GILSAW - for fiddle and clawhammer banjo (tablature)

Below are two versions of the tune "Gilsaw", one for fiddle and the other
for clawhammer banjo. This is the most pleasant tune I have run into in
quite some time.

These are written in ascii -- I see any form of musical notation as merely a tool to enable one to as quickly as possible get the tune in their heads -- where it belongs. While the appearance and form of the transcribed music here departs from "normal", all necessary info is nonetheless intact and quite easily grasped. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- FIDDLE Gilsaw - Key of D . ,----------------,----------------,----------------,----------------, |sl-1 | | | | |----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------| | ! | | _ | * | |-!---------O----|-------O--------|-!---O-!--------|-O---O-O-O------| | O. O O | O O | ! ! O| O O | |---------------O|---O------------|-O-----O-----O--|-------------O--| | | O O O| O | | '----------------'----------------'---------O------'----------------' O O __ ! ! -O- ! O O ,----------------,----------------,-O--------------,-O--------------, |hsl-1 | | O O | O . | |----------------|----------------|---O------------|---O------O-----| | ! | ! | O O | O ! | |-!---------O----|-------O-!------|----------------|----------!-----| | O. O O | O O | O | | |---------------O|---O------------|----------------|----------------| | | O | | | '----------------'----------------'----------------'----------------' REPEAT sl-2 ! /! ! ! * hsl-2 ** **** * ---,-O----O-O-------,----------------,-------O--------,----------------, O | !. O | O. O. | O O O | O | -!-|-O----------O---|-!-------!------|---O-------O----|-------------!--| \! | | ! ! | O | ! \! | ---|----------------|----------------|---------------O|-O-----O-!------| | O | | | O O O. | ---|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------| | | | | | ---'----------------'----------------'----------------'----------------' __ sl _ ! ! ! ! ! -O- ! ! ! O hsl-2 ** O O ,-O---O---O------,----------------,-O--------------,-O--------------, | | O. O | O O | O . | |-------------O--|-!------!-------|---O------------|---O------O-----| | | ! ! | O O | O ! | |----------------|----------------|----------------|----------!-----| | O O| | O | | |----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------| | | | | | '----------------'----------------'----------------'----------------' REPEAT NOTES: sl = Slide into the note from the note below sl-1 = Slide into the A note from string below while droning on the open A string sl-2 = Do the slide on the E string only, while your ring finger remains on the D note on the A string hsl-1 = While playing the open A string as a drone, play the F# on the D string with middle finger, then slide up to A, on the D string, using your ring finger hsl-2 = While playing the open E string as a drone, play the C on the A string with middle finger, then slide up to E on the A string using your ring finger **** = How to play these first 3 notes: While playing the open E string as a drone, and with your ring finger playing the E note on the A string, slide your ring finger down to the D note then slide it back up to the E note * = "1/2 trill ! (a.k.a. ! <- this note played quickly "grace -o- note) O ! <- main note ! ** = Play open E string and E note on the A string in unison here . = This dot (above the 3rd measure in the first line) means "stacatto" -- that is, play the note and very quickly shut it up. Note: I play this tune in EADA tuning (high to low) for the quite noticeable sympathetic resonance of the "unused" low string (tuned up to A). Gotta air a gripe here --- Please use the old tunings! I see a lot of people, out of laziness or ?, playing things in classical EADG tuning when it would sound better & often be more historically appropriate to use a variant tuning. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- BANJO Tablature for my banjo version of "Gilsaw" Straight "G" tuning (gdgbd) sl = slide; t = thumb; h = hammer-on; s = sustain (hold previous note) t h t h h t t h t h 3 sl _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : ,--o-o-:--o-2-o-:,-:-:-o-2-o-:-:-:,-:-2-:--:-:-:---,-2-:-2-5 2-:-:-:, |--3-3-:--------1|-o-1-------o-:-:|-1---1 -:-1-3---|---3-------3-1-o| |----o-:---------|-------------o-s| -------2-------|----------------| |------:---------|----------------|----------------|----------------| '------o---------'----------------'----------------'----------------' t h t h h t t t t t t t t sl _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : ,--o-o-:--o-2-o-:,-:-:-o-2-o-12-:-,-9-:-7-:-o-:-7-:,-9-:-7-:-:-o--:-, |--3-3-:--------1|-o-1----------13|---8---7---7---7|---8---7-8-8--:-| |----o-:---------|----------------| ---------------|-----------o--:-| |------:---------|----------------|----------------|--------------:-| '------o---------'----------------'----------------'--------------o-' repeat t t h h t t t t _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : ,-9-9-:-9-:--9-:,-7-7-:--7-:-:--,-7-7-9-7-:-4-:-,-2-:-o-s-o-o-:-, |---8-:---10---8|---7-:----7-8--|---------8---5-|---3-------o-:-| |---o-:---------|-----:---------|---------------|-----------o-:-| |-----:---------|-----:---------|---------------|-------------:-| '-----o---------'-----o---------'---------------'-------------o-' t t t t t t t t t t _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : ,-9-9-:-9-:--9-:,-7-7-:--7--12-:-,-9-:-7-:-o-:-7-:,-9-:-7-:-:-o--:-, |---8-:---10---8|---7-:--------13|---8---7---7---7|---8---7-8-8--:-| |---o-:---------|-----:----------| ---------------|-----------o--:-| |-----:---------|-----:----------|----------------|--------------:-| '-----o---------'-----o----------'----------------'--------------o-' repeat Note - Sorry that this is shown in the key of G, whereas the fiddle version above is in D! It just seems to "fit" better better in D on fiddle and G on banjo.

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