Clawhammer Song of the Week: “Grandfather’s Clock”

by Josh 42 Comments

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The song Grandfather’s Clock, composed by Henry Clay Work and published in 1876 to widespread acclaim (selling over a million copies of the sheet music), has extra sentimental value for me.

It’s one my grandmother (and mother) used to sing it to me, and is the first “favorite” song I ever had.

It’s also the first music recording I ever made, a solo vocal track on cassette at the age of 2.

And not only does it sound great on the banjo, it also gives you the opportunity to practice your chimes (see measure 29 below)!

Also known as harmonics, these can be played by resting your fretting finger lightly over the string at the 12th fret. They’re not that unusual in the world of bluegrass banjo, but are seldom employed by the clawhammerist.

Grandfather’s Clock

gDGBD tuning, Brainjo level 3

Notes on the Tab

In the tab above, you’ll note I’ve tabbed out both a “lead break” (something to play in between verses) and the “vocal backup” (what I play while I’m singing).

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

PRIOR SONG OF THE WEEK EPISODES

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.

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About the AuthorJosh Turknett is founder and lead brain hacker at Brainjo Productions

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Comments

eddie says
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Brill josh

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- Josh says
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  Thanks, Eddie!
  
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- Dave says
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  I don’t hear this song very often but it just happened to be playing on bbc radio ulster here in Belfast not 5 minutes before I checked my emails and found it as song of the week. Brilliant.
  
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Tom Sköld says
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Very nice. That tune was a hit on the radio here in Sweden in the late 1960s in a Swedish version with the title “Mårten Gås” (Martin Goose). The band that sang it were called the Hootenanny Singers. One of its members was Björn Ulvaeus by ABBA fame.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oS4V9JllYU8

Best,

Tom

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- Josh says
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  Oh my, that’s amazing!
  
  Do you know if “Martin Goose” was invented for this song, or is he a known fictional character of some kind?
  
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  - Tom Sköld says
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    Well, it’s kind of weird, there’s a day in November when people especially here in Skåne have a big goose dinner, called Mårten gås. So I guess the name comes from that, but the character in the song is entirely fictional, as far as I know, just a silly story about an oddball in Simrishamn who happens to get rich and then kills his wife and goes to prison.
    
    Reply
alain says
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Hello Josh,
is it possible to reset my password( I forgot it!!!)
Thanks a lot

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Victor says
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Well done, Josh! This was one of my boyhood faves too. Clearly, you have bounced back from your shocking adventure of last weekend. Will there be a level 2 version on the Breakthrough site? Because I will need to start with a simpler, slower version… that’s just where I am at.

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- Victor says
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  Oops… the Level 2 is already there. Thanks!
  
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  - Josh says
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    Ha, I was just responding to tell you that! Glad you found it.
    
    And yes, the rebuilding process is underway, and Brainjo will continue firing on all cylinders. 🙂
    
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Phill Everett says
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Pleased to see you back. Hope all your end well.

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Dorene says
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Josh, we so appreciate how you share your gifts with us all. I am so thankful your family and furry friends are safe and praying for a smooth recovery for you all. We play this tune fairly regularly at our local jam session it will be fun to have a bit of a break on it. I love to watch your hands fly over the frets! 🙂

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Mike Z says
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Thanks for adding that one Josh. As kids in school, we sang that one in music class ( I have the words memorized)

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jkmoran says
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Hi Josh, thanks for the new song and quick comeback! Song of the Week is a highlight for me and I didn’t expect you back for a awhile yet. Hope you and family are managing well.

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- Josh says
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  Thanks so much. It’s nice to get back into the routines. 🙂
  
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Eric Williamsone says
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This one is one of the best track I have ever heard. Thanks for sharing this. Great job!

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