Banjo tunes?

[MandoMN18]

I play both fiddle and mandolin and when I get into a jam with more than one banjo I feel bad that I only know fiddle tunes and that I don’t know banjo tunes. What are some of the popular banjo tunes that you’ve learned? The only ones I know are Fireball Mail, Pike County Breakdown, and Foggy Mountain Breakdown.

[Mark Wilson]

Cripple Creek seems to be the goto banjo standard anytime a banjo player sits in with us
I like this version of Foggy Mountain Special for mandolin guitar. Double the speed for banjo I guess

[Mark Gunter]

I like Clinch Mountain Backstep.

[HonketyHank]

The first banjo tune I learned a long time ago was Old Joe Clark, which just happens to be Tune of the Month for this month in the Newbies social group.

[Ivan Kelsall]

As a banjo player,when i came to mandolin,i did play many of the tunes that i'd played on banjo for so long. Clinch Mt.Backstep / Sally Goodin / Sally Ann(e) / Big Sandy River / Dixie Hoedown / Old Joe Clark /Pike County Breakdown & several more. I worked them out as ''mandolin instrumentals'',not just taking the mandolin break from an inst. like 'Big Sandy River' & using that,but playing it as though it had been written for the mandolin - as per the second part of Bill Monroe's break - about 55 seconds into the tune.

Just take any tune that you think might work on mandolin & work it out - if it sounds ok to you,use it,if not..................!,
Ivan

[ralph johansson]

I play both fiddle and mandolin and when I get into a jam with more than one banjo I feel bad that I only know fiddle tunes and that I don’t know banjo tunes. What are some of the popular banjo tunes that you’ve learned? The only ones I know are Fireball Mail, Pike County Breakdown, and Foggy Mountain Breakdown.

Fireball Mail is a song, and Monroe first recorded Pike County Breakdown as a mandolin number (although Flatt&Scruggs recorded it before Monroe). Seems to me that Monroe alternates between an open strings apporach and playing from the chop chord formation.


FMB to me seems to be a tune that works on banjo only, i.e., your main concern would be what to contribute besides the "melody".

The one banjo tune I play on the mandolin is Crossing the Cumberlands, which I believe is the only Monroe tune conceived as a banjo tune from the very beginning. It's in g minor. I play the first part mainly in 3rd position, locking my index on the g note of the d course (assuming the role of the fifth string), and the second part in first. Of course, with a banjo in the band I would play something else altogether.

[Ivan Kelsall]

Hi Ralph - I play 'Pike County Breakdown' on mandolin exactly as i play it on banjo. However,that's when i play it 'solo'. If i were ever fortunate enough to play it with a group of other instruments ie.banjo / guitar etc.,i'd maybe consider playing one break a different way,using a few more chords in it. Until that day arrives - i'll banjo it !,
Ivan