One of the first banjo festivals that I attended was the M.A.B.E.
(Mid-America Banjo Enthusiasts)Festival held in Dallas, Texas hosted by the
"Dallas Banjo Band." It was there that I met "Smokey" Montgomery. He was
kind enough to share some of the "Dallas Banjo Bands" arrangements with
me. I was intrigued by the different harmony lines that he had created
for the band.
The following year I attended the
M.A.B.E. Festival in Eureka Springs, Missouri. Don Gilbrect was the
leader of the "Off The Street Band". The band was made up of banjo
players that came to the festival and wanted to participate. Don would
write out the lead, harmony and chords for the songs that the band was
going to play. He even recorded them on tape and mailed them out ahead
of time. This is the arrangement that Don made for the Song Ja-Da. The
only change that I made is a chart for rhythm strokes. I have found that
when everyone is left to play their own rhythm then it becomes too
polyrhythmic. This is a fun song for your group or band to try. Once you
get the chorus down look up the verses and and them add it to the
arrangementl.
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One of the first banjo festivals that I attended was the M.A.B.E.
(Mid-America Banjo Enthusiasts)Festival held in Dallas, Texas hosted by the
"Dallas Banjo Band." It was there that I met "Smokey" Montgomery. He was
kind enough to share some of the "Dallas Banjo Bands" arrangements with
me. I was intrigued by the different harmony lines that he had created
for the band.