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Clawhammer Tune of the Week: “Polly Put the Kettle On”

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Some people call her Molly.

Some call her Polly.

Who’s right?

Turns out everyone is. This week’s tune first appeared in print around the turn of the 18th Century, one in London with “Molly” as the title character, one in Dublin with “Polly.”

The version played here is based largely on the fiddling of Tommy Jarrell, who used the latter moniker. Hence, so do I.

And there’s even a movie inspired by the tune, described as “a romantic drama of smiles and tears.”

There it is.

 


(NOTE: For those considering adding a Brainjo banjo, this one is played on a “Hobart” model. Click here if you’d like to learn more, or claim one in the next batch.)


 

Polly Put the Kettle on

aDADE tuning, Brainjo level 3-4

 

Notes on the Tab

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

The “Galax lick” appears in this tune in the 1st and 3rd measures, as indicated by the up arrow. For those unfamiliar with the technique, you’ll find a playlist of videos demonstrating this and other techniques in this article all about reading the tabs.

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

[RELATED: 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.

Click here for a current list of all the clawhammer songs and tunes currently available inside of The Vault

 

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

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