Reuben's Train Clawhammer Banjo Tune

[blueholygrass]

Very nice feel you got goin on. Gotta love the fretfree banjo :)

[VinniePaah]

Great playing! Singing is... but who cares?

[briscott99]

@VinniePaah

Hee hee, singing is definitely not my strength. That's why I play mountain music... you don't have to sing well!

[howdypardner2929]

amazing version my friend! ima Jarrell and banjo picker myself, and im glad to see others still appreciate this kind of music! :)

[SirCoughsalot]

That's a very nice banjo you've got, and you can sure make it talk.

[jimmymac170650]

just started to learn 5 string banjo last year ie; banjo for dummies and coming on OK I think, my father played 5 string all his life on a Winsor G hope to make him proud I`m 58 and just started wish he was around now so I could have showed him people like yourself that it`s not fell out of favour but took an upturn in popularity keep up the good times hope to hear more from you. jimmymac

[CageyKYT]

Love this! Trying to figure it out by ear.

Is your tuning f#DFAD or f#DF#AD? Just to clarify before I get my fingers all twisted up with a suboptimal tuning.

Thansk again.

[briscott99]

The tuning is actually f#DF#AD... I see I had a typo up in the description... sorry about that!

[surfandsand2]

awesome fretless banjo work! Nice Tune too. is it hard to transition from frets to fretless?

[briscott99]

thanks for the comment. A fretless banjo does take some getting used to, but for the most part it wasn't too hard of a transition for me. If you start playing fretless just keep practicing until it becomes natural.

[unc159753]

believe it or not tommy jarrell was my grandpa and yesterday he got inducted into the blue ridge bluegrass hall of fame i never met him but from what my dad tells me he was a very nice man and someone i want to meet. i will someday though grandpa ill see you in heave

[briscott99]

Your grandad's contribution to music lives on in countless musicians (myself included) who try to catch a little bit of his music and pass it on.

[torrytott]

Didn't know this style used the lydian scale?

It's fantastic!!!!

[jesuinogrilo]

That's just great!!! Does it take very long time to learn how to play the banjo? I really would like to learn anyway. Thanks from Brazil

[BanjoBoy33]

Thats some real nice playing and singing. =)

[HellzNord]

This is a great post. I never heard of this tune until now but I will definitely be familiarizing myself with it. Good work man.

[MaryEllen1252]

This is really lovely.. been playin banjo since 1974 reminds me of the good old days

[pg1157140]

bro you should cut an album i would buy it

[herrenhajji]

great plunking! where can i get the tablature for this song?

[MEEKERJIM]

Great Job!

[alliecat1941]

I have my own saying.If you can't say anything good about something SHUT UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!I love all this kind of music.

I really dont think nasty and rude comments should not be said on here,

[lisnorrog]

FRETLESS!!!!!!!!!! ..awesome job

[franzusa]

Man, I hope that the stupid comments don't discourage you from posting more music. Your banjo playing is awesome and I would love to hear more from you. Thank you for recording and posting to YouTube. Thank you for keeping this music alive!

[briscott99]

Thanks for the compliments! No comments, negative or otherwise, would keep me from posting or playing music. Certainly, you can't please all the people all the time, but I think I've accomplished pleasing some of the people some of the time. Thanks for watching...

[killerbanjo]

is that banjo fret less?

[briscott99]

Yes it is

[killerbanjo]

Thanks

[CarlMack73]

I enjoyed your banjo music very much. Keep up the good work! CarlMack73

[mtmncobb]

I think you are damn good and I love your video. Good job.

[herrenhajji]

Awesome! I'm just starting old-time, but loving every minute of it. Keep this up; I look forward to seeing more.

[kleiboff]

Nice Fraialing !

[danielkeeton]

god your gay, you dont deserve to hold a banjo, your not from the mountains, so quit, and banjo is from the slaves and is an american instrument so any of you say we dont have right to it, we do. So stop thinking your mountain. Come on up to eastern kentucky and meet some real mountain people

[bharper419]

what kinda garbage are you spewing? are you saying you are a american slave from kentucky or what? you don't have to be a "mountain man" to play the banjo. besides he's damn good. also he's playing Round Peak Clawhammer. Round Peak is from North Carolina not kentucky. bluegrass state? the most famous bluegrass picker is Earl Scruggs and he's not from kentuky either. He's from NC.

