Clawhammer Tune of the Week: “Wabash Cannonball”

Click Here To Get The Tab

 

If you know a song about a chicken, a song about whiskey, and a song about a train, then chances are you’re an old time banjo player.

And it is in that spirit that I present this week’s tune selection, “Wabash Cannonball.”

The Wabash River spans 475 miles across the mid-central US. The Wabash Railroad, the inspiration for this week’s tune, spanned similar terrain.

Given it’s popularity amongst bluegrass banjoists, I’ve included it as part of the banjofication series. Hence, you’ll not only hear the old timey sounds of a downpicked banjo, but also the old timey sounds of a banjo picked in the other direction in both the 2 and 3 finger styles.

(RELATED: If you’d like to learn 2 and 3 fingerstyle banjo picking, check out the Breakthrough Banjo fingerstyle course at fingerstylebanjo.com)

What’s even better, there’s only one part to it! So it shouldn’t take you too long to get this classic under your fingers.

 

 

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

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Wabash Cannonball

gDGBD tuning, Brainjo level 3

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.

[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