Playing Rocky Top on Banjo
The song is originally "Tennessee Orange" by the Tennessee Ernie Ford Singers, then popularized by the University of Tennessee as their fight song. The key is G major, which makes it relatively straightforward on a 5-string banjo in G tuning. You'll want open G tuning (gDGBD) unless you have a reason not to. Here is the basic tablature pattern for the main melody: g|-------------------0-------------------|
d|-----------0-------0-------0-----------|
B|-------1-------1-------1-------1-------|
G|---0---------------0---------------0---|
D|---------------------------------------|
That pattern repeats across the first phrase. The second half shifts up the neck a bit. You end around the 5th fret on the D string before coming back down.
Downloading Banjo Rocky Top Tablature
I keep a folder of printable tab sheets and send them out when people ask. You can grab the full version here. It covers the intro riff, the main verse melody, and the breakdown section with some embellishments added in. One thing I ran into that nobody mentions in beginner tabs: the original melody has a grace note on the B string at the 1st fret that slides into the open position. Most published tab just writes it as a straight 1 on the B string. If you play it without the slide it sounds fine but it loses the characteristic roll feel. I wrote it in the tab I put up with a small bracketed slide notation (~/0) so people see it. It took me three versions of the sheet to get that right because my eyes kept skipping over it. The chord progression underneath is mostly G, C, and D7. You can strum along with it if you want, but this tune works better as a rolling melody piece. The roll pattern I use is forward roll (i-m-a-i-m-a) going up the strings on the first half, then backward roll on the turnaround. It keeps the timing even through the places where the melody jumps an octave.
Get the Full Details
If you are trying to learn this by ear and getting lost on the bridge notes, don't bother. The melody sits mostly on the G and B strings. The D string comes in on the C chord changes and the high g string is just ornamentation. Map out which frets you actually need first, then worry about rolls later. That cuts the learning time significantly compared to trying to nail the full arrangement at once. One limitation worth noting: some of the printed tab I found online has the key written in D instead of G. That happens when transcribers assume a different capo position or misread the fingerings. If your tab has a bunch of 7th and 9th fret positions, it is probably wrong for standard open G tuning. Stick with tab that shows mostly open strings and the first five frets. Another thing people miss when they start playing this tune: the breakdown section is in a different rhythm than the main melody. It uses more eighth-note runs instead of the quarter-note bounce of the verse. I used to rush through it because I treated it the same as the beginning. Once I wrote out the breakdown separately at half tempo and practiced it on its own, everything locked in. It takes maybe ten minutes to set up that practice loop but it saves hours of rebuilding muscle memory later.
The sheet I linked covers both sections with tempo markings. There are also some optional fills between phrases if you want to dress it up for a jam session. Start with the basic version and add fills only after you can play through the whole tune without stopping.
