About The Site
The title for the site may cause some misgivings. The words "pop" and "banjo" are not normally compatible. "Pop" conjures up visions of guitar strumming and boy bands. Do not worry.In this case it is an abbreviation of POPULAR.
To class any musical genre or even particular tunes as "popular" is full of problems.
It is used here in the sense of tunes that have been around for quite a while and are recognised by the majority of the general public.
The scope of possibilities is enormous. It ranges from Folk and Traditional music through to big band,jazz, skiffle, rock and roll,country, and even classical.
So what is this site?
To explain, I need to go back to my early attempts to learn Clawhammer Banjo.
Having been born in the "Forties" I was very familiar with the popular music of the "Fifties" as played constantly by my older brothers. Big bands, Crooners.
As a teenager I met up with 60's popular music which was quite a mish-mash including skiffle and Rock and Roll.
As a parent I endured much of the 70's,80's and 90's as played by my teenage daughters.
So, when I eventually came across the banjo and decided to "have a go", I was staggered to find a whole new hidden cache of songs and tunes I had never heard of.
My first banjo lesson was with a tune called "Oh Susannah". No Problem.Just manage the "bum titty" technique and pick a few notes. It soon sounded as it should.
Then I got "John Hardy".
Now my American cousins must excuse me here.
I thought .."what the heck is this ?" The problem was that I couldnt tell if I was playing it properly because I had no idea what it should sound like.Its possible that "John Hardy" was as well known in the States as "Molly Malone" was in the UK, but to me it was a total unknown.
And things got worse.
The lessons plodded on down an endless path with milestones like "Georgie Buck" and "Possum up a Gum Stump" ??
Fortunately I had an excellent teacher who played the tunes so that I could record them for reference at home.
There was a whole ruck of us banjo novices and we eventually formed a small club.We were all waiting excitedly to get to the page in the course tutor book which was entitled "The Yellow Rose of Texas".
YES !! YES !!! We all knew that one. WRONG
To our surprise it was not the expected ditty as sung by Roy Rogers, Mitch Miller, and Elvis.
It was more the earlier version that dated back to the 1850's.
And heres the problem.We were learners. We really needed some material we recognised that we could learn by heart and know it was being played correctly.We also needed some FUN.
It would be nice to just sit down and run off a few old favourites, especially if friends or relatives were in earshot.
It would be rewarding. We could play not just banjo songs but songs other people recognised !!!!!
I set out to tab some familiar tunes for the club, and based on their popularity I decided to make some available for other learners.
They are no substitute for more advanced tunes with techniques that advance your style.
You will not find any syncopation here or much work up the neck.
Chord forms are basic and limited.
So
Just enjoy them for what they are.
Something to practice with while still having fun !