| book | key | Title | Source |
| 1 | A | Hangmans Reel | Albert Hash |
| 1 | A | Old Mother Flanagan | Dwight Diller |
| 1 | A | Sandy Boys | Edden Hammons |
| 1 | A | Cookhouse Joe | Estill Bingham |
| 1 | A | Little Billy Wilson | festival mashup |
| 1 | A | Long Steel Rail | Fred Cockerham |
| 1 | A | Hog Eyed Man | Hiram Stamper |
| 1 | A | Road to Malvern | Jim Childress |
| 1 | A | Red Steer | John Dykes |
| 1 | A | Mike in the Wilderness | John Salyer |
| 1 | A | Cripple Creek | Kyle Creed |
| 1 | A | Jim Shank | Sam Dyer |
| 1 | A | Blackest Crow | Tommy Jarrell |
| 1 | A | June Apple | Tommy Jarrell |
| 1 | Am | John Riley the Shepherd | Art Stamper |
| 1 | Am | Abe’s Retreat | Burl Hammons |
| 1 | Am | Highlander’s Farewell | Emmett Lundy |
| 1 | Am | Shady Grove | Gaither Carlton |
| 1 | Am | Ducks on the Pond | Henry Reed |
| 1 | Am | Kitchen Girl | Henry Reed |
| 1 | Am | New Orleans | Melvin Wine |
| 1 | C | Billy in the Low Ground | Burnett & Rutherford |
| 1 | C | Say Darling Say | Sweet Brothers |
| 1 | D | Valley Forge | Absie Morrison |
| 1 | D | Arkansas Traveler | Doc Roberts |
| 1 | D | Ducks on the Millpond | Emmett Lundy |
| 1 | D | Julie Ann Johnson | Emmett Lundy |
| 1 | D | Old Molly Hare | Ernest Claunch |
| 1 | D | Folding Down the Sheets | Henry Reed |
| 1 | D | Fisher’s Hornpipe | Hill Billies |
| 1 | D | Liberty | Jimmy Wheeler |
| 1 | D | Cowboy’s Dream | John Hutchinson |
| 1 | D | Ways of the World | Luther Strong |
| 1 | D | Possum’s Tail Is Bare | Melvin Wine |
| 1 | D | Whiskey Before Breakfast | Melvin Wine |
| 1 | D | Spotted Pony | Paul David Smith |
| 1 | D | Doctor Doctor | Phillips |
| 1 | D | Sally in the Garden | Steve Mote |
| 1 | D | Soldier’s Joy | Steve Mote |
| 1 | G | Polly’s Mountain Kettle | Byard Ray |
| 1 | G | Sail Away Ladies | Dave Macon |
| 1 | G | Garfield’s Blackberry Blossom | Ed Haley |
| 1 | G | Magpie | Harlan Coble |
| 1 | G | Shoes and Stockings | Henry Reed |
| 1 | G | Lost Girl | John Salyer |
| 1 | G | Roscoe | Kyle Creed |
| 1 | G | Mother Flanagan | Lee Triplett |
| 1 | G | Devil Ate the Groundhog | Paul David Smith |
| 1 | G | Old Yeller Dog Came Trottin’ | public domain song |
| 1 | G | Turkey in the Straw | Ward Jarvis |
| 2 | A | Shades of Death Creek | Chirps Smith |
| 2 | A | Big Hoedown | Edden Hammons |
| 2 | A | Old Bunch of Keys | Fred Cockerham |
| 2 | A | Sugar in the Gourd | John Ashby |
| 2 | A | Buffalo Gals | John Hatcher |
| 2 | A | Tippin’ Back the Corn | Jordon Wankoff |
| 2 | A | Little Liza Jane | JP Fraley |
| 2 | A | Hog Went Through the Fence Yoke and All | Luther Strong |
| 2 | A | Up Jumped Joe in the Middle of It | Mark Tamsula |
| 2 | A | Richmond | Roscoe Parrish |
| 2 | A | Christmas Time in the Morning | Stephen Tucker |
| 2 | A | Icy Mountain | Ward Jarvis |
| 2 | Am | Brushy Forks of John’s Creek | Art Stamper |
| 2 | Am | Davy Come Back and Act Like You Oughta | Delbert Hughes |
| 2 | Am | Shakin’ Down the Acorns | Edden Hammons |
| 2 | Am | Frosty Morn | Henry Reed |
| 2 | Am | Jeff Sturgeon | John Salyer |
| 2 | Am | Haning’s Farewell | JS Price |
| 2 | Am | Ways of the World | William Stepp |
| 2 | C | Cranberry Rock | Burl Hammons |
| 2 | C | Hell Up Coal Holler | Henry Reed |
| 2 | C | Farewell Trion | James Bryan |
| 2 | C | Cumberland Blues | John Hannah |
