I Am the Man, Thomas - Ralph Stanley Style

Learn to play "I Am the Man, Thomas" on the banjo and in the style of Ralph Stanley. This one is closely based on the way he 'kicked off' this tune on his recording from the "Cry From the Cross" album, which was made in 1971. Ricky Skaggs, Keith Whitley, Roy Lee Centers, Curly Ray Cline, and Jack Cooke were all members of Ralph's Band which was known as the Clinch Mountain Boys.

Ralph had a style that had a heavy blues influence. It was evident in his singing and banjo playing. You could hear it in his note choice and inflection. It leaned much more towards a mournful minor blues sound which was something that helped distinguish him from Earl Scruggs. The 3rd fret partial bend in measure 2 is a perfect example of that.

Ralph's sound was also very influenced from Appalachia. It's also evident in his songs. That 'modal' sound is very common in old-time tunes. Ralph was also a clawhammer banjo player, that influenced his style as well. A great example of that is the alternate string hammer-on he does in the Stanley style lick for measure 8. It's a trick he also used in his song "Clinch Mountain Backstep". It's very unique to him. In the middle of a roll he does a hammer-on to an alternate string. This is notated in the tablature, and you can find a video demonstration of this in the Learning Path for Clinch Mountain Backstep. The lick is in the A section.

Explore more I Am the Man, Thomas Banjo Tabs:

Melody, Playing the Syllables, Two Finger, Index Led Forward Rolls, Scruggs Style