The Instruments:
Slingerland banjo ukulele - used for rhythm. Its old original skin head gives it a wonderfully rickety tone.
Gretsch banjo ukulele - A clear-sounding banjo uke used for fingerpicking the lead on Dill Pickles, Ragtime Annie, & Epley Breakdown, and for doubling the lead on Down Home Rag.
Vega banjo mandolin - two of these play the lead on most numbers.
Gibson banjo mandolin- tuned with one of each pair of strings tuned down an octave, which gives it a distinctive, never-exactly-in-tune croaking sound. Two of these second the lead on most numbers.
Lyon & Healy five-string banjo - Nylon-strung. Fingerpicked on Buffalo Gals, strummed on Epley Breakdown.
Gibson banjo guitar - Big brother of the Gibson banjo mandolin. It fills out the ensemble sound.
Heftone Lojo(tm) bass banjo - The invention of my father Lawrence A. Hefferan.
The Recordings These recordings were made in my living room using a single Shure SM-57 microphone plugged into my laptop computer. The instruments were played one-at-a-time, layering 4-12 tracks which were later mixed down to stereo. For software I used gnusound, which is free (GNU GPL) software writen by Pascal Haakmat, running on the linux 2.4.18 kernel. No electrons were harmed, no copyright laws were broken, and no licenses were violated.
These recordings are released under "copyleft", which is a kind of copyright encouraging free copying and redistribution. Copy and use them as you please, just don't restrict further distribution.
The Heftone Banjo Orchestra
Brian Thomas Hefferan, Director
This page has moved.Be sure to see the updated version of this page at heftone.com.
The Heftone Banjo Orchestra is an all-banjo virtual ensemble playing rollicking instrumental versions of some of the catchiest tunes of yesteryear.
"Epley Breakdown" was composed by Brian Hefferan. The other compositions are in the Public Domain. These recordings are offered under the Creative Commons ShareAlike License, so please feel free to download and enjoy them.
The Tunes:
Banjo On My Knee - Better known as Stephen Foster's "Oh Suzanna". All banjos want this song played on them, and I do my best to oblige. ogg vorbis | mp3
Hot Time in the Old Town - Hot in 1886, still hot today. ogg vorbis mp3
Buffalo Gals - An old-time favorite. This version was inspired by my friend Dorsey Lawrence, who at the age of 93 is still the liveliest banjo player I ever heard. ogg vorbis | mp3
Dill Pickles - (comp. Chas. Johnson)One of the most familiar rags, arranged here with the banjo ukulele taking the lead throughout. ogg vorbis | mp3
Ta-ra-ra Boom-de-ay! - (composed by Richard Morton) Enormously popular in the early 1890s. If you want to sing along, the words to the chorus are: "Ta-ra-ra Boom-de-ay! Ta-ra-ra Boom-de-ay! Ta-ra-ra Boom-de-ay! Ta-ra-ra Boom-de-ay! Ta-ra-ra Boom-de-ay! Ta-ra-ra Boom-de-ay! Ta-ra-ra Boom-de-ay! Ta-ra-ra Boom-de-ay!". ogg vorbis | mp3
In My Merry Oldsmobile - A jaunty waltz about a fellow winning the heart of the one he desires. ogg vorbis | mp3
Epley Breakdown - An original piece by myself, played here on a Gretsch banjo ukulele. ogg vorbis | mp3
Pop Goes the Weasel - This great jig has been in repertoire of countless fiddlers for many generations. ogg vorbis | mp3
Ragtime Annie - An old-time fiddle piece fingerpicked here on the banjo ukulele in a medley with another standard tune, Soldier's Joy. ogg vorbis | mp3
Yankee Doodle - A very old and very catchy tune. ogg vorbis | mp3
Down Home Rag - This version Wilbur Sweatman's composition is based on James Reese Europe's Society Orchestra's great Victor recording of 1913. ogg vorbis | mp3
Eli Green's Cakewalk - The cakewalk was a dance craze that got big in the late 1890s. Eli Green's Cakewalk, one of the first big cakewalk hits, was composed about 1897 by Sadie Koninsky. ogg vorbis | mp3
Dan Hefferan's Jig - This tune has been played in my family for generations. Dan Hefferan was the name of my grandfather and great-great grandfather, both fiddlers. ogg vorbis | mp3
Can-Can - The famous high-stepping cabaret number. ogg vorbis | mp3
Aloha Oe - One of the most beautiful and haunting of melodies. This is how banjos sound when they cry. ogg vorbis | mp3