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Clawhammer Tune and Tab of the Week: “Old Joe Clark”

May 1, 2016 by Josh 4 Comments

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!

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Old Joe has been patiently waiting in the wings for his time in the spotlight.

Alas, it’s finally his moment.

Of course, he’s had more than his fair share of attention. He’s a fixture at old time and bluegrass jams alike, and everything in between, with countless recorded versions by professional musicians.

So Joe was ok with sharing the stage for a while.

But this is one of those tunes that, if you’re caught with a banjo in your hands, you’re just kind of expected to know.

Melodically speaking, Joe isn’t all that complicated, which gives us a bit of space to play.

I like to play around with the rhythm a bit, inserting a healthy dose of syncopation, which means you’ll find a few “syncopated skips” sprinkled throughout.

Old Joe Clark

aEAC#E tuning, Brainjo level 3-4

old joe clark clawhammer banjo tab part 1

old joe clark clawhammer banjo tab part 2

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.

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 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. Tim says

    May 2, 2016 at 12:19 am

    Classic! Thanks

    Reply
  2. Mark Bliss says

    May 2, 2016 at 12:41 am

    A favorite that I most desire to conquer and make a part of my repertoire. In time.
    So glad you have chosen this, and though your interpretation is a bit “untraditional,” I totally dig it.
    No need to stick to the straight and narrow, this is a fun little tune!

    Reply
  3. Steve P says

    May 2, 2016 at 2:54 pm

    Could you please write sometime about how you think about playing an intro to a tune?… the measure or two before the tune begins is what I’m talking about.
    I’d like to get figure out how to formulate that lead-up to get the cadence and feel of the song where it needs to be from the get go. Do you have a method for what you play there?

    Reply
  4. Mike Landau says

    May 3, 2016 at 8:04 pm

    No doubt about it. The drop thumbing makes the tune alot more interesting. Makes it sound like so much more music is going on than just playing it ‘straight’ the way I was doing. Thanks for livening up a perrenial favourite!

    Reply

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