UPDATE! : This page has a brand new, easier-to-use format, with the MIDI samples, BEFORE each title. June 22, 2012
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MIDI - The Old Purple Tin - Alabama 3 - Fakebook arrangement with first 2 verses. Arrangement has melody line with lyrics on top supported by simple back-up in 6/8 time. Under the second verse is a more copmplex back-up pattern that can also be played as a solo. Added 6-29-2012
MIDI - Big Rock Candy Mountain - Harry McClintock - A Fakebook arrangement with ALL lyrics of this great classic, an opening Banjo Solo, and more solos that occur between verses. Only Moderately Challenging. Added 6-26-2-12
MIDI - Sweet Home Alabama - Lynard Skynard - Brand New Arrangement (6-26-2012)! - Listen to MIDI sample - Added 6-26-2012
MIDI - Simple Man - Lynard Skynard - Brand New Arrangement (6-26-2012)! - Listen to MIDI sample - Added 6-26-2012
MIDI - Freebird - Lynard Skynard - Brand New Arrangement (6-26-2012)! - Listen to MIDI sample - Added 6-26-2012
MIDI - He's Gonna Marry Me - Dolly Parton - This is a Fakebook arrangement with ALL of the lyrics to Dolly's song. The arrangement includes several Bluegrass-Style Banjo Solos and 2 different types of BG style Back-Up... Added 6-23-2012
MIDI - Angel Band - Gospel - This is a Fakebook arrangement with ALL lyrics and a fairly easy-to-play bluegrass style solo. Great melody and an old classic. Added 6-20-2012
MIDI - Man of Constant Sorrow - This is also a Fakebook arrangement with ALL lyrics and a fairly easy-to-play bluegrass style solo. Another classic. Added 6-21-2012
MIDI - Julia Belle Swain #1 - John Hartford - This is a SOLO INSTRUMENTAL arranged in bluegrass style banjo that features the melody of John's now famous song - Not hard to play. Added 6-22-2-12
MIDI - Julia Belle Swain #2 - John Hartford - This is a Fakebook arrangement with ALL of John's original Lyrics and melody, but uses the familiar old tune, "Cherokee Shuffle" as the intro and banjo solo. 'Cherokee Shuffle kept popping into my ears as I was working on John's tune in an almost identical chord progression, similar at the very least... somehow it fits... Technically you're getting a 2-for-1 on this one, i.e., Julia Belle AND Cherokee Shuffle. Added 2-23-2012
MIDI - Keep on the Sunny Side - A Fakebook arrangement with ALL of the original lyrics. The solo is a fairly simple and straight forward blugrass style, mostly Open-Position solo. Not hard to play. This has always been one of my favorite old tunes. Added 6-22-2012
MIDI - 99 Problems - Hugo - A short bluegrass instrumental that emulates the original tune as closely as possible... lots of people have orded this one. Added 6-22-2012
MIDI - Katy Kline - Traditional - Recorded by groups such as the Seekers and the Grateful Dead - Fakebook: ALL Lyrics and melody included on this older folk tune. The melody and chord progression are identical to that of "Roll in my Sweet Baby's Arms". There are several solos inlcuded in several styles, i.e, Bluegrass, Open-Position and Up-The-Neck as well as solos including a fair amount of scale-based melodic style. There are also some new tricks in this arrangeent: I added 'back brushes' and quite a few Scruggs style 'chokes' to the back-up for the most authentic bluegrass sounding arrangement of mine to date. Added 6-21-2012
MIDI - And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda - Eric Bogle - This is a complete Fakebook arrangement in this it has ALL lyrics to all verses and choruses expressed on the top staff in a harmonica voice, so you always know ehere you're at in the tune. Because the song is 5 verses long and includes a 6th verse in the form of an Outro, I had to break the whole thing into 2 parts, Part A and Part B. So, you'll be receiving 2 files. The banjo plays support in this arrangement, it did not seem like the kind of a song that needed a solo... the banjo fits in perfectly, playing back-up in 3/4 time... Great tune, and I'm proud of the 16 hours that went into producing this Tabledited arrangement. Added 6-20-2012
