Oh Death - Gregory Paul (Clawhammer banjo)

[Tbiirds]

i'd just like to let you know, i think you're brilliant.

[Gogluificationable]

Hi, i'm from Québec, and I think that I heard you by the Pike Place Market some time ago during a G.A.S. conference. When I went back from that trip I purchased a banjo and today i'm having a real good time with my instrument, thanks to the motivation you gave me. Many thanks Mr. Paul.

[autumdiver]

@Gogluificationable Fabulous! Inspiration is what it's all about. Best of luck!

[loquaciousbunny]

A decent interpretation of the song, but moreover, a very attractive guy.

[myhopesareweapons]

do you use any kind of upstroke in your picking style?

[autumdiver]

@myhopesareweapons Hi, thanks for the comments! I use all downstroke. It's just a basic frailing / clawhammer technique. Also, I've been a guitar player for much longer than banjo and that helped somewhat. Good luck! - gp

[myhopesareweapons]

seriously, i want to learn how to play like you

[PeachExtract]

soooooooooooo good

[sosickhcdrums]

oh god. please tell me you have a studio recording of this i canfind. PLEASE<3

[icepickmeetstemple]

This is amazing.

[piobaireachdjongleur]

great interpretation! and great way to show that it doesnt have to be complicated to sound great. i usually avoid chords when banjo-ing but im gonna spend some time on this one, if i can remember standard tuning! thanks!

[shinboxer72]

Well, let me know if you come to SF or Oakland. Love to catch a show.

[kmanley29649]

This is truly excellent! I'm learning clawhammer banjo, and this is just outstanding. Very inspirational.

[piobaireachdjongleur]

another middle-finger frailer, you guys are crazy! great interpretation of a great song, well done sir.

[stonestrawberry]

absolutely beautiful! 

[shinboxer72]

Thanks a lot. After reading this, I downloaded a page of banjo chords in different tunings and yes indeed, open G and D minor together get me to sound a bit of this out! You are doing some skilled double thumbing or clawhammer without the brush that's still got me stumped. The arrangement of this tune is waaaaay better than the original. Very haunting.

[shinboxer72]

I've been watching this for like a year! I'd pay ya' 20 bucks on paypal to make a video tutorial for us clawhammer beginners who are no good at picking stuff up by ear. I'm serious...

[autumdiver]

@shinboxer72 technique I've applied to banjo: hammer-ons, pull offs, slides, etc., all things that contribute to the way I'm playing Oh Death. This song is only two chords, D minor, and open G major, with those techniques applied rather intuitively. Once you have the clawhammer technique down, you can work on adding the other frills to get the desired effect. Good luck!

[autumdiver]

@shinboxer72 Sorry, message got cut off.. I'm completely self taught and have no music theory or teaching capabilities, and thus wouldn't have a clue how to make a tutorial. But I've also played guitar for 25 years, and have applied the technique.... (see rest of comment below)

[autumdiver]

@shinboxer72 Why thank you, and best of luck on your banjo playing!

[ned900]

yah thats seriously fuckin cool. good man

[MrFunnybuttrue]

The Best ! Wow

[ibitron1]

Such a great version.

[TheMoochos]

hi :D LOL funny

[maple50k]

good god mr paul, your a major inspiration, i've been learning this for a few months now, but im always touched by this recording. thank you.

[maple50k]

good god mr paul, your a major inspiration, i've been learing this for a few months now, but im always touched by this recording. thank you.

[shinken13]

Wow, one of the best versions of this song I have ever heard.

[MrAckwood]

Is that a Gibson bowtie?

[pappyfiddle]

This is a good thing, to exercise an instrument this hard. If the instrument dies then it should die. It's good for the singer and the audience, wring out some of the death inside

[tastyanimalcrackers]

saw you play last night in Ballard.. my god I was blown away!!!! you guys did such a phenomenal job!!!

[randydillonart]

I'd like to support this artist. Where can I get this?

[maple50k]

hells yeah, i love this tune, I've been practicing the chord progression for a few months and I'm starting to get it.

[diggity53]

Awesome, man! As someone who is currently learning to play clawhammer, you are an inspiration! Any chance you could share the tab?

[autumdiver]

@diggity53 thanks for the words! I don't have any tabs, but I can tell you it's just standard open G tuning, D minor and G all the way. I just sort of improvise the clawhammer, throwing the thumb down randomly. Good luck!

[Janzah]

you make your living out of busking now? awesome? how much do you make an hour?

[autumdiver]

@Janzah in a really good hour I can make over $100. But only in the warmer months...

[Janzah]

@Janzah wow! that's crazy! great! I only make like 10 euro an hour

[apsyntia]

thank U :kiss: :-)

[autumdiver]

@apsyntia my first ever youtube kiss! thanks!

