Level: 3
Tuning: G6 tuning: D G D G A D

I first heard this tune performed by Taj Mahal on the banjo at the Philadelphia Folk Festival. Most people think of this as a fiddle dance tune, but it is also credited as a cakewalk to Tin Pan Alley composer Harry Von Tilzer in 1899. It's considered a foundational tune in ragtime music.

I took this well-known tune and arranged and reworked it from an unexpected angle. My arrangement is presented with a slippery Professor Longhair bass line, and is, according to Duck Baker, "considered a classic in picking circles". It has two sections - A & B - with two variations and a rhythmical trick at the end called a hemiola. You will hear the independent Cajun bass line throughout the piece supporting the melody and some movable licks that can be played in three different chord changes. This lesson highlights and explores how a melody can be presented and given a new vision when pairing it with a different style of music...in this case, Cajun music. My arrangement highlights that catchy independent bass line with a lot of forward drive and will help you develop an independent right-hand thumb, and with its variations, help you with your fluency up and down the neck.