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Please note this is an archived topic, so it is locked and unable to be replied to. You may, however, start a new topic and refer to this topic with a link: http://www.banjohangout.org/archive/78753
CageyK - Posted - 03/28/2007: 22:03:19
Howdy all,
As a newbie to banjo / clawhammer and gaining some skill at basic technique, I'm also beginning to grasp some understanding of the various tunings and the why and how of their use -- different sounds, fingering considerations, and vocal range, to name the most prominent ones I've grasped thus far.
I'm curious, though, about how folks approach C tuning (gCGBD) versus double C tuning (gCGCD) when it comes to transposing or arranging a tune into C.
Maybe I just haven't played enough tunes in each to detect the merits of each. But, the sounds of the 2 tunings don't sound that different to my ear, as is clear between standard G tuning (gDGBD) and G modal (gDGCD). The fingering advantages of one over the other don't seem clear. As to vocal range, it seems they're the same.
This may be quite obvious, but I haven't had that 'Aha' moment as yet.
Thanks in advance.
Cagey
RCCOOK - Posted - 03/28/2007: 23:25:08
Hey Cagey;
I been playing a few years now and I never did care for the C tuning. I just prefer the double C and D. I like the sound better I guess ,of course I like modals too. Just my preference. I actually prefer it over G unless you have singing to do. I prefer to sing along in G but I do many singing modal and double C songs too. My 2 cents..............Rod
Even the blind squirrel finds an occasional nut, I found a banjo!!!
Edited by - RCCOOK on 03/28/2007 23:27:41
fiddlinandy - Posted - 03/28/2007: 23:36:17
I play a few tunes just out of regular C tuning such as Old Uncle Ned, Fortune, etc... When I played with Benton a few years back he'd get his banjo out every once in a while and all of his D or C tunes where played in regular tuning. Benton plays in a thumb and finger style and not clawhammer.
banjoghost - Posted - 03/29/2007: 00:30:15
try the open c major tuning, gcdce, it's a hoot, and very similar to open g, but with that nice fat low c at the bottom.
Bill Rogers - Posted - 03/29/2007: 01:32:38
I play most of my C & D tunes in standard C. I'm comfortable with it, and like being able to bring the open B up to C or pull off to it. It's also nice because up the neck work uses the same left hand patterns as G tuning. That said, some tunes just have to be played in Double-C. Go with whichever one floats your boat.
Bill
oldwoodchuckb - Posted - 03/29/2007: 02:20:25
I tend to use double C unless there is a really good reason for using single C. Some tunes that alternate between the keys of A and C really work out well in single C tuning (Fire On The Mountain, Richmond Cotillion, etc) and there are a few songs/tunes that are designed for it (Some Fields Wards songs, Fred Cockerham's "Long Steel Rail", Old Jimmy Sutton, etc)
For most D or C string band tunes Double C has several advantages - like having a tonic note on the open 2nd string, always a good note to keep handy, and much more useful than the 7th (B in the Key of C or C# in the key of D). When this note turns into the 3rd for the key of G or A however you can see how it's handiness quotient goes up.
Another advantage is that the open 1st string is a suspended 2nd note that can be resolved upward to the third quite easily. The C major tuning (gCGCE) lacks this suspension and there is less tension in the music. I like the tension. I also like the lack of a 3rd on open strings, allowing the same tuning to be used for different modes. I also don't like the extra tension on the 1st string and so never use C Major tuning.
Every player is different of course but the melodic and rhythmic possibilities of Double C just seem completely endless to me, and from what I hear others doing, most string band banjo players. For song accompaniment the Single C tuning provides 2 keys -- and 2 MAIN keys at that) from one tuning. It is a very important tuning for Pete Seeger and the entire folk banjo scene he created. That is a LOT of banjo players.
The Whiskey Before Breakfast variations and a few tunes in "F" tuning are now available on the web at:
http://home.thegrid.net/~fjbrad/id20.html
R.D. Lunceford - Posted - 03/29/2007: 05:35:12
Unless we are talking about purely song accompaniment, the needs of the tune dictate the tuning. Tunings are tools- use the best one for the job. In general, C tuning, makes the note "B" accessible in a certain position that may or may not be desireable varying with the tune in question.