| 2 | C | Katy Did | Lowe Stokes |
| 2 | C | Colored Aristocracy | Taj Mahal |
| 2 | D | Lost Hornpipe | Charlie Kinney |
| 2 | D | Martha Campbell | Doc Roberts |
| 2 | D | Jimmy Sutton | Fred Cockerham |
| 2 | D | Rocky Mountain Goat | Henry Reed |
| 2 | D | Durang’s Hornpipe | Jake Phelps |
| 2 | D | Johnny Don’t Get Drunk | John Ashby |
| 2 | D | Sharp’s Tune | John Sharp |
| 2 | D | Black Eyed Susie | Luther Strong |
| 2 | D | Gilsaw | Pete McMahon |
| 2 | D | Pete’s High D Tune | Pete Vigour |
| 2 | D | Snake River Reel | Peter Lippincott |
| 2 | D | Needlecase | Sam McGee |
| 2 | D | Half Irish | Snake Chapman |
| 2 | D | Spring In the Valley | Tom McCreesh |
| 2 | D | Polly Put the Kettle On | Tommy Jarrell |
| 2 | D | Sugar Hill | Tommy Jarrell |
| 2 | D | Fair Morning Hornpipe | Wilson Douglas |
| 2 | G | Jimmy in the Swamp | Bob Walters |
| 2 | G | Snakewinder | Buddy Thomas |
| 2 | G | Mississippi Palisades | Chirps Smith |
| 2 | G | Ebenezer | Henry Reed |
| 2 | G | Cauliflower | Jimmy Wheeler |
| 2 | G | Stumptailed Dolly | John Salyer |
| 2 | G | Old Time Billy in the Lowground | Kelly Gilbert |
| 2 | G | Roaring River | Monte Sano Crowder |
| 3 | A | Breaking Up Christmas | Benton Flippen |
| 3 | A | Salt River | Clark Kessinger |
| 3 | A | Grub Springs | Ernest Claunch |
| 3 | A | Dinah | Henry Reed |
| 3 | A | Hell and Scissors | JW Day |
| 3 | A | Hog Went Through the Fence | Luther Strong |
| 3 | A | Last of Callahan | Luther Strong |
| 3 | A | Red Haired Boy | mash-up |
| 3 | A | Railroad Runs Through Georgia | Max Collins |
| 3 | A | Ida Red | Tommy Jarrell |
| 3 | A | Icy Mountain | Ward Jarvis |
| 3 | Am | Squirrel Hunters | Bayard |
| 3 | Am | Grub Springs (2) | Grub Springs (2) |
| 3 | Am | Cousin Sally Brown | Marcus Martin |
| 3 | Am | Pretty Polly | Steve Mote |
| 3 | C | L & N Rag | Alex Hood |
| 3 | C | Big Rock Candy Mountain | Harry McClintock |
| 3 | C | Birdie | Henry Reed |
| 3 | C | Texas Gals | Hill Billies |
| 3 | C | Oh! Susannah | Stephen Foster |
| 3 | C | O Come, All Ye Faithful | Traditional |
| 3 | C | Silent Night | Traditional |
| 3 | D | Shades Of Death Creek | Chirps Smith |
| 3 | D | Farewell Princeton | Clyde Davenport |
| 3 | D | Mississippi Sawyers | Edden Hammons |
| 3 | D | Belle Of Lexington | Emmett Lundy |
| 3 | D | Julianne Johnson | Emmett Lundy |
| 3 | D | Arkansas Hoosier | George Mert Reeves |
| 3 | D | Rally ‘Round The Flag | GF Root |
| 3 | D | Over The Waterfall | Henry Reed |
| 3 | D | Quince Dillion’s High D Tune | Henry Reed |
| 3 | D | Forked Deer | John Salyer |
| 3 | D | Storming Banks Of The Black River | Lee Stoneking |
| 3 | D | Cumberland Gap | mash-up |
| 3 | D | Angeline The Baker | Steve Mote |
| 3 | F | Wildwood Flower | Carter Family |
| 3 | F | Wiley Laws Tune | Manco Sneed |
| 3 | F | Wild Horse | Posey Rorer |
| 3 | F | Frankie Baker | Tommy Jarrell |
| 3 | G | Josie-O | Art Stamper |
| 3 | G | Sandy River Belle | Blue Ridge Highballers |
| 3 | G | Big Scioty | Burl Hammons |
| 3 | G | Marching Jaybird | Dave Macon |
| 3 | G | Wild Goose Chase | Dave Reiner |
| 3 | G | Ida Red | Ed Haley |
| 3 | G | Poor Little Mary Sitting In A Corner | Enos Canoy |
| 3 | G | Dandy Lusk | fernando Lusk |
| 3 | G | The Girl I Left Behind Me | Irish Folk Song |
| 3 | G | Miller’s Reel | JP Fraley |
| 3 | G | Old Joe Clark | Kentucky Folk Song |
