. Ballad of Jed Clampett (video lesson with tabs by Mason Crone)
5. Ballad Of Jed Clampett (key of A, faster)
6. Ballad Of Jed Clampett (key of A, normal)
7. Ballad Of Jed Clampett (key of A, slower)
8. Ballad Of Jed Clampett (key of A, slow)
9. Ballad Of Jed Clampett (key of A, woodshed)
10. Ballad Of Jed Clampett (key of G, faster)
11. Ballad Of Jed Clampett (key of G, normal)
12. Ballad Of Jed Clampett (key of G, slower)
13. Ballad Of Jed Clampett (key of G, slow)
14. Ballad Of Jed Clampett (key of G, woodshed)

I used a MIDI bass and piano. I always use MixCraft pro studio software to make my backing tracks, which is easy to use. The tambourine and shaker are audio loops of real instruments.

Sean Ray sells tabs with backing tracks for this song and many more.

I encourage you to visit Bill Nesbitt's website. He is a great teacher and a nice guy. I really like Bill's arrangements, which make good sense musically (i.e., the way the music flows). I've never liked Ben Clark's arrangements, they irritate me. I had paid for 6 months of his Gold Pick Members online club back in 2018, but I don't like the way he tabs his arrangements, it doesn't vibe with me. I think Bill is extremely practical in his banjo picking logic, and you'll learn much faster from him in my humble opinion. You'll see what I mean if you follow along with his YouTube videos and see how he articulates his songs. Good stuff Mikey!

Dave Hum (1966-2012) With His 1992 Gibson ESS Banjo