That's just the loveliest track, isn't it?! Dirk is tuned to fDGCD, no capo...and as the song is in Bb, a kind of "home position" for that key in this tuning can be found at frets 0323 (listed from fourth to first string) or, even more simply, frets 0300.

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Originally posted by clawhammerist

That's just the loveliest track, isn't it?! Dirk is tuned to fDGCD, no capo...and as the song is in Bb, a kind of "home position" for that key in this tuning can be found at frets 0323 (listed from fourth to first string) or, even more simply, frets 0300.

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Thanks Adam! It is such a perfectly supportive rendition for the song and Tim's vocal & mandolin! I'll work with this. 
My only other issue is...if I were to sing it with local musician friends, I couldn't really sing well in Bb. I could do key of G. Would you have a suggested tuning for playing it in G while still capturing some of Dirk's "flavor"? 
thanks again, Brian 

Indeed, Bb isn’t the friendliest key for a lot of folks, singers and instrumentalists alike. A brilliant thing about Dirk’s tuning choice is that the range of the tuning corresponds perfectly to the range of the song: its lowest melody note is the open fourth string, and its highest melody note is the open first string, which unfortunately can’t be achieved in a similar way for the key of G and the assortment of tunings that afford access to that key.

Two offbeat options occur to me for moving this song to G but keeping at least some of the character of Dirk’s approach:

-Be like John Hartford (who didn’t use this tuning as far as I know, but who did tune other tunings quite low) and tune Dirk’s tuning way down to dBEAB. This would be pretty floppy-sounding and -feeling on a standard banjo setup, but it might be feasible, especially with strings on the heavy end of the gauge spectrum.

-Tune Dirk’s tuning UP (or capo-2) to gEADE. This would effectively transpose the song, as the new home position/I chord would be at frets 3203, which was the V chord in Dirk’s Bb setting. However, since at least some of the chord voicings from Dirk’s arrangement could still be used here, albeit corresponding to different chords in the song’s progression than in his approach, the ambience might be closer to what you have in mind than if you were to use open-G tuning.

quote:

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Originally posted by clawhammerist

Indeed, Bb isn’t the friendliest key for a lot of folks, singers and instrumentalists alike. A brilliant thing about Dirk’s tuning choice is that the range of the tuning corresponds perfectly to the range of the song: its lowest melody note is the open fourth string, and its highest melody note is the open first string, which unfortunately can’t be achieved in a similar way for the key of G and the assortment of tunings that afford access to that key.

Two offbeat options occur to me for moving this song to G but keeping at least some of the character of Dirk’s approach:

-Be like John Hartford (who didn’t use this tuning as far as I know, but who did tune other tunings quite low) and tune Dirk’s tuning way down to dBEAB. This would be pretty floppy-sounding and -feeling on a standard banjo setup, but it might be feasible, especially with strings on the heavy end of the gauge spectrum.

-Tune Dirk’s tuning UP (or capo-2) to gEADE. This would effectively transpose the song, as the new home position/I chord would be at frets 3203, which was the V chord in Dirk’s Bb setting. However, since at least some of the chord voicings from Dirk’s arrangement could still be used here, albeit corresponding to different chords in the song’s progression than in his approach, the ambience might be closer to what you have in mind than if you were to use open-G tuning.

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Thanks Adam...you've provided me with some insights that, when time is available, I'm happy to explore! 
I originally learned this song ala the Stanley Brothers version...which is much straighter rhythmically as well as melody & chord wise. 
However, Tim's interpretation is, imho, superior on all the same counts...which is why I'm drawn to it! 
thanks!