[apsyntia]

thank U :-)

[Cjbro2132]

Saw you in Seattle, brother! Pike's! I've listened to your album inside and out. I aspire to play my banjo as pristine as you. Fantastic work!

[autumdiver]

@Cjbro2132 thanks!!!

[johndaltoncrockett]

awesome...

[saudoo]

How can there be a person who doesn't like this?!

[Joeri12]

@saudoo Lol, are you serious? Lately lots of people know the song from the tv show supernatural, it's fit for Death in there, that scene is so badass that stuff like this is just, average ;p perhaps if I saw this first it would be different. Although unlikely xD

[saudoo]

@Joeri12 But then again this is so raw and beautiful. I'm not saying there's nothing better out there... I wouldn't know... But this is definitely likeable. :)

By the way... that show Supernatural isn't aired where I live, so I wouldn't be able to compare that particular tune that you were talking about.

[Joeri12]

@saudoo Ah you're right about that. It's not like I dislike any of these tunes either. You should try to find it on youtube if you want ;p Jen Titus sings it I believe.

[saudoo]

@Joeri12 Oh okay.. I'll try and find it somewhere on the interwebs then. Thanks man. ;)~

[autumdiver]

@saudoo thank you for the kind words!

[ScoutCrafter]

WOW!!!! How awesome was that!!!!

Thanks for sharing!!!

[birdsaddle]

A total inspiration, thank you~!

[zippymanyay101]

what tuning are you in for this?

[autumdiver]

@zippymanyay101

it's standard G, playing a D minor and G chords.

[Nick0500936]

Goddamn Son!!! You took that old Ralph Stanley song and sure as shit made it your own. Tip of the hat to you sir. Ya oughtta share the chord progression for us other banjo pickers, want to play that song.

[autumdiver]

@Nick0500936

yessir! its standard g tuning, playing a d minor and g chords.

[inuicedragon]

I love the song! And the banjo adds an awesome element to the song, but I think that the banjo overwhelms the voice. I had a hard time hearing the words, if there was a way to change that it would be even better in my opinion. But I did love the song! Thanks for the upload.

[autumdiver]

@inuicedragon you are correct, the banjo sort of drowns out the vocals. i've since learned to sing louder! thanks for the comment. - g

[OklaHanlan]

@inuicedragon He's playing in the good old clawhammer style, which lends itself well to playing while singing, but on a resonator banjo, which is intended to produce a crisper, louder tone for Scruggs-style pickers. An open-back banjo would give a more mellow tone so as not to overpower the vocals, and I understand this esteemed musician has already gotten himself one. Fans of this video would probably be glad to see one performed on an open-back, which is truer to this style of song.

[mielazul]

This is beautiful - thanks for posting. I wrote a version of Oh Death that turns it around - the narrator wants Death to take him, but Death continues to elude him.

Anyway, I love the percussive style of your playing, and your singing is very good too.

Thanks again.

[autumdiver]

@mielazul sounds like an interesting take on the song mielazul! cheers, - gp

[pappyfiddle]

@mielazul OK... and? Where can we hear this?

[OklaHanlan]

Is this tabbed out anywhere?

[autumdiver]

@OklaHanlan hey there, no tabs, but it's just a variation of the chords Dm and G. Cheers, gp.

[Echofourtwenty]

How can i get this song on my iPod!? this is great!

[autumdiver]

@Echofourtwenty I have a version recorded on an album called "sow 'em on the mountain" let me know if you'd be interested in ordering a copy. thanks for the comment!

[dialectic76]

Hi Greg! I was just looking up Dock Boggs songs and your picture came right up! This is Ian Downey from Rochester. Nice playing!

[autumdiver]

@dialectic76 hi Ian! Hope you are well. Cheers, - g

[telecaster24]

Wicked blanking stuff, you must like Bella FLec k and Earl Tubbs, bluegras with a bluesy style ,,,you make these Legend songs your on it is SPECTACULAR..

[telecaster24]

Wicked blanking stuff, you must like Bella FLec k and Earl Tubbs, bluegras with a bluesy style ,,,you make these Legend songs your on it is SPECTACULAR..

[jake6228]

Just found this little nugget!

I am learning clawhammer, and I think your version is my favorite (apologies to Mr. Stanley..)...

It's one of the best I've heard so far!  Keep Posting!!!!

[danziger81]

This is absolutely fantastic.

[MrBlah007]

Fantastic rendition of the song, my only complaint would be that the banjo drowns out your voice at times, but thats hard to avoid

[killherdress]

wonderful!

[pengam2006]

At the risk of sounding like a stalker......

I can't stop watching this video. It's something about your voice with the clawhammer style. Love it.

