Nope, your eyes aren’t deceiving you – that is not me in the video.
That’s right, this week we have a special guest for our Clawhammer Tune of the Week, none other than my good friend and musician extraordinaire, Adam Hurt!
Some of you may recall back in mid-June I alluded to a special project I’d been working on for Brainjo – one that I was very excited about, and that it had served as the inspiration for that week’s tune, Miss McLeod’s Reel (bonus points to anyone who figures out how this project inspired that tune!).
Well, I’ve been working feverishly on that project since then, and now I’m able to share the fruits of that labor with the first installment in “The Masters of Clawhammer Banjo” series. In this series, I’ll be mining the depths of a master player’s mind, providing a detailed analysis of a master’s journey and style of playing.
Adam is my first victim (and the ideal person to kick off this series), and this tune of the week celebrates the launch of the series.
The tune, “Bonnie Prince Charlie”, is one of 10 tunes he plays in the concert portion of the course, and it’s a killer arrangement. Just a few notes in and it’s clear that this is a master player in top form.
Each tune covered in the course is tabbed out as Adam plays it, and a slightly simplified Brainjo level 2 arrangement is also provided (both arrangements provided below). Furthermore, each arrangement comes with a tutorial video, with the tune played in tandem with the tab, along with close ups of Adam’s hand.
And I’ve provided the tutorial videos for both versions of “Bonnie Prince Charlie” as part of this week’s Tune of the Week (be sure to scroll down to see).
There’s lots more that’s part of the course – a 2 hour interview with Adam (“The Autopsy”), a video “dissection” of Adam’s style, a full concert album download, a book of 20 tabs, video tune tutorials, and a tune-by -tune technique analysis. There’s a wealth of knowledge here, and much to be gained for a player at any level.
And, in celebration of its launch, I’m offering a discount on the course for the next week. Just enter the coupon code “clawfan” at check-out for $20 off (if you’re a Breakthrough Banjo member, this is part of your course materials)
Click here to learn more about the course (including a video taking you through all the content).
Bonnie Prince Charlie
aDADE tuning, Brainjo Level 3-4
Notes on the tab:
Galax Lick: An arrow above a note in the tab means that note is to be generated using the Galax lick, in which the frailing finger picks multiple strings in succession (the lick is covered in detail as part of the Masters of Clawhammer course)
Skip notes: Skip notes are noted in the tablature is an empty stem. In this case, the picking hand continues in the clawhammer motion, but doesn’t strike the string.
Bonnie Prince Charlie Tutorial Videos (course excerpts)
Slow Speed
Performance Speed
And here’s the Brainjo Level 2 version of the tune:
Bonnie Prince Charlie
aDADE tuning, Brainjo Level 2
Level 2 Tutorial Video
Here again is the link to more about the “Masters of Clawhammer Banjo” course.
Don’t forget to use the coupon code “clawfan” when you check out to get $20.00 off.
View the Brainjo Course Catalog
Digging the tune and the hair!!
It is excellent hair!
On a more serious note, can we get a little background on the tune? It’s a fantastic piece, and no doubt Adam is truly a master. Love the whole concept too Josh. Love the sound of Adams banjo. I strive for notes as crisp and clear. Thank you for another great selection.
Josh – thanks so much for this course! Adam is an amazing talent; his version of Camp Chase was the inspiration for me to learn clawhammer banjo. I couldn’t be more pleased with your choice of Adam to start this series.
I agree – couldn’t have been a better person to kick off this series.
would have liked to see come play along guitar chords to go with it, love the tune, a bit haunting ….
It’s hard to miss the similarity of “Bonnie Prince Charlie” to “Sally in the Garden”. Many of the passages are the same or at least very similar
This is great, it’s so much like the way my teacher taught, but now she moved away (sigh!)–this is perfect for me to continue learning right on my own back porch!
Two questions: is there a way to print the tab?
And, if you sign up for the Masters of Clawhammer course, do you have access to all the course materials forever, or just for a limited time?
Thanks for putting this together!
Nancy
Hey Nancy – there’s no time limit on your access to the course materials. Log in anytime and they’ll be there for you!
And yes, you will be able to print the tab books (they’re downloadable PDF files).
Awesome tune and I love the play along tab as well,such a perfect way to learn. Thanks Adam and Josh. I would love if you would do a song called Brown Skin Blues for Tune of the week. by the great Hobart Smith. I don’t think he wrote it but I have wanted to learn that song for a long time now. thanks again so much!
Thanks, Roscoe – Hobart is one of my heroes!
Hey Josh,
You have outdone yourself. The Adam Hurt course is terrific. Excellent interviews – really nice to listen to what Adam has to say. The selection of tunes is a lot of fun. I haven’t gone through all of it yet, but I’m extremely pleased with it so far.
Thank you!
Steve P
Thanks so much, Steve – that’s really great to hear.
Hi Josh, just got a Capek clawhammer banjo. Loving it. Have been a 40 guitar player. I have the right hand down and can play Buffalo Gals, Old Joe Clark, Cluck old Hen and such. Ready to get it to the next level. Which course of yours would you suggest. Love the Bonnie Price Charlie arrangement.
Thanks,
Bradley
Hey Bradley – thanks for the question. Sounds like Breakthrough Banjo would be a great fit for you – I’ve recently restructured how it’s set up so that you can tailor it to your current ability level, and then progress from there.
Josh,
A lot of what makes a tune or song interesting is the background origins of the tune, the story line, or the background of the piece.
For example, until recently I envisioned a Mississippi Sawyer as someone in Mississippi with a sawmill or a couple of guys sawing planks from native Mississippi timber. After reading a book on the history of the Ohio River, I leaned that a “sawyer” was a large submerged tree with a large limb that bobs up and down, in and out of the water due to the forces of the current. Sawyers were the nemesis of river boat captains who feared running into one just as it emerged from the water and holed his riverboat.
I would like to see an encyclopedia of background on the old time tunes and songs where I could get a little more information about a tune I am learning. You do a great job of filling in this information on the Tune of the Week but I might have to search a good deal to find it. Having it all in one place would be really convenient.
Has anyone done such an encyclopedia?
What are your thoughts on this?