Sugar Babe (aka Red Rocking Chair) Banjo Tab

Sugar Babe, also known as Red Rocking Chair, Red Apple Juice, Honey Babe, and Sugar Baby, is a classic old-time banjo tune that's been around for almost 200 years.

The earliest known version dates back to 1829 as "The Lass of Roch Royal." Since then, it's been recorded by countless artists over the decades. Billy Strings and Doc Watson have done some fantastic arrangements worth checking out.

But for me, Dock Boggs' simple, sparse 2-finger style version captures the essence of this song best. So that's what we'll focus on for this lesson.

Get Your Banjo into Sawmill Tuning

Sawmill tuning is an open tuning that gives songs like Sugar Babe their haunting, old-timey vibe. Here's how to get your banjo into sawmill tuning:

• 5th string: G
• 4th string: D
• 3rd string: G
• 2nd string: Raise from B to C
• 1st string: D

This unique tuning is perfect for capturing that vintage folk sound. Dock Boggs actually tuned his banjo down a half step for his recording, but standard sawmill tuning works great too.

2 Finger Style Basics

Learn the Simple 2-Finger Style

Two finger style is easy to pick up. Start by planting your pinky and ring finger on the head of the banjo. Then you'll pluck the melody between your thumb and index finger. Your thumb plays all notes except the 1st string - those are picked by your index finger.

For any double stops on the 1st and 2nd strings, just flick your index finger hard enough to catch both. Listen and play along to Dock Boggs' version until you get the basic 2-finger rhythm down. The tab reflects this simple thumb and index finger technique. Don't overthink it!