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Banjo tablatures for Buffalo Gals

Traditional

Recomended level: Intermediate

Tags: #fiddle tune, #vocal song, #up-tempo

Written and published as ‘Lubly fan’ in 1844, Buffalo gals, was originally produced by the blackface minstrel of john Hodges, who is famous for his performance in ‘cool white’. The popular performance was particularly famous in the United States with several minstrels tweaking the lyrics to entertain their local audience. Examples are the versions titled after each locale like New York having New York gals, Boston having Boston gals and Alabama having Alabama gals (this particular version was recorded by Alan Lomax and Shirley Collins while on a trip in 1959). Buffalo, New York stands out as the best among all these versions. The song has also been featured on several films set like Texas (1941), Dixie (1943), It's a Wonderful Life (1946), and High Noon (1952). For all these adaptation and nice ring around the tune, it was classed among the top 100 western songs of all time by western writers of America. The tune was really common to areas that had ‘dancing girls’ had their performance and had the interest of bars concert halls and particularly buffalo, New York canal district where freight men and crewmen received their wages.

  • Banjo Buffalo Gals Scruggs Style

    Scruggs Style

    This version is based on Alan Munde's arrangement on his record, "Festival Favorites Revisited." The chords for both A and B sections are the same!

    Banjo Buffalo Gals Scruggs Style
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  • Banjo Buffalo Gals Melodic Style

    Melodic Style

    Buffalo Gals in melodic style features a stream of 16th notes in the A section that is challenging at fast tempos. Get it nice and clean by practicing slow first!

    Banjo Buffalo Gals Melodic Style
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  • Banjo Buffalo Gals Backup

    Backup

    This version of Buffalo Gals has a lot of forward rolls and 4th string "bass" lines moving to and from the D chord.

    Banjo Buffalo Gals Backup
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