DVD-quality lessons (including tabs/sheet music) available for immediate viewing on any device.
Take your playing to the next level with the help of a local or online banjo teacher.
Weekly newsletter includes free lessons, favorite member content, banjo news and more.
Premier Sponsors
|
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/78850
jamesbookert - Posted - 03/30/2007: 01:27:01
does anyone have any advice on d minor tuning in banjo? or for that matter is there even a good way to go about that? i've tried getting the banjo into F Major, the relative major, and that was not so good. anyone have any advice, ideas, or theories?
bevans - Posted - 03/30/2007: 01:48:20
Hey James,
Earl Scruggs' tune "Nashville Blues" is in his version of D minor tuning. It's A D F A D (fifth string to first, from left to right).
I wrote a tune called "Native and Fine" using this same tuning - you can check out a live version on my Hangout homepage.
If you use lighter gauge strings, like I do, you can experience problems tuning the third and second strings when they are tuned down this low (especially the third). I usually try to put a .014 gauge string on the third and a .012 on the second for this tuning.
Of course, you can also always play in D minor and just keep things in the regular G tuning. In this case, most folks would raise the fifth string to an A.
All the best,
Bill Evans
www.nativeandfine.com
www.nativeandfinerecords.com
Rachel Streich - Posted - 03/30/2007: 09:07:53
You could try double-D tuning: aDADE. Easiest way to get into this tuning would be to tune to double-C (gCGCD) and capo up 2 frets.
Since there's no third (no open F or F# string), this tuning would work as well for D minor as it does for D major.
Just a thought.........
Rachel Streich
What?: c 1920 Weymann 5-string openback
How Long?: Since 1989
Venues: Mostly jamming, willing to teach
Style: Old-time clawhammer
Other: Fiddle, guitar, some mandolin, vocals
Working On: "Garfield's Blackberry Blossom"
Dream Banjo: I'll know it when I see it
Banjo Island - Posted - 03/30/2007: 10:34:05
Two random thoughts here from some minor key tunes I know:
1) For Squirrel Hunters (Em) I just capo at 2, but leave the 5th string as-is. Seems to work.
For Dm this would translate to open G, but dropping the 5th down to F
2) For Journey of the Sorceror (Cm) I tune to a Bm tuning, by dropping the 3rd and 4th string - B F# B D, and then capo up 1 (tuning the 1st string directly up to D# scares me!). The 4th string *could* be left at D I suppose, but the low B(C) sounds really funky. You could capo that up to 3 instead for Dm? You'd have to experiment with the 5th string yourself..
Best bet though, is probably to take any advice Bill Evans gives you rather than mine!!!
Banjo Island
http://www.ukbluegrass.com
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Privacy Consent (EU/GDPR Only)
Copyright 2026 Banjo Hangout. All Rights Reserved.