I want to buy a banjo and learn this song then jam it out with you.

[Underhill182]

you're not alone....

[Underhill182]

this is great. What tuning do you play it in?

[autumdiver]

thanks! it's in standard g tuning. d minor and g chords.

[pengam2006]

Loved it! 5 stars

[banjony]

Tuning?

[autumdiver]

@banjony it's standard g tuning. d minor and g chords

[ivycompton]

Mmmm... I've heard many versions of this classic, and this one is very good indeed. That beautiful distinctive banjo sound.

[chepazzaragazza]

This is wonderful! Thank you for sharing it with everyone!

[psalvustube]

molto bello! bravo!

[Canderson59]

Very inspiring indeed!

started clawhammer few months ago, and your video made me wanna try to play this one.

not a great expert, but I'm trying to play it in double C tuning which seems okay ;)

thx again!

[lkm34]

I've recently picked up clawhammer, and I really like this arrangement. Thanks for sharing!!

[Robham1130]

great song!

[Ermengarde11]

I'm baa-aack!!  Although I've downloaded this to my computer, I've shared this link with others and I have to return to hear it again. I seldom get THIS inspired by much anymore. Thanks again for your wonderful music.

[billyshake]

One doesn't see clawhammer on a resonator banjo all that often; I think it has a lot to do with the sound of this piece. It's friggin' great.

[Ermengarde11]

I hadn't thought of that, I guess I wasn't really aware as to the difference in banjos!! I assumes they all had a resonator, but what do I know? LOL.

I have a banjitar, but I presume that the other type of banjo is more basic. Thanks for giving me something to learn about today, I will look for more information on this!

Gosh I can't stop listening to this, it just haunts me!!

[autumdiver]

Thanks for the kind words folks. I've since traded in that banjo for an Enoch open back banjo which sounds wonderful for clawhammer. - g

[billyshake]

I thought maybe you'd prefer a nice open back -- Enochs are, of course, fantastic clawhammer banjos. 11' or 12' pot? Either way, I'm jealous. Where do you live and where in your house do you keep it? Just wondering, you understand...(kidding!)

[Ermengarde11]

this is so beautiful, so haunting! Faved and added to my bluegrass playlist. You're so talented! Nice singin' too, sweeeeet!!

there is a quality to your voice I find so compelling.

[alonzogarbanzo]

Clawhammer is so beautiful. Such amazing, subtle differences in sound with the slightest changes in pressure,angle of attack or neck position. You do this song very well.

[drjpm64]

Cool! You make it sound like a Michael Stipe/REM song.

[madhattery341]

amazing shit, dude

[GunPowder101]

5 stars + Added to favorites

well done

[kenjibeast]

Beautiful performance.

[vinvinmarc]

this version is very good!

you play very good banjo!

[TheStandardSleeper]

I love this! Amazing job, it's so beautiful and, as said previously, very haunting :)

[krossandspade]

After seeing this video I checked out the recorded version on myspace and I have to say man, this version rules the roost. Simple and haunting without the synth strings. Truly truly gets under the skin.

Less is sometimes more hermano... Genius.

[DaveGreenMusic]

Haunting rendition. Excellently done.

[terramaximus]

Epic!

[Renegademaster15]

Brilliant rendition of this song, really good arrangement! You should try to record it in a higher quality though :)

[autumdiver]

thanks luckyone! the chords are just Dm and G.

[killaB14]

i always come back to this video, u just do it so perfectly

[artistfood]

Great song :) Love that its done in clawhammer style. :)

[madhattery34]

Dude, don't ever put that banjo away.

[WKMG365]

AWESOME!

[GoManUtd08]

this is the most amazing thing i have ever heard. i love this song man.

[aclockworkgnome]

This is really an admirable representation of traditional Clawhammer style. You really had me captivated once the tempo picks up towards the end!

[grimglen]

that was great man thanks for posting that!!

[MSHackberry]

Hypnotic.

Ralph Stanley's version was my favorite...

[rpeek]

Wicked cool.

[NuclearSeraph]

Thank you for the video reply, friend. Interesting arrangement.

[raymondcrooke]

A very interesting arrangement. Thanks for the video response.

[NCheno]

i love this song great version of a great traditional. really great. Good work

[IvoniceAstrid]

i love your version of this song also, and your great tenor banjo playing,really good !! x Ivonice

[killaB14]

i love this song...and i love your rendition...nice job!!

[locustvalleystring]

Nice! Loved your rendition of this tune. Never heard it quite this way. Thanks. Standard G tuning? Larry

[autumdiver]

yessir standard G tuning. i'm sure you already figured it out but it's just Dm and G. thanks for your kind words!

[Dagorlad]

Jammin! It came out pretty good!