This Clawhammer Banjo Lessons Series is a current project, a follow-up to my banjo instructional DVD Unfortunate Puppy, which will cover some of the great classic clawhammer recordings, such as Hobart Smith’s Cuckoo Bird and Soldier’s Joy.
| A free full-length lesson on Hobart Smith's Soldier's Joy. Tuning is gCGBD. Try using a fingerpick, I'm pretty sure Hobart used one. Also, playing close to the bridge will give a brighter sound and I think helps play this up to speed, as the strings are less mushy. The video has been recorded in such a way that slowing it down to 50% should still give a clear picture of what's going on. Soldier’s Joy (AKA Love Somebody, King’s Head…) is a widespread tune that dates to the end of the 18th century, at least. This lesson is based on four recordings of Hobart Smith playing it on the banjo: - Folk Legacy - Friends of Old Time Music - In Sacred Trust - Club 47 in 1963. There is some variation through these that I haven’t covered in the video but it goes over the majority of it. For the parts: on the Friends of Old Time music recording, he starts on the same coarse part as I do in the video, so let’s call that the A part, then he plays the first fine part I show, so let’s call that B. Then the coarse variation, so part A’. Then B. Then the alternate fine part, B’. Then B, A. So: AABBA’A’BBB’B'BBAA On the Folk Legacy recording he plays: BBAABBAABBAA. On the In Sacred Trust recording: AABBAA’BBAA’BBAABBB'AABBAABBAA On the Club 47 recording: A’A’BBA’A’BBB’B’BB. Moral of the story, play it as you will. Enjoy! | The trailer for my lesson on Hobart Smith's Cuckoo Bird. Buy the lesson here ($8.00 - you'll be taken to a download page after paying): The video has been recorded in such a way that slowing it down to 50% should still give a clear picture of what's going on. Tuning is gDGCD. Try using a fingerpick, I'm pretty sure Hobart used one. Also, playing close to the bridge will give a brighter sound and I think helps play this up to speed, as the strings are less mushy. For more information and recordings of Cuckoo Bird/Coo Coo etc., see African Banjo Echoes in Appalachia and Black Banjo Songsters of North Carolina and Virginia. This lesson is based mainly on his Folk Legacy recording, but there are several recordings of Hobart Smith playing it: - Folk Legacy - In Sacred Trust - Blue Ridge Legacy There is some variation through these that I haven’t covered in the video but it will get you in the ballpark. Enjoy! |