Get up john question

[Treblemaker]

Mandozine has this in DADA tuning by Skaggs.

A friend told me it was actually F#A, DD, AA, AD

Both work.

Which is the "more orthodox," tuning for this song - which is interchangeable with "Sleepy Eyed John."

Treblemaker
www.WorldWideTed.com

[Jim Broyles]

Well, I don't agree that both work.
Here is one source for info on it:


Get Up John

(Mandolin) A cross tuned piece from Bill Monroe. I was inspired by the Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder Live version. (The gap between inspiration and performance is glaringly apparent, but hey--it's a start!)

Cross tuning for Get Up John (and that doesn't mean you try to get your mando in pitch while angry) is, low to high, F#A, DD, AA, DD. One website had the high strings at DE, but that didn't sound right to me. Check out the Acoustic Guitar Q&A column on cross tuning.

That was from zen_fiddlerblogspot (http://zen_fiddler.blogspot.com/2004_08_01_archive.html)

[Treblemaker]

Thanks for the info JB.
When I say it works the same for both tunings - what I mean is - using the Mandozine Tab version in DADA effectively works the same in F#A, DD, AA, AD tuning.

I know - cause I just tried it!

-Treblemaker

[Mike Bunting]

F#A, DD, AA, AD is what Sammy Bush uses in the Monroe instruction set. The lick on the low strings sounds cool in that tuning. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

[evanreilly]

Mike has the 'correct' tuning for the Monroe version. The Greenbriar Boys recorded a combination of the tune 'GUJ' and the song 'Sleepy-Eyed John' with Rinzler doing a great version of the tune. I am sure he tuned his mandolin the same as Monroe did for the tune.

[mandopete]

I often wondered about the re-tuning of the E string, In the example above you have a "D" which is down a whole step from the standard tuning and an "A" which is a 4th below an E - does that work? I'm gonna have to give that a try as I have always used the two D's (or double D's, but we ain't going there!).

[Mike Bunting]

The Greenbriar Boys did a nice version of Sleepy-Eyed John.

[evanreilly]

The re-tuned E course has one string tuned down to A, the same pitch as the A course. The other E string is tuned down a whole step to D.