Also, gCGBD tuning normally requires that you play out of first position (1st finger at 1st fret) as opposed to gCGCD where you play out of second position (1st finger at 2nd fret). Additionally, gCGBD requires the use of 2 fingers to get a C chord, while gCGCD needs one finger- this makes quick shifts up the neck easier out of gCGCD.
I tend to use gCGCD much more than gCGBD, but certain traditions prefer the gCGBD tuning. Also, as I have begun to add some minstrel tunes to my repertoire I am using gCGBD more. Interestingly, in the published minstrel tradition of the mid-1800's, the tuning interval pattern represented by gCGBD was the only tuning in use up to 1865.
R.D. Lunceford- "Missourian in Exile"
*************************
Model 1865 Bowlin Fretless Banjo
Clawdan - Posted - 03/29/2007: 08:08:29
I find that the tunes just lay out better on the fingerboard in double C/D. Since I want to play and imply the tune but still hold occasional chords to fill in, my hand fits it better for C/D tunes in that tuning. Just a note, as RD says, the tune usually dictates the tuning as (like previously mentioned) certain tunes just lay out on the fingerboard and hence in the hand as "easlier" or more intuitive in certain tunings.
Play nice,
Dan "Ain't no bum-diddy" Levenson
Old Time Music and Dance
www.ClawhammerBanjo.us
Author of Clawhammer Banjo From Scratch, A guide for the claw-less - a MelBay Publication
and Old Time Festival Tunes for Clawhammer Banjo (MelBay 20313) - 117 tunes tabbed for clawhammer banjo with standard notation and suggested chords.
Tune list at http://www.folknet.org/dan/FestTunesBJBook.htm
janolov - Posted - 03/29/2007: 08:24:37
When I started learning banjo for the first time the C-tuning (drop-C tuning or gCGBD) was the ordinary standard tuning. I started to learn first from Pete Seeger's book, then from some books about classic banjo. Today when I am more focused on Old-Time music I have double C/D as my own "standard" tuning, but I use the drop C/D-tuning for some songs. As R.D. and Dan says, the tune usually dictate the tuning. For example,I think Home Sweet Home and Jimmy Sutton is best in drop C-tuning.
I recall an earlier discussion here about the standard C tuning: http://www.banjohangout.org/forum/t...s=standard,c
Janolov
Edited by - janolov on 03/29/2007 08:46:38
ndlxs - Posted - 03/29/2007: 09:10:12
Double C works better for clawhammer, definitely. Recently, though, I have been working on learning a lot more fingerstyle old time banjo, and I do believe that regular C tuning works better for fingerstyle pieces. The main reason is that the V chord is much more satisfying in regular C since it has a third in it.
Andy Alexis
Sacramento, California
"The Pearl of the Central Valley"
Buy my CDs:
http://cdbaby.com/cd/pineycreek
and
http://www.offtocalifornia.com
gailg64 - Posted - 03/29/2007: 09:27:12
Yep. It's the "charlie Poole" tuning. Works great for fingerpicking not just because you have that open note out of the 5 chord, but for walking bass runs up & down the neck out of the chords.
G
quote:
Originally posted by ndlxs
Double C works better for clawhammer, definitely. Recently, though, I have been working on learning a lot more fingerstyle old time banjo, and I do believe that regular C tuning works better for fingerstyle pieces. The main reason is that the V chord is much more satisfying in regular C since it has a third in it.
Andy Alexis
Sacramento, California
"The Pearl of the Central Valley"
Buy my CDs:
http://cdbaby.com/cd/pineycreek
and
http://www.offtocalifornia.com
piperdoc - Posted - 03/29/2007: 11:42:27
i find that double c is much better for old time tunes. however, in standard C the basic chords are a little easier and ring nicer, so for accomanying a voice, standard c is really nice.
meir
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