| 3 | G | Shove The Pigs Foot | Marcus Martin |
| 3 | G | Buffalo Girls | Paisley Hagood |
| 3 | G | Gum Tree Canoe | SS Steele |
| 3 | G | Bell’s March | Tom Sauber |
| 4 | A | Old Dangerfield | Bill Monroe |
| 4 | A | Cuckoo’s Nest | Ed Haley |
| 4 | A | Devlish Mary | Fate Morrison |
| 4 | A | Devil In The Haystack | Harvey Taylor |
| 4 | A | Chicken In The Snowbank | James Bryan |
| 4 | A | Little Birdie | John Hammond |
| 4 | A | Far In The Mountain | Red Headed Fiddlers |
| 4 | A | John Henry | Steve Mote |
| 4 | Am | Rocky Road To Dublin | Allen Sisson |
| 4 | Am | Jeff Davis | Bert Layne |
| 4 | Am | Biddy | Edden Hammons |
| 4 | Am | Boatin’ Up Sandy | George Hawkins |
| 4 | Am | Santa Anna’s Retreat | Henry Reed |
| 4 | Am | Adeline | Luther Strong |
| 4 | Am | All Young | Melvin Wine |
| 4 | Am | Karabouchka | traditional |
| 4 | Bb | Polly Put The Kettle On | Marcus Martin |
| 4 | C | Rocky Mountain Goat.tef | Dwight Diller |
| 4 | C | Spider Bit The Baby | Kenny Baker |
| 4 | C | Hogskin | Paul Goodman |
| 4 | C | Rocky Pallet | The Skillet Lickers |
| 4 | D | Morpeth Rant | Allan Block |
| 4 | D | Snouts and Ears of America | Bayard #58 |
| 4 | D | St. Anne’s Reel | Buddy Thomas |
| 4 | D | Chicken Reel | Ed Haley |
| 4 | D | Indian Ate The Woodchuck | Ed Haley |
| 4 | D | Bonaparte Crossing the Rhine.tef | festival maship |
| 4 | D | Mole in the Ground.tef | Green Baley |
| 4 | D | Willott’s Hornpipe | Lee Stoneking |
| 4 | D | Chinese Breakdown | Lyman Enloe |
| 4 | D | Dry And Dusty | Morrison Twin Bros. |
| 4 | D | Swannanoa Waltz | Rayna Gellert |
| 4 | D | Goin’ Uptown | Sam Dyer |
| 4 | D | Old Time Sally Ann | Tommy Jarrell |
| 4 | D | Mulqueen’s Reel | traditional |
| 4 | D | Buck Mountain | Uncle Nip Chisolm |
| 4 | Em | Glory In The Meeting House | Luther Strong |
| 4 | G | Flowers Of Edinburgh | Art Galbraith |
| 4 | G | Home Town Band | Bayard #391A |
| 4 | G | McMichen’s Reel | Clayton McMichen |
| 4 | G | Big Scioti | festival maship |
| 4 | G | Waldorf Reel | Gus Meade |
| 4 | G | Ora Lee | James Bryan |
| 4 | G | Oyster River Hornpipe | James Bryan |
| 4 | G | Moon Behind The Hill | Melvin Wine |
| 4 | G | Undone In Sorrow | Ola Bella Reed |
| 4 | G | Miss McLeod’s Reel | The Skillet Lickers |
| 4 | G | Leather Britches | Wilson Douglas |
| 5 | A | Salty River Reel | Cyril Stinnett |
| 5 | A | Half Past Four | Ed Haley |
| 5 | A | Fine Times At Our House | Edden Hammons |
| 5 | A | Camp Chase | French Carpenter |
| 5 | A | Ol’ Bob | Garry Harrison |
| 5 | A | Red Prairie Dawn | Garry Harrison |
| 5 | A | Jenny Get Around | John Morgan Salyer |
| 5 | A | Lacy Brown | John Morgan Salyer |
| 5 | A | Speed Of The Plow | John Morgan Salyer |
| 5 | A | Grey Haired Dancing Girl | Jumahl |
| 5 | A | Chinquapin Hunting | Norman Edmonds |
| 5 | Am | Cattle In The Cane | Bill Northcutt |
| 5 | Am | Jenny On The Railroad | Carter Bros. & Son |
| 5 | Am | Pride of America | David R. Hamblon |
| 5 | Am | No Corn On Tygart | Ed Haley |
| 5 | Am | Falls Of Richmond | Edden Hammons |
| 5 | Am | Jake’s Got The Bellyache | Edden Hammons |
| 5 | Am | Twenty-Eighth Of January | Franklin George |
| 5 | Am | Rock Andy | Snake Chapman |
| 5 | C | Old Melinda | Bob Walters |
| 5 | C | Catlettsburg | Ed Haley |
| 5 | C | Dunbar | Ed Haley |
