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Banjo tablatures for Wabash Cannonball

Traditional

Recomended level: Intermediate

Tags: #folk music, #vocal song, #medium-tempo

"The Great Rock Island Route," otherwise called "Wabash Cannonball," is an American folklore melody that depicts the picturesque excellence and quandaries of the Wabash Cannonball Express as it traveled on the Great Rock Island train route. Over numerous years, this prominent tune has stayed unaltered, while the sections have been refreshed by melody specialists. In 1882, sheet music titled "The Great Rock Island Route" was credited to J. A. Roff. A revised form by William Kindt showed up in 1904 under the title "Wabash Cannon Ball." The Carter Family made one of the main chronicles of the melody in 1929. However, it was not published until 1932. Another prevalent variant was recorded by Roy Acuff in 1936. The Acuff adaptation is one of the less than 40 untouched singles to have sold up to more than 10 million physical duplicates around the world. The Wabash Cannonball is a marked melody of the Indiana State University Marching Sycamores and the Purdue All-American Marching Band as the ISU and Purdue grounds are neighboring the Mighty Wabash River. It is additionally connected with the Stephen F. Austin State University Lumberjack Marching Band, the Kansas State University Marching Band, the Texas Tech University Goin' Band from Raiderland, and the University of Texas Longhorn Band. It was additionally utilized as the signature tune by USS Wabash.

  • Banjo Wabash Cannonball Scruggs Style

    Scruggs Style

    • Difficulty
    • Key
      G
    • Tempo
      110 bpm
    • Tuning
      gDGBD

    This song is a must-know jam song that has been covered by all sorts of people. Enjoy this down-the-neck arrangement of Wabash Cannonball with some fun licks thrown in!

    Banjo Wabash Cannonball Scruggs Style
    Learn
  • Banjo Wabash Cannonball Melodic Style

    Melodic Style

    • Difficulty
    • Key
      G
    • Tempo
      110 bpm
    • Tuning
      gDGBD

    An advanced arrangement of Wabash Cannonball that starts out down the neck and brings you up the neck with some fancy melodic runs.

    Banjo Wabash Cannonball Melodic Style
    Learn
  • Banjo Wabash Cannonball Backup Style

    Backup Style

    • Difficulty
    • Key
      G
    • Tempo
      110 bpm
    • Tuning
      gDGBD

    This arrangement of Wabash Cannonball demonstrates how you can switch between vamping and rolling down the neck.

    Banjo Wabash Cannonball Backup Style
    Learn



Practicing Tips

'Wabash Cannonball' is a comprehensive learning resource designed specifically for intermediate bluegrass banjo players. Offering unique tablatures in Scruggs, Melodic, and Backup Styles, it opens up multiple avenues of exploration within a single song. Beyond introducing new techniques, it also allows learners to delve deeper into the rich universe of folk music, embodied in this medium-tempo vocal song.


One of the powerful features of the Tunefox platform is the Lick Switcher. This tool encourages experimenting with new musical vocabulary, hence broadening your interpretation of 'Wabash Cannonball'. By allowing you to change the licks for individual measures, you can uncover a wide range of variations hidden within the same song. Simply tap on the measure to discover the array of licks concealed within.


The Arrange slider is another easy-to-use feature offering tailor-made difficulty levels. Sliding it to the left eliminates many “fill-in” notes, revealing the core arrangement in the tablature. Conversely, sliding it to the right fills out the tablature with additional notes, showcasing the full song.


To top it off, the tempo slider gives you the liberty to alter the tempo of the song according to your convenience. Play along with backing tracks to make your practice sessions more fun. You can even select certain measures to focus on and repeat them as needed. Discover the magic of the 'Speed Up' feature that subtly increases the tempo each time you play the song. Start slowly, and let 'Speed Up' gradually steer you towards faster, accurate playing.


In conclusion, practicing and learning 'Wabash Cannonball' goes beyond mastering the notes. It’s about soaking in the essence of folk music, challenging your skills, and pushing your boundaries, all while having fun in the process.


Wabash Cannonball lyrics

From the great Atlantic Ocean to the wide Pacific shore
From the queen of flowin' mountains to the southland by the shore
She's mighty tall and handsome and known quite well by all
She's the mighty combination of the Wabash cannonball

CHO:
Listen to the jingle, the rumble and the roar
As she glides along the woodland through the hills and by the shore
Hear the mighty rush of the engine, hear the lonesome hobo's squall
While traveling through the jungle on the Wabash cannonball

She came down from Birmingham one cold December day.
As she rolled into the station you could hear all the people say
There's a girl from Tennessee, she's long and she's tall
She came down from Birmingham on the Wabash cannonball

CHO

Here's to Daddy Claxton, may his name forever stand
And always be remembered in the courts of Alabam
His earthly race is over and as the curtains round him fall
We'll carry him home to victory on the Wabash cannonball

CHO

Iíve rode the I.C. Limited also the Royal Blue
And I have travelled many a mile on mail train number two
Iíve rode those highball trains from coast to coast thatís all
And I have found no equal to the Wabash Cannonball.