Dock Boggs Banjo #3: "Wild Bill Jones"

Tuning is standard open G: gDGBD
This is a full instructional video for the banjo song "Wild Bill Jones" as played by Dock Boggs.

[@CliftonHicksbanjo]

These videos are a great resource.

[@dirtybootz5112]

i agree . hey clifton when do give us a moonshiner lesson ?

[@enricobusetto722]

The final lick is really something

[@nolikeimagestudio6522]

I loved this video, I was able to play my first banjo tune almost immediately, and I am deeply grateful from China! masterful elegant！

[@ColinBazsali]

Thanks!

[@jderekito]

Hello. I have a Kay banjo I have been playing since the Covid start. Enjoying your content, brother and love the Dylan Posters

[@ColinBazsali]

Thanks! I got those posters at the local record store as freebies with certain vinyl purchases.

[@chrischismsounds]

Been watching and getting a lot from these videos and just want to say thank you. Dock Boggs is a huge influence and you do a fantastic job.

[@ColinBazsali]

Thanks for the compliment! I’m glad you’re finding the videos useful.

[@binarybotany3218]

Thanks so much, Dock Boggs is one of my favorite musicians, and for some reason his style felt rather inaccessible.

[@ColinBazsali]

Yeah, his style is very appealing yet idiosyncratic. No one else plays like him!

[@AWhinyKid]

Thanks so much for this! Hard transition from Scruggs style but very rewarding. This is lots of fun to play!

[@jeremycharbonneau4961]

Just started playing banjo couple days ago and I wanted to play this song. Couldn't find any tabs but with this video I learned to play it in little less than 24h. Thank you very much!

[@ColinBazsali]

That's great! I hope you took some time to eat and sleep during that span. ;)

[@dirtybootz5112]

thank you very much, I'm a big fan of dock boggs. can't wait for the next lessons. cheers

[@diegofernandes6763]

thanks from Brazil

[@TimothyBIinks]

Colin, these videos are such a wonderful resource - thanks for making them and looking forward to the next ones. I'm hoping for future songs you might get into some of the specifics of stuff you talked about generally in the first video, when it comes to how Dock adopted blues for banjo, used modal tunings, the drone string for dissonance, etc. Like... my impression on a casual listen to Dock is that a lot of the songs are 1-chord blue in some sort of modal tuning with blues notes thrown into the melodies. I'd love to hear more about that - or if/where I'm wrong - since you seem to have that stuff figured out. Basically, it's great to get a kind of video tab of what he's playing, but I'd love to hear more about what he's doing with it, how it works, what's going on with his tuning and note selection. I know the videos are already pretty long and for all I know you were planning on talking about this stuff already, once you start doing songs outside of G tuning. Anyways, thanks again for making Dock's music more accessible!

[@peterkraemer4171]

Thank you, Colin. This is exactly what I've been looking for, and will save me months and months of disecting Doc Boggs style and tunings. Pete

[@ColinBazsali]

You’re welcome! Glad you found it useful.

[@mikegager]

cant wait for the next episode!

[@Coleman.1957]

Good job young man… you serve The Tradition well

[@ColinBazsali]

Thank you!

[@vincentchapman2656]

Thanks i have just began to play, 3 mths in and just found out about Dock Boggs and it blew me away to find this blues banjo style and now to find you teaching it. I want to thank you from England. Really love these folk banjo music

[@ColinBazsali]

You're welcome! I'm glad you're finding them useful.

[@subbuteo71]

This is perfect- thank you! I cannot wait for your next video!

[@paulsykes5882]

That's ok Colin, I've got it down perfect, just need to keep practicing it. Thanks mate.

[@SynthApprentice]

3:08 that's one hell of a headbang!

[@calebwright.]

Your videos are the best!

[@ColinBazsali]

Thanks!

[@terrygray6078]

Absolutely brilliant thank you

[@ColinBazsali]

Thanks!

[@paulsykes5882]

Colin thankyou so much for this, been wanting to play this in this style for ages. Thankyou for this, much appreciated.

[@ColinBazsali]

Great! Let me know if there is anything that I could make clearer or if you have any other questions while you're learning it.

[@mccypr]

Thanks! I’ve seen the Romeros perform this song in a video. I wondered what his picking style was about.

[@Banjer]

Thank thank very much I really enjoyed

[@Josh-ys4lb]

Thank you so much for these videos!

