frailing suggestion

Subject: frailing suggestion
From: The Sandman
Date: 19 Apr 20 - 03:17 PM

any suggestions for frailing tune to go with Buffalo girls IN G TUNING

Subject: RE: frailing suugestion
From: Jeri
Date: 19 Apr 20 - 08:56 PM

Soldier's Joy?

Subject: RE: frailing suugestion
From: Jeri
Date: 19 Apr 20 - 08:59 PM

Which is in D, so maybe not.

Subject: RE: frailing suggestion
From: The Sandman
Date: 20 Apr 20 - 02:03 AM

i will give it a try in g. i specifically want it for frailing not clawhammer,thankyou do youhave any marches ?

Subject: RE: frailing suggestion
From: The Sandman
Date: 20 Apr 20 - 03:02 AM

or any stephen foster tunes or minstrel tunes

Subject: RE: frailing suggestion
From: GUEST,Jerry
Date: 20 Apr 20 - 03:11 AM

Camptown Races, Eliza Jane, Little Redwing? Modulating satisfyingly from D to G.

Subject: RE: frailing suggestion
From: The Sandman
Date: 20 Apr 20 - 05:55 AM

little redwing ,is that sometimes known as a parody as the moon shines down on charlie chjaplin his boots are crackling, aka redwing song

Subject: RE: frailing suggestion
From: gillymor
Date: 20 Apr 20 - 08:06 AM

Woody Guthrie also used the melody for Union Maid, Red Wing that is.
BG goes good with a number of G tunes- Polly Willy Doodle, Hop High Ladies, Colton Eyed Joe, Old Joe Clark, Cripple Creek, Oh Susannah, etc.

Subject: RE: frailing suggestion
From: GUEST,Jerry
Date: 20 Apr 20 - 11:03 AM

Yes, the Charlie Chaplin trenches song used the Redwing tune, as did Guthrie and the Strawbs later on, but I guess any of the Appalachian tunes in G would work, like Cumberland Gap, Waterbound, etc.

Subject: RE: frailing suggestion
From: The Sandman
Date: 20 Apr 20 - 11:47 AM

oh thanks yes i already play flower waterbound and camptown racesan wild woodflower must look at cumberland gap

Subject: RE: frailing suggestion
From: GUEST,Don Meixner
Date: 20 Apr 20 - 12:51 PM

Try New York Girls (Can't You Dance The Polka). Fairly similar chord wise tho' the melody is different. I do them both in G and I know both Frail because I can't drop thumb for Clawhammer.

Don Meixner

Subject: RE: frailing suggestion
From: Jeri
Date: 20 Apr 20 - 07:00 PM

Golden Slippers is another good one, and it's "marcher".
(I don't know what the difference is between frailing and clawhammer. Possibly there's a way to strike the strings with the back of the nails without the rhythmic motion?)

Subject: RE: frailing suggestion
From: GUEST,Starship
Date: 20 Apr 20 - 07:09 PM

I don't either, Jeri. So I checked Wikipedia and here ya go. It's actually understandable:

"Clawhammer vs. frailing
While the terms "clawhammer" and "frailing" can be used interchangeably, some old-time players draw a distinction between the two. On the banjo, frailing most commonly means always picking the drone string, while clawhammer allows the picking of other strings with the thumb, which is also called "drop thumbing". Some players further distinguish between "drop thumb" and "clawhammer", in which the thumb plays rhythm in drop thumb, but melody in clawhammer. There is also a known style where two fingers are used brushing down described as "Knock-Down". There are yet more variations of the distinction between "clawhammer" and "frailing", but they all refer to the same general style of playing. The term "double thumbing" is sometimes used interchangeably with "drop thumbing", though double thumbing refers specifically to striking the fifth string after every beat rather than every other beat, while drop thumbing refers to dropping the thumb from the 5th drone string down to strike a melody note."

Subject: RE: frailing suggestion
From: gillymor
Date: 20 Apr 20 - 07:13 PM

Donald Zepp, retired banjo shop owner and fine banjo picker, had this to say:

Is it Frailing or is it Clawhammer?

I just call it all clawhammer wether I'm drop thumbing or not.

Subject: RE: frailing suggestion
From: Jeri
Date: 20 Apr 20 - 07:40 PM

Thanks, Starship. I play clawhammer, with drop/double thumbing, which I guess is failing, not clawhammer. Except I think I'm ok with calling them the same thing, because I think some people will. It just was good to know what the Sandman needed.

Subject: RE: frailing suggestion
From: The Sandman
Date: 21 Apr 20 - 01:55 PM

thankyou jeri, i also use drop thumbing but wanted to do this one in a more rythmic way, anyway thanks everybody

Subject: RE: frailing suggestion
From: gillymor
Date: 21 Apr 20 - 03:07 PM

I was messing around with Buffalo Gals this morning and found that I liked an uptempo June Apple after it and a medium tempo Sandy Boys before it.

Subject: RE: frailing suggestion
From: The Sandman
Date: 21 Apr 20 - 04:28 PM

ok must try, thanks