This week's tune is Jenny Lynn, which was submitted as Bluegrass/Old Time. I'm not familiar with this tune, so if the one who suggested it wants to add anything to what I've found, that would be great. Here's ABC from Fiddler's Companion. This is listed as written by Bill Monroe, Key of A. X:1 T:Jenny Lynn L:1/8 M:2/4 Z:From a transcription by John Hartford K:A EA c>B|A/B/c/A/ BA|EA/c/ ec|E/F/A/c/ BA:| e>f ee|f/e/c/d/ e/f/e/c/|A/B/c/d/ ee|f/e/c/d/ e/f/e/c/|A/B/c/d/ ee| f/e/c/d/ e2|c/ef/ e/c/A/F/|E/F/A/c/ BA|| I read in Fiddle Hangout, that this is a good tune for AEAE cross-tuning.
Here's Mike Compton playing it in AEAE tuning followed by Jim Richter in standard tuning. Good stuff!!
The greatest of all. from Monroe's "Uncle Pen" song: "He played an old piece he called Soldier's Joy and the one he called Boston Boy. The greatest of all was Jenny Lynn, to me that's where fiddlin' begins."
Those two fine fellows make it look quite hard, but it isn't really, here's a slow version: Also, to see what everyone's aiming at you really need to listen to a fiddler doing it. I enjoyed this YouTube a lot, I think it gives a great flavor of the tune. On the Compton version he's in sawmill tuning, AEAE, which does make it sound niiiice, and he is not at concert pitch.
And here it is up to speed with backing by the "Me" band.
Thanks so much for the extremely helpful slow version OS. And your up-to-speed version is great. I'm having fun trying to keep up with it.
Thanks Marcelyn, good luck with your version.
Here's Jenny Lynn on a Gibson A. It's in standard tuning. I'd love to have tried sawmill tuning, but cranking four strings up on the mandolin as opposed to two on the fiddle is a little nerve wracking. I might try it again in GDGD in the key of G to see what it would sound like.
This is from the Fiddlershangout website. Played on a Gremlin key of G. Here is the linkhttp://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/at...5&d=1282426621
Good stuff Marcelyn, it's always enlightening to me to hear your work on these tunes. Maudlin Mandolin, I really like the way you play. I will say one thing, and I hope you won't take it the wrong way for it's meant kindly - that reverb has got to let up some.
Sounds great to me, but it's always worth counting your teeth after something like that.
Cool tune! And great performances by all of you. Scott
Well as Manfred would say, the bar is high, so I just walked under it!!!! I had a bash on the Eastman......
I don't know where you are David, but there was a distant rumble of thunder here last night (no kidding), now I know why. At the risk of angering any BG gods further, I'll keep my favorable oppinions about your tune to myself. Tosh, sounds great. I was really wishing for one extra pair of strings on my mandolin this week. You should try it in both octaves on your 10 string and see how it sounds. Hi Maudlin, the pulse really comes through in your playing. And the reverb does add character. It's almost like a new crossover genre, with the right backing, it could sound very cool--Techno Grass. Without the reverb, you've got the perfect drive for acoustic old time.
Great variety and playing by everyone above.
Guys, there's some really great playing going on here, count me impressed John.
I had a go at the Sawmill tuning. I like the ringing string sounds but for me it's a bit of a pain to re-tune both strings and brain, now I understand a bit more why my local OT session will play in one key for an entire evening...
Nice work Harry. For those of you who want to try sawmill tuning in A without being too hard on your mandolin, I recommend tuning down the two higher string to GD, so your mando is tuned GDGD, then place a banjo capo at the second fret. I know mando discussions shouldn't usually include either the words "banjo" or "capo" so I was proud to be able to use them both together here.
Excellent, Harry! I hate messing with tuning too, but I'm going to have to try it now for sure. I think I'll just play it in G because I don't have a capo. That key will frustrate the fiddlers but make the banjo players extatic. Look at that OS, I did it again. Oh, and did I mention, Harry, that your mandolin sounds awesome. Such warm, rringing tone.
Here goes (doing the Limbo under the bar)... Played on a Vega Cylinderback 205.
Excellent Eddie, I love it.
I can see people dancing to that, Eddie. Lovely tone from the cylinderback, too.
Thanks fellas. I got lots of inspiration from the excellent posts above.
Harry and Ed, that's great stuff. Harry well done on the alternate tuning, I have enough problems in standard. Eddie the cylinderback sounds great and I agree with Don that your's is danceable!!!!
Great versions from all so far. I'm really enjoying listening to them. I'm finally settling down after a long weekend of moving daughters into college and now I've got to sit down and learn this great tune and try to submit something.
OK, Here's my attempt at Jenny Lynn in sawmill tuning. I love Mike Compton's version so I was inspired by his. This is a much simpler version played in my usual slowed down way. I really enjoyed learning this one and it came to me pretty quickly. I hope I did Compton a little justice with this version. jamann
A fine job indeed, Mr J.
Sounds good, jamann. When you crosstune, you can play all the strings all the time and make some noise.
Thanks guys! Don, This was the first time I'd ever tried sawmill tuning and I liked. I'm going to have to mess around with this crosstuning some more. I really like the sound I'm getting out of my mandolin. Cool stuff!
Yes, John, nicely and played, with a full, ringing sound.
Here's my video of Jenny Lynn. First couple times through I'm crosstuned and I have a capo on my mandolin. Then I switch (miraculously quickly if I do say so myself ) to regular tuning and play it up the neck where you get some of that crosstuned open string stuff happening in regular tuning. Last time in first position. It's not synched up perfectly but you get the idea.
Excellent, Don! I love that version. During your next video, let's see whether you can change out a set of strings between verses.
Don, Exceptional playing there! I had to watch several times because I enjoyed it so much. Thanks for that.
Thanks, jamann. Marcelyn, next time I'll get a costume change in there too.
Don you're ace, and as for the vid I think you must be David Blaine in disguise!!!!! Wonderful stuff, how did you do that edit?
Thanks, Tosh. I just put the two videos together in iMovie. The audio was put together in Logic Express using 2 separate tracks, so you can hear the last note of the oval decay while the F5 starts. I used a metronome so I was at the same tempo for both instruments, then just moved the F5 track to where it started on the right beat. Then I edited the video clips together to match the audio. Don't ask me why I went to all that trouble--I just could have posted 2 separate videos.
Great picking Don and wizard movie-making...
Wow! Never seen anyone change mandolins so fast...
Here's mine that I did 2 or 3 years ago
Some GREAT versions of JL here -- kind of wondering how this would sound on the octave.....couple of bad notes in there as usual!
These are all great. If Jenny Lynn doesn't make you want to dance, something is amiss.
Here's my go at it in AEAE tuning
That's awesome!
That was great Sean. The sawmill tuning sounds awesome on your Kimble. Of course it's your playing that bring those great sounds out. Steve. I just watched your video also. What part of 'music is hard callus forming work' don't you understand. 'Music is not fun'. So, stop it.
GK, I'm only having fun because I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing. I also gave this tune a run in Mike Compton's sawmill arrangement...and to my surprise, I found out that it was really fun. I was thinking sawmill would be a killer for some reason.
