Some tunes grow on you with repeated listens. Others grab you the first time through.
Cherokee Shuffle is in the latter category. Which is probably part of why it’s become a “crossover” tune, equally likely to crop up in an old-time, bluegrass, or any other manner of traditional music jam setting. Great melodies have a way of doing that.
Some of you may know that Cherokee Shuffle is closely related to the tune Lonesome (or Lost) Indian, and the relationship between these two tunes is one of the most mindbending stories in all the land of old-time and folk music, which is saying a lot.
Not to mention that there are entirely unrelated tunes by the name “Lost Indian” wandering around (ouch, sorry).
Suffice to say that if someone calls out either of these in a jam, it’s best to first ask what key you’ll be playing it in, whether it’s the square or crooked version, and then remember that things are still likely to crash and burn before everyone gets on the same page.
All that said, whatever version you end up playing, it’s bound to sound pretty great in the end.
Here’s the tab:
Cherokee Shuffle
aDADE tuning, Brainjo Level 3
Notes on the tab
Alternate string hammer-ons: There are several alternate string hammer-ons in this arrangement, noted where you see a number underneath tab with a circle around it. The number represents the finger I typically use to execute the hammer-on.
Skip notes: The notes in the shaded box are “skip” notes, meaning they’re not actually sounded by the picking finger. Instead, you continue the clawhammer motion with your picking hand, but “skip” playing the note by not striking it (this is a technique used to add space and syncopation). The fret number you see in the shaded box is the suggested note to play should you elect to strike the string.
AJ3 says
November 22, 2014 at 12:42 pmJosh,
I like your new format with the tab included in the lesson. I know this tune but I am always intrusted in learning another way of playing a tune,.
Josh says
November 22, 2014 at 3:30 pmGreat, AJ – glad you like the format. Appreciate the feedback.
Kathy Frisbie says
November 22, 2014 at 1:03 pmHi Josh:
I love this tune and actually all your tunes.
What do the shaded boxes mean?
Thanks
Kathy
Josh says
November 22, 2014 at 3:33 pmThanks, Kathy. The notes in the shaded boxes are sometimes referred to as “skip notes”. They’re notes that I don’t actually sound with my frailing finger, even though I keep the frailing motion going. The note in the shaded box is the note that you could hit if you weren’t going to execute the “skip” stroke.
It’s a good technique for adding some space to an arrangement, and also one that can help add syncopation.
Larry Stephenson says
November 22, 2014 at 5:48 pmThanks again Josh. I look forward to your lesson each week. I totally enjoy playing my clawhammer banjo and find that my skills are improving as I learn each of the songs you present.
Josh says
November 22, 2014 at 6:46 pmExcellent, Larry – that’s great to hear!
carl says
November 22, 2014 at 5:56 pmgreat tune mate,ive been learning it in g tuning so i will give this one a go.also love the new format,thanks
Josh says
November 22, 2014 at 6:47 pmThanks, Carl – appreciate the feedback on the new format, too.
Don W says
November 22, 2014 at 10:41 pmThanks Josh for filling the void after the tune of the week went away on Hangout. Know it in G (A) and looking forward to learning it in C (D). Great pickin and production.
Josh says
November 22, 2014 at 11:31 pmThanks so much, Don.
Dan says
November 23, 2014 at 1:28 amJosh,
I’ve been listening to your tunes of the week for quite some time now, and your presentation of each one is of the finest. I love how you keep the traditional melodies alive, while making them extremely interesting and lively. As good as you obviously are, you still make them sound “do-able” for the amateurs like me. That is MUCH appreciated. I’ve learned a lot from your teaching!
I’d like to know what brand/model of banjo you have. It rings super clear and strong.
Thanks so much for all you do to help guys like me!
Dan
Josh says
November 23, 2014 at 2:31 amThanks, Dan, I really appreciate that. I love this music and these tunes so much that my primary aim is to present them in the best light possible. And I’ve never been one for technical flashiness just for the sake of it.
The banjo I’m playing here is a “one-off” banjo of sorts. It was put together by Dan Pennington, who makes block banjo rims. He made the rim (block maple), it has a Rickard tubaphone ring, and a neck made by Wyatt Fawley. It has a Moon bridge (medium weight) on it, D’Addario light strings, no-knot tailpiece, and a Remo Fiberskyn head. I think the tubaphone ring makes the largest contribution to the sound. I really like it, too – it’s the one I usually perform with.
