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There comes a time in many a downpicker’s life when he or she becomes curious about life on the other side of the tracks. The dark side.
I’m speaking of course about bluegrass banjo. It’s a natural curiosity. You already own a banjo, after all.
Of course, there are a few ways of taking such a trip. One is to go all-in, learning how to pick towards your face instead of away from it, your digits regally fashioned with shiny metallic picking implements.
(NOTE: if you want to go down that road, click here to check out the fingerstyle banjo course.)
Then there’s the subversive approach. The one where you deploy your old-timey guile and wit to blend so convincingly that nobody notices your hand is moving in an unauthorized direction!
In other words, to recreate the sounds of bluegrass banjo using clawhammer technique (a concept popularized by banjo player Mark “clawgrass” Johnson).
And there’s no better way to disguise yourself than as frailer in Earl’s clothing.
Bluegrass banjo is a unique animal in that the sound is still largely defined by one person, Earl Scruggs. Earl essentially created the language of bluegrass banjo, including the majority of its most classic licks.
Mimic those licks, and you’ll fool all but the most astute aficionados.
Earl’s solo on today’s Song of the Week, Fireball Mail, makes for an excellent source to begin your studies. You’ll note the frequent use of drop thumbs and skip strokes in the clawhammer tab, which are essential to recreating his highly syncopated sound.
In all seriousness, I think any banjo player, no matter which direction he or she plucks their strings, would benefit from both listening to and studying Earl’s playing. He’s not the most influential banjo player of all time by accident.
(RELATED: I recently covered these topics in “The Downpicker’s Guide to Bluegrass Banjo” workshop, , which included a review of how to imitate Earl’s most classic licks clawhammer style. The full workshop and accompanying handout is now available in the Breakthrough Banjo workshop archive).
FIREBALL MAIL
gDGBD 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.
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”
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
