Clawhammer Banjo Tab of the Week: “Pig Ankle Rag”

Clawhammer Banjo Tune and Tab of the Week:
“PIG ANKLE RAG”

(RELATED: The tab-walkthrough for this tune is now available in the Breakthrough Banjo course, which you can now enroll in for FREE for 30 days. Click here to get started.)

For years, whenever someone asked me “You know any tunes about a pig’s ankle?” my answer was a sheepish no.

It ranked right behind Dueling Banjos in song requests.

And then one day, like a gift from above, it came wafting out of my car’s speakers.

The album was “Feed Your Babies Onions” by the Highwoods Stringband. The tune…”Pig Ankle Rag.”

Adapting the tune for clawhammer would become an item on my to-do list for several years thereafter.

Alas, I recently crossed it off my to-do list. And I should’ve done so a long time ago because it’s a blast to play!

Being a rag, it has its fair share of syncopation, and so you’ll find plenty of skip strokes and drop thumbs – hence the Brainjo level 4 designation.

(RELATED: If this tune is a bit beyond your current technical competence, don’t fret! Hundreds of Brainjo level 2 tabs and demonstrations are available in the Breakthrough Banjo Vault. Click here to check it out.)

Now you too can learn it so that the next time you’re asked whether you have tunes about pig’s ankles in your repertoire, you’ll be ready.

The Banjo Player’s Songbook contains over 50 classic banjo songs, and you can grab it for free. Click here to learn more.

“PIG ANKLE RAG”

aDADE tuning, Brainjo level 4

Need a refresher on how to read banjo tabs? Then click below to take the short quiz.

Many more tabs, plus step-by-step video tutorials for how to play them, are available inside the Brekathrough Banjo course, which is now FREE for 30 Days

Click here for a list of songs in The Breakthrough Banjo Vault.

NEW! The "Banjo For Adult Learners" Facebook Group

Click here or on the image below to join the “Banjo For Adult Learners” Facebook group. It’s a place to have conversations all about learning the 5-string banjo!