TOTW 03/11/23: Waltz written by James Scott Skinner, also known as "The Rose Of Sharon Waltz" and "Rosebud Of Avonmore"

Rosebud Of Allenvale

Whiskey In The Jar

Peter Street (TOTW 5/21/2021)

TOTW for 2/5/2021.  Played CH in G tuning on a Wildwood.

Far From Home (TOTW 2/5/2021)

With a bit of guitar and mandolin too. A touch too slow perhaps.

Billy in the Low Ground

TOTW 8/30/2019. A  tuning.  Clawhammer on a Wildwood Banjo.

The Old Favourite - TOTW 8/30/2019

St. Anne's\Fishers Hornpipe

Sally Johnson

The O'Reilly's of 17th century Ireland were amongst Turlough O'Carolan's supportive patrons as the blind harpist traveled far and wide.  When O'Carolan wrote a tune in their honor it was given the label "planxty."  Unable to play for several weeks due to my broken shoulder, I offer something recorded previously on my clawhammer banjo.

John O'Reilly (1st air)

Big Scioty

Top 100 Fiddle/Celtic/Irish Songs banjo songs which Banjo Hangout members have uploaded to the website.

Wow! We stumbled upon this and a couple other associated blogs. These are so amazing. This blog catalogs some of the best songs ever written for the banjo. Everyone should try out this blog. You might just fall in live with the banjo.

Banjo Hangout is Amazing!!!

 Banjo Hangout Top 100 Fiddle/Celtic/Irish Songs

Star of the County Down

Blackberry Blossom with some octave jumping

Blackberry Jam (Once Was a Blossom)

Not exactly like Tom Adams plays it. I had to change some fingering to make it easier for me to learn it. I have always wanted to learn this tune so I've been working on it now for about a week. I put a guitar and bass track in it to hide my goof ups.

Ashokan Farewell

This recording, played by my friend Chuck Middleton on his Chuck Lee custom openback banjo outfitted with a printed circuit board Pete Seeger style bridge, was on my Fostex MR-8 multi-track recorder, using a Digital Reference voice microphone.

Angeline The Baker

Three Bluegrass tunes played in an Irish style. Tunes are Whiskey Before Breakfast/ Big Sciota/ Daley's

The Bluegrass Set

John O'Connor

Here's a clawhammered planxty from Turlough O'Carolan (1670 - 1738) in 6/8 jig time with cello banjo accompaniment.

Do you have time for 9 minutes? Here is a Medley of 5 traditional tunes:Cooleys Reel, Anthony Payne of Stratton, Silver Spear, Cuckous Nest and Harvest Home. Me on banjo 1, I on banjo 2, Myself on fiddle 1 and Manuel on fiddle 2. I wanted to imitate some Bodhran sounds so I used a droning triplet picking pattern in the backup banjo. Picked on the HUBER BANJO.

Do you have time for 9 minutes? Here is a Medley of 5 traditional tunes:<br>Cooleys Reel, Anthony Payne of Stratton, Silver Spear, Cuckous Nest and Harvest Home. Me on banjo 1, I on banjo 2, Myself on fiddle 1 and Manuel on fiddle 2. I wanted to imitate some Bodhran sounds so I used a droning triplet picking pattern in the backup banjo. Picked on the HUBER BANJO.

Irish Picking and Bowing

This traditional air honors the Irish soldiers who left Ireland to fight for France.  The last time they left marked the 1691 Treaty of Limerick , a momentous time in Ireland's history which ended the Williamite war and the reign of King James, who left, too, after the Battle of the Boyne (which has a namesake tune as well).  When the Chieftains recorded The Wild Geese they were picturing women singing on shore while the soldiers sailed off forevermore to fight elsewhere.  At the end of my recording listen for the geese flying off...

The Wild Geese

There was really a harper in Ireland called Maire Dhall (Blind Mary) who is known to have taught harp to friends of Turlough O'Carolan (1670 - 1738), so it's assumed he knew her, too.  The melody is rather dramatic and you get a feeling of respect for this woman, who, like O'Carolan, must have traveled, played harp, and taught for a living.

Blind Mary

This tune in 3/4 time is a rare find from Turlough O'Carolan (1670 - 1738).  It's only found in one source dated in the early 1900's from Chief Francis O'Neill who had procured a rare notebook of old Irish tunes.  The melody and title didn't sync well until I made a slide-show video (in the BHO archive) of people happy with tears.  As several of my O'Carolan pieces, I've added cello banjo in the background.

Beauty in Tears

recorded these before, but i re recorded them last night for my Soundcloud and Bandcamp page and thought the good folks at BHO would enjoy them.

Fergal's Jigs

This is a traditional tune from Scotland going back as far as 1549 in a published ballad format.  Dave Hum played this tune and his videos are still on-line to view -- what an amazing picker he was!  I'm playing on a Mac Traynham Whyte Laydie openback, but also enjoyed it played lower on the cello banjo.  You can compare the two, as I've uploaded them both.

Tam Lin

After hearing Dave Hum play this I wondered if I could, too.  It's taken some effort, but here's what I came up with, thanks to banjukebox's tab and some further exploration.  Though simpler than Dave's expressive, creative version, it's fun to play.  I like the cello banjo's lower tone on Tam Lin compared to my Whyte Laydie openback, but you can compare them as I've uploaded them both.

Tam Lin (CB)

I learned this version mostly from Hot Rize

Glory in the Meetinghouse

Eleanor Plunkett/Fanny Power

This tune of O'Carolan's has a classical, ethereal sound.  I dedicate it to Laurence Diehl, friend of O'Carolan's music and inspiring to all us little folk.

The Fairy Queen

Ever since hearing Dave Hum play this tune I've wanted to learn it.  I happened upon it in a Ken Perlman clawhammer book and found I could play it.

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