MrNatch3L - Posted - 10/06/2009:  07:01:15

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I've been doing a lot with what is essentially same as "standard" G, but tuned down to D, Eb, or E. Hartfod used to do a lot with it and I find it works nicely for some of my original songs.

I don't really know about other tunings for banjo - maybe I should be asking in the Old Time forum - I know OT folks use some modal tunings. What tunings do you use? And not just the name, but the string notes so's we can experiment. Any links for videos or basic lessons on weird tunings would be cool too.

Thankin' youse in advance...



The Sage reveals:
"Everything You Always Wanted to Know About BHO Photos"
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Thor - Posted - 10/06/2009:  11:27:10

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G minor is a cool tuning.
Tune the second string down a half step (to match the 3rd string at the 3rd fret)

janolov - Posted - 10/06/2009:  12:26:15

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I use the following tunings:
G modal gDGCD or capoed up two frets
Old F: fCFCD or capoed up to old G: gDGDE
Another F-tuning: fDGCD or capoed up to gEADE
Standard C. gCGBD
Double C: gCGCD or capoed up to double D
Open C: gCGCE (also sometimes capoed up two frets
Open D: f#DF#AD or aDF#AD
Little Birdie tuning: eCGAD

Then there are some hundred more tunings that have been reported.

.

Jan-Olov

trapdoor2 - Posted - 10/06/2009:  12:41:06

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Whilst fingerpicking, I tend to stick with gDGBD or gCGBD (or the various early iterations of those standard tuning relationships). I do play a couple of Scruggs standards in the "D" tuning from the Scruggs book (aDF#AD/f#DF#AD) and Dm (aDFAD/fDFAD).

I seem to recall playing a few tunes in Gm (gDGBbD).

Clawhammer, though, is a whole 'nuther critter. Janolov has already covered most of the tunings I use regularly. I just started messing around again with open C (gCGCE) the other night.

===Marc

"If banjos needed tone rings, S.S. Stewart would have made them that way."

Mirek Patek - Posted - 10/06/2009:  21:57:14

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DGdg, CGdg.

Mirek

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Conversion of 5-string banjo tunings to fingerstyle tenor banjo (omit 2nd string):
Open G tuning gDGBD or Sawmill tuning gDGCD => DGdg tuning of tenor banjo
Classic C tuning gCGBD or Double C tuning gCGCD => CGdg tuning of tenor banjo
http://www.mirekpatek.com http://www.youtube.com/user/mirekpatek
Handout for workshops at Johnny Keenan Banjo Festival:
http://www.banjohangout.org/forum/t...IC_ID=157944

MrNatch3L - Posted - 10/06/2009:  23:52:16

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quote:

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Originally posted by Mirek Patek

DGdg, CGdg.

Mirek

_________________________________________________________________
Conversion of 5-string banjo tunings to fingerstyle tenor banjo (omit 2nd string):
Open G tuning gDGBD or Sawmill tuning gDGCD => DGdg tuning of tenor banjo
Classic C tuning gCGBD or Double C tuning gCGCD => CGdg tuning of tenor banjo
http://www.mirekpatek.com http://www.youtube.com/user/mirekpatek
Handout for workshops at Johnny Keenan Banjo Festival:
http://www.banjohangout.org/forum/t...IC_ID=157944

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You have some nice resources on your site. I have been once to the Banjo Jamboree at Strakonice. I used to come to Prague often on business- now not so much. But I still work regularly via internet with a team of Czech software developers in Prague and maybe if the economy improves I'll be able to work on site in Prague again sometimes. If so it would be fun to meet some Czech banjo players.

Steely Pete - Posted - 10/20/2009:  09:56:11

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I am using a Dean Backwoods Six and have it strung as follows:
geDGBD

I use a "Suspender" 5th string capo on the the 6th string, which is my high G.
The 5th string is an open e.
So my 1st, 5th, and 6th strings, are all 10's. The other strings are out of a pack of nickle wound 10's.

This works great for my style of playing!

matt m - Posted - 10/26/2009:  10:22:41

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I had fun this morning playing a song in F-sharp minor.

It was basically D major tuning, but with the 4th string detuned down to C#.

f#-C#-F#-A-D

I guess for it to be a proper F# minor tuning I should have detuned the top D down to a C# too, but I was playing a song called The Grey Cock, a spooky old English ghost story of a song, which has a lot of minor-sixth D notes in, and it really helped to have that open string for them. Sounded kind of Middle Eastern. I'm really pleased with that, cos it means I can go from a D tuning song in a set straight to a very different one with one quick turn of a tuning peg.

myspace.com/matthewradmoremilton

minstrelmike - Posted - 10/26/2009:  12:11:40

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If you aren't familiar with the common 'standard' tunings of the banjo, I wouldn't be asking for non-standard ones yet.

Bluegrass standard tunings:
open G: gDGBD
open D: aDF#AD
Dm: aDFAD
drop-C: gCGBD

These are all used in Earl Scruggs' book.

Clawhammer standard tunings.
open G: gDGBD
sawmill: gDGCD
dbl-C: gCGCD
drop-C gCGBD

You can probably find tabs for all 6 of the different tunings in various places.
I call these the standard ones and the other 45 tunings non-standard.
YMMV.

Mike Moxcey
http://moxcey.net/mike/minstrel/index.html