| 5 | C | Old Mose | Howard Sims |
| 5 | C | Altamont | John Lusk |
| 5 | C | Monkey In The Dogcart | Leake County Revelers |
| 5 | C | Wes Muir’s Tune | Nile Wilson |
| 5 | C | Pike’s Peak | Ted sharp |
| 5 | D | Chinquapin Hunting | Art Stamper |
| 5 | D | Coleman’s March | Bruce Greene |
| 5 | D | Big Powwow | Claude Parker |
| 5 | D | Washington’s March | Edden Hammons |
| 5 | D | Bonaparte’s Retreat | Festival Mashup |
| 5 | D | Rush And The Pepper | Jesse James Abbott |
| 5 | D | Grand Picnic | Joe Politte |
| 5 | D | Indians Over The Hill | John Hannah |
| 5 | D | Jaybird | John Summers |
| 5 | D | Rosetree | Reed Martin |
| 5 | D | Green Willis | Taylor Kimball |
| 5 | D | Texas Quickstep 2 | The Red Headed Fiddlers |
| 5 | G | North Carolina Breakdown | Arthur Smith |
| 5 | G | Old Gray Cat | Bayard |
| 5 | G | High Up On Tug | Edden Hammons |
| 5 | G | Waynesboro | Edden Hammons |
| 5 | G | Sunny Home In Dixie | Frank Jenkins |
| 5 | G | Sail Away Ladies JP | JP Fraley |
| 5 | G | High Dad In The Morning | Kenny Baker |
| 5 | G | Girl I Left Behind Me | Rayna Gellert |
| 5 | G | Seneca Square Dance | Sam Long |
| 5 | G | Hooker’s Hornpipe | Tylor McBaine |
| 5 | G | Rebel’s Raid | William Stepp |
Tag: tablature
5 Years of Banjo Tablature
I’ve recently realized that I’ve just completed five consecutive years of writing at least one banjo tab per week. I’ve published 200 of them in four books and am about to put out Book #5. It prompted me to wonder just why I was doing it and am seemingly unable to stop. There are just so many great tunes… At first they were tunes I knew from having learned them at festivals, jams, camps and so on. For a while i was really listening to recordings of banjo players -both commercial recordings and my own hand-held collections. Somewhere along the line I started only listening to fiddlers. I realized that was because it seemed to be the purest form of the melody. Mostly I’ve been listening to source recordings because for this giant repertoire of tunes the older recordings somehow revealed the real idiosyncrasies of what makes each tune or rendition unique. For a brief period I was writing tabs that had almost every note that the fiddle was playing. Big mistake- fun but big mistake. One long time student threatened to quit because the tabs were too difficult to play and even if you learned them they just had no groove. I’ve since shifted my approach to that of trying to imagine what I would play if I could climb into Mr. Peabody’s Time Machine and sit down with Ed Haley, John Salyer, Emmett Lundy, Luther Strong, Edden Hammons and on and on. So I’m now trying still to understand these tunes better (a process which I’m sure is unending). I’ve found a relational database that I can put on my phone that can aggregate some of the info that swirls around the creation and promulgation of these wonderful melodies. I’ve found that so many tunes are icebergs of information- just the tip peeks out of the water with the name of the tune. Below the waterline lurks a mountain of information consisting of facts, rumors, tall tales, historical references, alternate titles, family history, urban legends, travelogues and the like. The next thing I’m looking at is how the mountain geography and the direction of the rivers help determine how a tune (or parts of a tune) travels.