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Some of you may wonder how this one ended up in the “tune” – and not “song” – of the week series. In other words, why am I not singing this one?

Most familiar with this American standard will know that it has words, and you may even know how to sing them.

But that’s because what you hear today is the “fiddle tune” version of this popular melody.

(RELATED: For all the clawhammer banjo fans who’ve been contemplating a foray into the fiddle, now’s your chance! Brainjo has just launched “Fiddle for All,” a complete step-by-step course for learning old-time fiddle based on the Brainjo Method of instruction. Click here to learn more about “Fiddle for All”.)

You see, some of our traditional fiddle tunes were originally composed on the instrument, for the instrument.

Others, however, are adaptations – popular songs transformed into fiddle tunes. If those transformations catch on, they can take on a parallel musical life of their own.

“The Yellow Rose of Texas” is one such adaptation. While this melody was originally written with lyrics, and first published in the 1850s, the rendition you hear today is typically played unadorned. This would also explain it’s setting in the key of D, which makes it quite the vocal stretch for anyone in possession of the pitch-lowering properties of a Y chromosome.

 

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(NOTE: For those considering acquiring a Brainjo banjo, this one is played on a “Tommy” model. Click here if you’d like to learn more, or claim one in the next batch.)

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The Yellow Rose of Texas

aDADE tuning, Brainjo level 3

Notes on the Tab

Notes in parentheses are “skip” notes. To learn more about these, check out my video lesson on the subject.

For more on reading tabs in general, check out this complete guide to reading banjo tabs.

[RELATED: 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. Learn more about it here.

Click here for a current list of all the clawhammer songs and tunes currently available inside of The Vault

 

 

 

Click on the button below to get the PDF download for this tab delivered to you, and get 2 new tunes and tabs sent to you every week!

Click Here To Get The Tab

This entry into the Tune of the Week we Americans owe to our friends north of the border.

As the story goes, “Big John McNeil,” aka “John McNeil’s Reel,” a bright and peppy fiddle tune, was written by Scottish fiddler Peter Milne, but somewhere along the way enter into the Canadian traditional fiddling, where it became a standard that endures to this day.

Missouri fiddler Cyrill Stinnett, upon hearing it on the radio, was apparently the first to import it into the US fiddling tradition.

And voila, by the magic of intercerebral humanoid transmission, this intangible algorithm of organized sound known as “Big John McNeil” spread itself to the minds of 3 fiddlers in 3 countries, separated by a large body of water. Magnificent.

Let the intercerebral transmission continue.

5th String As Melody

Note here that with the 2nd note of the 4th measure, we’re using the 5th string as a melody note. While most commonly used in the service of drone and rhythm, finding these instances where an off beat melody note falls on the pitch of the 5th string is a useful thing to be on the lookout for, especially if you enjoy the challenge of including as many of the fiddle’s melody notes as possible.

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(NOTE: For those considering acquiring a Brainjo banjo, this one is played on a “Tommy” model. Click here if you’d like to learn more, or claim one in the next batch.)

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Big John McNeil

aEAC#E tuning, Brainjo level 3-4

Notes on the Tab

Notes in parentheses are “skip” notes. To learn more about these, check out my video lesson on the subject.

For more on reading tabs in general, check out this complete guide to reading banjo tabs.

[RELATED: 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. Learn more about it here.

Click here for a current list of all the clawhammer songs and tunes currently available inside of The Vault

 

 

 

Click on the button below to get the PDF download for this tab delivered to you, and get 2 new tunes and tabs sent to you every week!

Click Here To Get The Tab

Today’s selection is one of those rarities we purveyors of plunk particularly appreciate: a “fiddle tune” that seems like it was composed for the banjo.

Maybe that’s why fiddlers often refer to it by the name “Cabin Creek” – the name and tune originally sourced to fiddler Henry Reed – and banjo players by the name “Barlow Knife.”

I think you’ll find that its 3 part melody is not only an auditory delight, but also relatively easy to commit to memory. Furthermore, unlike a lot of fiddle tunes in G, it works out comfortably in standard G tuning (hence its status as a banjo tune disguised as a fiddle tune. Shhh…).

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(NOTE: For those considering acquiring a Brainjo banjo, this one is played on a “Tommy” model. Click here if you’d like to learn more, or claim one in the next batch.)

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Barlow Knife

gDGBD tuning, Brainjo level 3

Notes on the Tab

Notes in parentheses are “skip” notes. To learn more about these, check out my video lesson on the subject.

For more on reading tabs in general, check out this complete guide to reading banjo tabs.

[RELATED: 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. Learn more about it here.

Click here for a current list of all the clawhammer songs and tunes currently available inside of The Vault

 

 

 

Click on the button below to get the PDF download for this tab delivered to you, and get 2 new tunes and tabs sent to you every week!

Click Here To Get The Tab

“Why are fiddle tunes only played in a specific key?”

This is a question that often comes up when folks are first encountering the world of old-time fiddle tunes (which comprise a significant chunk of the traditional material played by clawhammer banjoists).

The short answer is that changing the key of a tune on the fiddle is usually not a trivial matter (for reasons beyond the scope of this discussion).

Furthermore, just like with clawhammer banjo, fiddlers often use certain tunings for specific keys. That is unlike the classical violinist, who plays everything out of “standard,” a.k.a. “Italian” (pronounced “eye-talian” for bonus old timey points).

And the two most common key-specific tunings the old time fiddlers use are for the keys of D and A. No coincidence that these happen to be the most common keys for old time fiddle tunes (though this does vary by region).

They key of G comes in close behind.

And in 4th place? The key of C, which is where we find this week’s tune “Rocky Pallet.”

Thus, you’ll note here we’re playing out of double C tuning (fortunately, we banjo players can simply slap on a capo to move between double C and double D tunings).

You can thank the Skillet Lickers for establishing that standard, as their recording of it in 1927 is considered the original source.

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(NOTE: For those considering adding a Brainjo banjo, this one is played on a “Hobart” model. Click here if you’d like to learn more, or claim one in the next batch.)

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Rocky Pallet

gCGCD tuning, Brainjo level 3-4

Notes on the Tab

Notes in parentheses are “skip” notes. To learn more about these, check out my video lesson on the subject.

For more on reading tabs in general, check out this complete guide to reading banjo tabs.

[RELATED: 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. Learn more about it here.

Click here for a current list of all the clawhammer songs and tunes currently available inside of The Vault