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Clawhammer Tune and Tab of the Week: “Jaybird March”

September 12, 2015 by Josh 16 Comments

Click here to subscribe to the tune of the week (if you’re not already a subscriber) and get a new tune every Friday, plus tabs to all the ones to date.


I love riding my bike.

Not the hard-core-cycling-in-full Tour-de-France-worthy-regalia-on-lighter-than-air-rocket-grade frames  type of bike riding that seems to be the norm round where I live.

No, my favorite thing is just to take a relaxing ride on my well-worn cruiser bike through the neighborhood, maybe up to the local park and back. In fact, one of my goals in life is to one day be able to ditch the automobile altogether in favor of two-wheeled transport.

As you might imagine, I love to listen to music while I ride. And I’ve noticed that there are some tunes that are particularly well suited to bike riding.

Just as there are some songs tailor-made for flying 70(ish) miles per hour down the highway (I suggest “Paint It Black” by the Stones) on four wheels, there are others that serve as the perfect backdrop for casually gliding along the sidewalk on two.

A few days ago, I was listening to the “Black Banjo Songsters of North Carolina” album (highly recommended) while riding. The tune “Jaybird March” (aka “Marching Jaybird”) came into my earholes, played by the inimitable Etta Baker.

Perfect bike riding song.

I actually first heard this tune years ago off of Reed Martin’s landmark “Old-Time Banjo” album. I was so taken with it at that time that I had to learn it right away.

The tune was first recorded, on separate albums, by Etta Baker and her sister-in-law Lacey Phillips (their picking patterns vary a bit, but the essence of the tune remains the same). A little digging reveals that Etta learned it from her brother in law, by way of his father.

The tune is typically played fingerstyle, which was how I first learned it. And I don’t think I’ve ever heard a clawhammer rendition. But riding along listening, I could hear how nice it could sound with a downpicking delivery.

So guess what I did as soon as I got home?

The result: our Tune of the Week!

Jaybird March

gDGBD tuning, Brainjo Level 3

 

jaybird march clawhammer banjo tab

Notes on the tab:

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

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

And as a reminder, the introductory price on the “Masters of Clawhammer Banjo” episode with Adam Hurt will expire this weekend. Use the discount code “clawfan” at check-out for $20 off until then. Here again is the link to more about the course.

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

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Filed Under: banjo lessons, free banjo tabs, tune of the week

Comments

  1. Su Egen says

    September 12, 2015 at 2:48 am

    I absolutely love your arrangement of Jaybird March. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!!!!!

    Reply
    • Josh says

      September 12, 2015 at 2:56 am

      Thanks, Su! Such a fun tune – I could play ones like this all day.

      Reply
  2. Matthew says

    September 12, 2015 at 4:42 am

    That’s a beauty Josh, thank you!

    Reply
  3. Carlo says

    September 12, 2015 at 7:14 am

    Love this tune. Love that you’ve transcribed it into clawhammer for me. Thank you.

    Reply
  4. Mark Bliss says

    September 12, 2015 at 1:13 pm

    Lovely interpretation Josh! Very cool.
    I like that it is a simple yet lively pattern. Fun!

    Reply
  5. eddie fingers says

    September 12, 2015 at 1:18 pm

    very nice thanks josh

    Reply
  6. steve christopher says

    September 12, 2015 at 2:42 pm

    Always loved this tune Josh, great choice!!

    Reply
  7. Marcs4095 says

    September 12, 2015 at 3:05 pm

    Very nice!
    Progressing down the neck with the melody line reminds me of another Reed Martin favorite, Flop Eared Mule.

    Reply
  8. Pelu Maad says

    September 12, 2015 at 3:52 pm

    LOL…great arrangement…..lots of Taj in it…

    Reply
  9. Mike Landau says

    September 12, 2015 at 4:35 pm

    Bright, sparkling and surprisingly easy to play. Perfect!
    Thanks,
    Mike

    Reply
  10. Henrotte-Bois Thierry says

    September 12, 2015 at 4:46 pm

    Thanks Josh for this another great tune !
    I will try to play Jaybird March and biking on the same time …

    Reply
    • Josh says

      September 14, 2015 at 10:41 am

      Be sure to take a video if you end up pulling it off! 🙂

      Reply
  11. Mickael says

    September 14, 2015 at 7:18 am

    ah ah Music for cycling… excellent ! I love this tune and I will try to adjust my rpm pedaling to the beat/min of your tune but i’m afraid it will fairly higher that my maximum safe operating heart beat .
    I have a rule on my bike : If I can’t sing I go to fast! I have to slower before I can’t think ….

    Good cycling ride .

    Reply
    • Josh says

      September 14, 2015 at 10:40 am

      Haha, I like that rule!

      Reply
  12. Randall says

    September 21, 2015 at 11:49 pm

    Fun and energetic tune Josh, Got it stuck in my head. Well Done.

    Reply
    • Daniel Kislinger says

      November 10, 2015 at 10:54 pm

      Hello Josh,
      I have a tape of Etta Baker’s Jay Bird and always loved it. I worked out an arrangement by ear a number of years ago basically playing around the chords, but with not the range up the neck with the G chord or quite the nice timing that you have with it. Thanks for that. I never wrote it down so I forget it after awhile, but my fingers seem to remember once I hear it again. I seem to do better just hearing it and playing rather than trying to follow the tab too closely, although that seems to mean I never quite play it the same each time.
      Daniel

      Reply

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