[danielkeeton]

come up here to eastern kentucky you son of a bitch, il show you the shine still and my sawed off tweleve gauge and then well play banjo

[danielkeeton]

oh yea, earl scruggs sucks dick, banjo bill cornet, now thats a man who can play a banjer

[vbjordan]

You know you're in for some intelligent commentary when someone starts it with 'your gay'. It's "you're" and in you are, not a possessive. Must be spendin' way too much time up in them mountains.

[briscott99]

Mr. Keeton-- I think you already made your thoughts abundantly clear on my other video.

You have no idea who I do and do not know, or where I am from.

If my playing offends you then I suggest you post your own videos, or better yet, stop watching mine and leaving foul comments.

You can keep talkin', my friend, but I'll keep right on playin'.

[bharper419]

Keep playing my man and I'll keep listening.

[beardsly]

Oh the irony.. some "real mountain people" posting on youtube... GTFO.

[danielkeeton]

the real irony is mountain music on youtube, its disgusting to the old time music community

[jdmillspa]

So spreading mountain music is disgusting? Him sharing something he is passionate about is disgusting? The attempt to spread this type of music to others is disgusting to you? Would you rather see it fade out and die? Instead of being a dick you should thank anyone who attempts to share and spread roots music and keep it alive.

[Mosstrooper7]

Many of the old-time songs share tunes of other songs. This one is a version of "Train 45", vice versa.

[vbjordan]

Nice version. I think though that Jarrell didn't record this, if the version you're thinking of is on that "Down to the Cider Mill" record; that's Fred Cockerham doing that one. Though maybe you have a different recording...

[briscott99]

Tommy Jarrell does a version of this song on "The Legacy of Tommy Jarrell Vol 3: Come Go With Me". It's an album of tunes played on banjo by Tommy Jarrell.

[vbjordan]

My mistake, I'll have to look for that one. Their versions are really similar, though that makes a lot of sense for a couple of guys that grew up together playing these tunes.

[odyssic]

Sweet. One question... did you center the bridge in the head to decrease scale length?

[briscott99]

I moved the bridge to the middle of head mostly to improve tone... although it does shorten the scale too. The banjo sounds much much better when the bridge sits in the center of the head like that.

[geopicker]

Nice. Hey is that a Mike Ramsey frettless?

[briscott99]

Nope... it's a Bart Reiter standard fretless model.

[pit032]

Gotta love the fretless sound! nice job man

[knp062597]

Wild tune. Cool. Pickin' glad people my age are keeping the banjo alive

[buffleheadcabin]

I like that five string, what kind is it man?

[briscott99]

It is a Bart Reiter standard fretless model.

[murphykaas]

OHHH!!! sorry i ment clawhammer o course ghahahhaha

[murphykaas]

besides that mighty fine pickin i also enjoyed the singin. really nice ya'll

i'd never seen a fretboard like that, guess it's made for smooth sliding ain't it?

[Banjomountain]

Nice video! I play this song all the time in three-finger style, but its really refreshing to hear it in clawhammer. Good job!

[Raftsmanship]

I just love this version and I keep coming back to it !! Thanks again for your advice and I hope to get this proficient at playing it!

[jw200799]

This is some of the cleanest frailing I've seen. Great job! Do you use your first or middle finger as your striking finger? Is your fretboard dugout?

[briscott99]

Thanks for the compliment! I almost always play with my index finger and yes, the fretboard on this banjo is scooped near the rim.

[andrewdewey]

The fretless is sweet and smooth. Great work.

[shallowcoat]

Thanks. That's helpful. Simon

[shallowcoat]

....what tuning do you use for this one?

[briscott99]

The tuning is f#DF#AD. I think in this video it is pitched up almost a full step to g#EG#BE to fit my voice.

[shallowcoat]

Very nice. You have a gift.

[darius97]

who makes this banjo? i'd like to buy one

[briscott99]

This banjo is a Bart Reiter Standard Fretless model.

[FretlessFury]

Excellent! This is fine picking.

[Jorsh123]

Man, you got me beat on the playing, got that round peak style down great.