[@garymumford2724]

Thank you my friend! My Christmas gift for myself is sounding more like a banjo by the hour, peace to you and yours.

[@ColinBazsali]

All right! A belated congratulations on your Christmas gift!

[@jakewollin6262]

The right hand arrangement is so unnatural to me but i think I'm finally getting it down. Finally starting to be able to play one of my favorite songs! Thanks for the videos!

[@capellamusic7914]

You are great! Can you make a tutorial for ”Back step Cindy” clawhammer :)

[@dakotajnixon1594]

Great video! Thanks a million! Hero of the people! I'd request O Death next if you're taking suggestions :)

[@emilymount6007]

Thanks soooo much xx

[@humanlivessmatter]

Thanks a lot man I appreciate it! Subbed.

[@waltzingpeter]

I really love these lessons. I’m mostly a Clawhammer player and guitar fingerpicker, stuff like John Hurt. Do you have any tips regarding the brush?

[@ColinBazsali]

The down brush is usually done with the back of the middle finger fingernail. What kind of trouble are you having with it?

[@alexbrown7665]

Just found you videos and I'm really enjoying them! Would you ever consider doing a series on Ola Belle Reed?

[@marinevet7273]

Colin, do you know if there is a Dock Boggs Banjo song book with tabs? Thank you for doing all the work you put into producing these Dock Boggs videos.

[@ColinBazsali]

Not to my knowledge. Thanks for the kind words!

[@alexbrown7665]

Any plans for a lesson #3? I would like to learn some more for you! You have a great instructional style.

[@ColinBazsali]

Yes, Alex. I'll post "Sugar Baby" soon. Probably today.

[@backwoodzexplorer4460]

Have you done Sugar Baby yet? I would love to hear Bright Sunny South or Calvary too.. there are so many good ones and you are such a great teacher! looking forward to seeing some more

[@ColinBazsali]

Not yet...life got busy. :) I still plan to, though!

[@marcsirkin8398]

Exactly what I was looking for. Thank you. Going to add any more songs?

[@ColinBazsali]

Yeah, sometime soon. Life got busy. :)

[@marcsirkin8398]

Understood. One question: if you end up with melody on the second or first string., is there any difference to the rolls used? Thank you so much!

[@theFreqDesign]

Thanks for sharing your knowledge on Dock Boggs' 3 finger picking style. His Sugar Baby tune was one of the reasons I bought my Banjo. In your video you said your sears & Roebuck has nylon strings is it easy to convert from steel strings to nylon? I've read things about tail pieces snapping the nylon etc. So wondered if you had any good tips about them. Thanks for your uploads and I look forward to many more. :)

[@ColinBazsali]

Hi! My banjo has the original "No-Knot" tailpiece, which was made for gut strings, so I have not have any problem with the tailpiece breaking the strings. However, I use a method of attaching them that is not the usual way: I just feed them through the hole in the post and then tie a big overhand knot on the other side to keep it from slipping out. Once the strings stretch out, they don't often break. If you have a tailpiece that consistently snaps nylon strings, you might look for wear points that dig into the string and then file those points down so they are not a sharp.

[@theFreqDesign]

Colin Bazsali thanks for the quick reply to my question and the info. I have a deering goodtime and I read that their tailpiece can snap nylon/nylgut strings, but I searched online at my local banjo store and there is a deering nylon tailpiece you can fit so I might go down that road as I’m not sure there’s a hole on the tail post, which would be ideal. Thanks again for all your posts, I’m looking forward to learning how to play my banjo. All the best from the uk. :)

[@whippybox9271]

Where did you get or how did you make that banjo strap? Looks super cool!

[@ColinBazsali]

Thanks! The strap is just a leather boot lace I've attached to the brackets. The banjo is very light, so I don't need a wide strap. I like the look, too. :)

[@DOOMSMF]

Hey colin. I'm a new subscriber. Can you please please do a vid for oh death. Great videos you got

[@DOOMSMF]

Nevermind I got it figured out.

[@MichaelVondung]

Colin, would it be possible to get tabs for this song and perhaps the others in your series? Doesn't have to be free.

[@ColinBazsali]

Sometimes I links to tabs in the descriptions, but I don't have any for this one.

[@ewanmcvicar9]

average bob dylan listener 🤣

[@broganvickrey326]

In Boggs style I can’t figure it out

[@broganvickrey326]

Oh death that is

[@ewanmcvicar9]

the age is 21 not 22