Michael Deck says
November 24, 2014 at 8:56 pmJosh,
First, as many others have said, “Thanks.”
I am wondering how you are holding your banjo. It seems eerily stable in the absence of a strap.
Josh says
November 24, 2014 at 11:25 pmHaha. Well, I’ve realized that how I hold it tends to vary depending on the chair and the banjo I have. In this particular example, the pot is in my “lap” so to speak, so somewhat balanced between my legs. At other times I tend to rest the pot on my right leg, but in that instance I have to stabilize the banjo a bit more with my right forearm.
Spike says
March 27, 2017 at 10:51 amNohintg I could say would give you undue credit for this story.
Mike Landau says
November 24, 2014 at 10:04 pmJosh.
This arrangement of Cherokee Shuffle is marked as a ‘level 3.’ Does this indicate that it is a more complicated arrangement than the original published on the OTJ?
It seems to be a more interesting arrangement, especially the second part. Do you agree?
Josh says
November 24, 2014 at 11:30 pmHey Mike – good question. In general, the arrangements for the “Tune of the Week” series, which are presented as solo clawhammer, will tend to be a bit more intricate than the ones I play on the old-time jam. When playing in a jam or with a fiddler, what I play tends to be a little stripped down (not always). So yes, I’d say this version of Cherokee Shuffle is a bit more intricate, though still closely related to what I play on the OTJ, the main difference being in the B part. That said, I’d still consider both to be “Brainjo Level 3” arrangements based on the techniques involved.
colin says
November 25, 2014 at 2:05 pmsorry a bit thick here !! you have capo on 2nd fret, is that aDADE open then capoed ?
colin
Josh says
November 25, 2014 at 2:24 pmNot thick at all! The aDADE is with the capo on (so gCGCD on the open strings). If you didn’t want to use a capo, then you could tune the open strings to aDADE.
Chris Ivanovich says
November 28, 2014 at 11:36 pmJosh – I love your lessons. I’m a bluegrasser for 30 years, and have been recently venturing into the Dark Side and trying clawhammer. I have to say I, too, like the new format with the tab on the same page as the video.
I’ve only seen Cherokee Shuffle in bluegrass jams played in A. I’ve never been to an old time jam. Is D a common key for it, as well, or have you done your arrangement there for playability? It sounds GREAT. Keep it coming!
Josh says
November 29, 2014 at 5:15 pmHey thanks, Chris!
Now I warned you not to go down the Cherokee Shuffle/Lost Indian rabbit hole! With that said, you will more than likely hear Cherokee Shuffle played as an A tune in old-time jams, but without the crooked part. And you’ll hear Lost Indian as a D tune, also played straight. If it’s Cherokee Shuffle in D that’s called for, then you’ll likely be playing the crooked part. That said, that’s only a general rule, and it’s always best to ask what key and whether it has the crooked part before things get started 🙂
The nice thing about old-time jams is that you’ll typically stay in one key for a while; so if someone calls out “Cherokee Shuffle” and the last tune was in A, chances are it’ll be in A as well.
Still with me? Neither am I! 🙂
Chris Ivanovich says
November 29, 2014 at 9:20 pmAlright, check me if I’m wrong… Where’s the crooked part normally played? A part? B part? 1 measure, a half measure? I’ve only heard it straight and in A. And that means, it’s time to work it up in A. 😉
Josh says
November 30, 2014 at 12:01 amHey Chris – good question. Notice in the tab above that the B part has 10 measures. The stereotypical fiddle tune has 8 measures per section, so tunes that deviate from this structure are often referred to as “crooked”. So in this case, then, it’s the B part that’s crooked.
Chris Ivanovich says
November 30, 2014 at 1:32 amThanks for pointing that out. I guess I’ve only hard it that one way, so the crooked feeling wasn’t there for me. When I think of crooked tunes I think of a measure with and extra couple beats – Like the B part in Clinch Mountain Backstep. This is a great tune and I’m not getting enough of it.
Josh says
November 30, 2014 at 2:05 amYeah, this one is only mildly crooked 🙂 There are some crooked tunes I still can’t wrap my brain around.