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These two selections, both songs part of the banjo tradition, and both with very different origin stories, highlight the rich reservoir of source material that’s part of the banjo tradition.
“Cuckoo’s Nest” has clear origins in the old world as a dance tune, dating to at least the earliest 18th century, and appearing in the Selection of Scotch, English, Irish and Foreign Airs, vol. 1.
“Deep Ellum Blues,” on the other hand, was first recorded by the Cofer Brothers in 1923 under the band name The Georgia Crackers. The title refers to a town in Dallas, Texas that was home to musical legends Blind Lemon Jefferson, Blind Willie Johnson, Lead Belly, and Bill Neely.
The title was originally “Deep Elm Blues,” but somewhere along the way “Elm” morphed into “Ellum,” presumably because singers found themselves in need of the extra syllable.
(RELATED: The walk-through tutorials for “Deep Ellum Blues” and “Cuckoo’s Nest” are both available now in the Breakthrough Banjo workshop archives. Click here to learn more about the tab-walkthrough videos).
(NOTE: For those considering acquiring a Brainjo banjo, the banjo played in these videos is a “Hobart” model. Click here if you’d like to learn more, or claim one in the next batch.
“CUCKOO’S NEST”
aDADE tuning, Brainjo level 4
“DEEP ELLUM BLUES”
gCGCD tuning, Brainjo level 3-4
Notes on the Tab In this arrangement, I’ve tabbed out the part I play in the banjo “solo,” as well as the vocal backup I play on the banjo while singing. Notes in parentheses are “skip” notes – to learn more about skips and syncopated skips, check out my video lesson on the subject. For more on reading tabs in general, check out this complete guide to reading banjo tabs.
The Banjo Player’s Songbook – a free bonus with Breakthrough Banjo
The BANJO PLAYER’S SONGBOOK is a collection of over 50 classic songs for banjo, with the lyrics, chord progressions, and melody banjo tabs for each.
Click here to learn more and to see the full song list.
PRIOR SONG OF THE WEEK EPISODES
- Episode 1: “Ain’t Gonna Work Tomorrow”
- Episode 2: “Gumtree Canoe”
- Episode 3: “Crawdad Hole”
- Episode 4: “Oh Susanna”
- Episode 5: “Freight Train”
- Episode 6: “Grandfather’s Clock”
- Episode 7: “Hop High Lulu”
- Episode 8: “Been All Around This World”
- Episode 9: “I’ll Fly Away”
- Episode 10: “Leaving Home”
- Episode 11: “Poor Orphan Child”
- Episode 12: “Mr. Tambourine Man”
- Episode 13: “Swanee River”
- Episode 14: “Big Sciota”
- Episode 15: “Roll In My Sweet Baby’s Arms”
- Episode 16: “Darling Corey”
- Episode 17: “Battle Hymn of the Republic”
- Episode 18: “America the Beautiful”
- Episode 19: “Bury Me Beneath the Willow”
- Episode 20: “Way Out There”
- Episode 21: “New Slang”
- Episode 22: “I Saw the Light”
- Episode 23: “Amazing Grace”
- Episode 24: “Blowin’ in the Wind”
- Episode 25: “Yankee Doodle”
- Episode 26: “Budapest”
- Episode 27: “Wildwood Flower”
- Episode 28: “Paradise”
- Episode 29: “Mountain Dew”
- Episode 30: “Blue Tail Fly”
- Episode 31: “Otto Wood”
- Episode 32: “Down on the Corner”
- Episode 33: “City of New Orleans”
- Episode 34: “Big Rock Candy Mountains”
- Episode 35: “Come to the Bower”
- Episode 36: “Old Kentucky Home”
- Episode 37: “Long Journey Home”
- Episode 38: “Dixie”
- Episode 39: “Hard Times”
- Episode 40: “Corrina Corrina”
- Episode 41: “She’ll Be Coming Round the Mountain”
- Episode 42: “Johnson Boys”
- Episode 43: “Bad Moon Rising”
- Episode 44: “Reuben’s Train”
- Episode 45: “Let the Mermaid’s Flirt With Me”
- Episode 46: “Rocky Top”
- Episode 47: “Groundhog”
- Episode 48: “Lazy John”
- Episode 49: “The Gambler”
- Episode 50: “8 More Miles To Louisville”
- Episode 51: “Who’ll Stop the Rain”
- Episode 52: “Pretty Polly”
- Episode 53: “You Are My Sunshine”
- Episode 54: “Old Molly Hare”
- Episode 55: “The Miller’s Will”
- Episode 56: “Walking Cane”
- Episode 57: “Feast Here Tonight”
- Episode 58 “Let Me Fall”
- Episode 59: “Little Birdie”
- Episode 60: “Train on the Island”
- Episode 61: “Handsome Molly”
- Episode 62: “Willie Moore”
- Episode 63: “Tom Cat Blues”
- Episode 64: “Big Eyed Rabbit”
- Episode 65: “Jimmy Sutton”
- Episode 66: “What Does the Deep Sea Say?”
- Episode 67: “Shortnin’ Bread”
- Episode 68: “Worried Man Blues”
- Episode 69: “Who Broke the Lock?”
- Episode 70: “Mole in the Ground”
- Episode 71: “Fireball Mail”
- Episode 72: “Nine Pound Hammer”
- Episode 73: “Wreck of the Number Nine”
- Episode 74: “Take Em Away”
- Episode 75: “Man of Constant Sorrow”
- Episode 76: “The Fox (went out on a chilly night)”
- Episode 77: “Goin’ Down That Road Feelin’ Bad”
- Episode 78: “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen”
- Episode 79: “I Heard the Bluebirds Sing”
- Episode 80: “Loch Lomond”
Level 2 arrangements and video demos for the Tune (and Song!) of the Week tunes are now available as part of the Breakthrough Banjo course.
Click here for a current list of all the clawhammer songs and tunes currently available inside of The Vault
View the Brainjo Course Catalog