MIDI - Waltzing Mathilda - Banjo Paterson - The original tune was written in 6/8 time... 4/4 seems to be alot more 'bluegrassy' and the melody and harmony work perfectly in 4/4, so... here it is in 4/4 as an instrumental banjo solo, mostly in the Open-Position. No lyrics. Added 6-21-2012
MIDI - Look What They've Done To My Song - Melanie Safka - Fakebook style: One verse follwed by a Bluegrass style solo: Moderately Challenging: I love Melanie's music... she's my favorite female folk singer of all time - Added 6-17-2012 -
MIDI - Country Roads - John Denver - This is a fairly dramatic UPDATE to an instrumental banjo arrangement I did 5 years ago. I added pick hand fingerings, more standard Scruggs licks, Better and more labeling of song parts and instrument parts, more breather measures, etc. It took almost 2 hours to do all of these changes... I think it's dramatically better than the former... Added 6-17-2012
MIDI - Lonesome Whistle Blues - Co-Written by Hank Williams, Sr. and former Louisiana Govenor, Jimme Davis. This is a Fakebook arrangement with ALL lyrics, melody line, back-up banjo and a Moderately Challenging triplet-style bluegrass banjo solo. This great tune has been performed by Hank, Sr., Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan, to name a few. - Added 6-17-2012
MIDI - Chewin' Chewin' Gum - Fakebook arrangement with all verses, supporting back-up banjo and an easy-to-play, Open-Position solo - Added 6-16-2012
MIDI - Tom Dooley - Fakebook arrangement: 1 Verse of melody and lyrics followed by a fairly easy-to-play, mostly Open-Position Bluegrass style solo. Added 6-15-2012
MIDI - Fisher's Hornpipe - Traditional - Melodic style banjo in the key of G: Moderately challenging. Added 6-7-2012
MIDI - Rock of Ages - Gillian Welch: Instrumental in Bb: Banjo capo'd to 3rd fret, tuned to G modal, i.e., 2nd string raised to a c note. Not hard to play, not really scruggs style... sounds clawhammerish, while wearing picks or you can play it with your fingers like I do. Added 6-7-2012
MIDI - By The Mark - Gillian Welch: Fakebook arrangements with ALL lyrics and a BG solo between verses. Not hard to play. Key of G: Added 6-7-2012
MIDI - Mountain Dew - Bascom Lamar Lunsford - Fakebook: Has lyrics to First Verse and Chorus. Simple, Open-Position Scruggs style solos after Chorus. Added 6-6-2012
MIDI - Maggie's Farm - Bob Dylan - Fakebook with ALL lyrics: This is essentially a study in playing blues and pentatonic bluegrass banjo riffs against a Dylan melody and chord progression. Added 6-5-2012
MIDI - I Want You - Bob Dylan - Instrumental - Fakebook style with ALL lyrics, an intro banjo solo and bluegrass style back-up throughout. Not hard to play. Added 6-5-2012
MIDI - Pachelbel's Canon - Instrumental - Original arpeggiated melody in the 'easy-to-play key of G major' plus 2 variations. Added 6-3-2012
MIDI - Down By The Riverside - Traditional Spiritual. Performed by many including Elvis Presley and Pete Seeger. This is a Fakebook arrangement with only the 1st Verse and Chorus, just to demonstrate one way to work out the tune. There is a built in 1st and 2nd ending to prepare you for following verses you may want to sing. Added 5-31-2012
MIDI - I'll Have A New Life - Gospel by Luther G. Presley (Author of When the Saints Go Marchin' In) - This great gospel tune has been recorded by many including Johnny Cash. This is a Fakebook arrangement with ALL lyrics and a moderately easy to play, open-position Scruggs style banjo solo. One of my current favorites. Thanks to Don Taylor for the suggestion... Added 5-31-2012
MIDI - I'm On Fire - Bruce Springsteen - Fakebook with ALL Lyrics - Basic arrangement with mostly Open-Position Bluegrass-style Solo... One of my new 'Boss" favorites! Added 5-25-2012
MIDI - Eleanor Rigby - Lennon & McCartney - Fakebook arrangement that contains ALL lyrics to the song in question. Banjo plays roll-style back-up during vocals, then a mostly Open-Position Scruggs style solo happens between each of the Chorus-Verse segments... Added 5-15-2012
MIDI - Learning To Fly - Tom Petty - Fakebook arrangement with ALL lyrics in the Key of G. A fairly basic arrangement featuring the banjo as a mostly back-up instrument. It does play a short solo, but fairly simple... Nice melody and chord progression in G thanks to Mr. Petty. Not hard to play. Added 5-14-2012
