https://banjobenclark.com/lessons/red-wing-alan-munde-banjo
Red Wing was my high school nickname. I had red hair, and I like chicken wings. Here are two killer solos written by Alan Munde for Red Wing–one down the neck and one up high. Also included is a basic melody tab so you can download and compare with Alan’s version.
I have loved this song for a long time, and no one does it like Alan. Maybe it was the intimidation of this being Alan’s version that caused me to avoid this lesson, but I sat down to it this morning before work and, within 1 hour, I was playing the A part of the low pass. Came home from work and within another hour I was playing the entire low pass.
There’s something about Alan’s fingering and note progressions that just click for me. I don’t know how else to say it except “they just make sense.” It’s like these notes were written for my fingers.
If you’ve been hesitant about this lesson, give it a try… at least the low part. Make sure you follow fingering precisely. It’s incredibly important not only for getting this song up to speed, but for developing good habits that will help you with other songs.
I can’t wait to get to the B part tomorrow!
Hi @Mark_Rocka I love this tune too. It was a great challenge for me when I tackled it 4 years ago. Back then my fingers were still quite stiff and I had trouble fretting the notes because I was still griping the neck way too tightly. Much of the tension I put down to the excitement of completing the challenge but also holding my breath when the red recording light was on. I have learned to relax more and my fingering has much improved with time.
The B part looks easy but I lost count of the times I tripped on it.
You got through it, and you recovered nicely where you made mistakes. How would you compare your playing now to when you recorded that?
I still make mistakes but I make them more confidently now. 
I’d say I play more cleanly but no where near perfect.
Well, I had to take a break from learning because of work (stupid job.) So I just got back at it tonight. Playing the up the neck part at about 90% speed now.
I feel like I may have thought of this before, but it hit me tonight that THE KEY to learning a new song is knowing what’s coming up next. For example, going in to the B part up the neck, there’s a slide from the 7th fret to the 17th. I would blow it every time until I realized that it’s all about being comfortable enough to be able to look ahead to the 17th fret while I was still playing at the 7th fret.
I’m hoping to have this whole song up to speed tomorrow morning. I think the last time I had this much fun on a lesson was probably the last Alan Munde tune I learned. The guy just has a way with notes.
This is one you have to THINK THROUGH 
Once your done with this go check out Lime Rock.
Definitely. What’s surprising to me is that the hardest part for me is the up the neck B part. It sounds like the slowest part of the song. I figured once I got to that part it would be easy sailing. Boy was I wrong.
I just Googled Lime Rock and your video was the first result! Good job on that one. Looks like tons of just pure memorization. All of those odd ball chord changes don’t sound intuitive at all.
Ha Ha, Right enough Alan did say on his video tutorial that it was a challenge enough to get through the recording with Byron Birline and would leave it to his students to play all 7 parts (at least I think it’s 7)
Whew! I finally got it up to speed. I flubbed a little near the end, but it’s good enough for who it’s for (which is me.) As always, your constructive criticism is welcome @BanjoBen.
First of all, killer job! Couple things I see that you may want to consider. First, when you go up the neck, move your right hand away from the bridge for a mellower sound (especially the solo with the double stops).
When you do the C lick way up high and fret the 5th string, I will typically fret it with my pinky…I find it easier than bringing in the ring finger, up to you. Also regarding fingering, I like to use my middle/pinky for the double stop notes vs. index/ring…I can be more accurate in the spacing changes. Hope that helps!
Thanks Ben! I’ll work on your suggestions and see if it improves things. I can use all the help with those double stops I can get.
Sometimes I find myself even using pinky/index for those.
It feels pretty comfortable with index/ring, but I haven’t played with your suggestion yet. Sat down to Keep On the Sunny Side this morning. Got it memorized and up to 70% speed so far. Hoping to get it up to speed before tomorrow’s jam.
I promise I’ll get around to those suggestions.
I wanted to give you some feedback on those suggestions you gave me. I tried the other fingering combinations. Maybe it’s just because I’ve already gotten used to the way I’ve been practicing, but I couldn’t make that feel comfortable. It was like my pinky was all over the place.
BUT… moving away from the bridge on the double stops? WOW! What a difference, not only in the sound, but also my ability to remember where my left hand fingering should be. I don’t know why that made a difference other than it just sounded better, and I’ve always known that an instrument that sounds better makes me play better.
Just like that one little recommendation you made for me when I learned Peaches and Cream, that one little tweak on this song made a huge difference. Seems like such a small thing, but it’s exactly what I needed.
Thanks again, Ben!
I had the same issue with the pinky on the 5th string but I persevered and eventually it just clicked.
A clicking pinky can be a symptom of trigger finger.
Wow, nice job! 
That really does sound like an Alan Munde passage, doesn’t it?
Didn’t realize you had a Calico…how are you liking it?
Thanks Mark! Yeah, it definitely has Alan written all over it.
I love my Calico! I just got it last year. I was doing some IT work for Fuller’s Vintage Guitars here in Houston. While the PCs were doing updates, I’d stroll over to the banjo section and take one back to the PC I was working on. I got to this Calico and couldn’t put it down. It sounds so good! I’m still playing around with what strings it likes the best. Alan recommended the GHS JD Crowe set. I like them OK, but it think it lost some sustain with the thicker high strings. Gotta keep trying new sets.