MIDI - Little Brown Jug - Circa 1869 by Joseph Eastburn Winner - This is a Fake book arrangement with the lyrics to the first and second verses and chorus. There is a relatively simple Scruggs style solo that incorporates some melodic scale playing after the choruses. Not hard to play. There are so many verses on this one, I decided to stop after two, otherwise, you're just prinitng a lot of paper for nothing. Added 5-14-2012
MIDI - Jolene - Dolly Parton - Fake book style arrangement with ALL lyrics, out of standard tuning in the Key of dm. Basic Scruggs style solo moves from Open-Position to the 12th fret, making this arrangment, Moderately Challenging. - Added 5-13-2012
MIDI - In The Mood - Glenn Miller - Melodic and Scruggs style arrangement in the key of G. Only Moderately Challenging due to small bar chords and some melodic style playing. Added 5-11-2012
MIDI - Come Thou Fount of Ev'ry Blessing - Old Gospel, Circa 1757 - Arranged in the original key of D in 3/4 time, using standard G tuning and playing in C, capo'd at the 2nd and 7th frets for D. This is a Fakebook arrangement: it has ALL lyrics and melody as sung on the top staff, back-up banjo and open-position solo on the send and lower staff. This is more of a Chord-Melody solo, than Scruggs style per se, but it does use roll patterns throughout. Very pretty tune. Arranged and added to the BanjoTom2 collection on 5-4-2012
MIDI - Buy For Me The Rain - Jeff Noonan of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band - Fakebook style arrangement featuring the melody and lyrics of Noonan's great NGDB tune supported by Scruggs style Back-Up banjo. No solo per se. Key of G. Added 4-21-2012
MIDI - The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down - The Band - A Fakebook arrangement featuring ALL of the lyrics, banjo-back-up in Scruggs style in the key of C. Added 4-20-2012
MIDI - The Addams Family Theme - Vic Mizzy - Very basic, melody only, instrumental with lyrics under tablature for reference - Not difficult - Basic, open-position Scruggs style - Added 4-14-2012
MIDI - Dem Bones - Spiritual - Instrumental with lyrics under tablature for reference - Not difficult - Basic, open-position Scruggs style - See MIDI sample file - Added 4-12-2012
MIDI - Too Ra - Loo Ra - James Joyce Shannon - An Irish Lullaby written in 1914 and popularized by Bing Crosby in 1944. This is mostly a chord-melody arrangement with the lyrics under the arrangement. It's a fairly simple and slow 3/4 (waltz) time piece in G, but it does have some bar chords that require all fingers of the left, chording hand. Added 4-9-2012
MIDI - You've Got A Friend In Me - Randy Newman - Instrumental arrangement of the now famous 'Toy Story' tune melody set in a mostly Scruggs style, definitely fingerstyle arrangement in the Key of G (The original key was Eb). There are no lyrics in this arrangement. There wasn't enough space to include lyrics AND pick hand fingerings... the arrangement is challenging enough that the pick hand fingerings won. I worked from a professionally arranged transcript of the original for piano to make darned sure it is as close as possible to the original... But when moving from piano to banjo and changing keys, etc., accomodations have to happen. Added 4-8-2012
MIDI - If It Hadn't Been For Love - The Steel Drivers - Fakebook with ALL lyrics, arranged in the key of am. Requires the use of a 5th string spike or capo. I have two arrangements, they are identical except for the solos. Number 2 is the hottie with fairly high speed triplets running up the neck. Other than the solos... the arrangement is fairly easy to play, i.e., the back-up. Added 4-6-2012
MIDI - Blue Kentucky Girl - Emmy Lou Harris - Instrumental arrangement in G featuring the melody line of Emmy's now famous tune. Mostly in the open position with occasional forays and simple bar chords. Very basic Scruggs style otherwise. Just upgraded from a previous arrangement I did in 2009. It now includes all pick hand fingerings, Banjo as the rhythm instrument (hidden), acoustic bass (hidden) to improve the MIDI playback of the arrangement. Upgraded and added on 4-1-2012
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