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View Full Version : Bluegrass Ramble -- what's the tuning?



swampstomper
Feb-20-2006, 6:01pm
Some time ago we had a conversation about cross-tunings. I recently started learning Bluegrass Ramble, which was WSM's very first cut recorded for Decca in 1950. Wow! Vassar, Rudy Lyle, Jimmy Martin and a "Wall of Sound" style 15 years before Phil Spector! It's a variant of Black Mountain Blues in A (not in D as is Get up John). I can't figure out the cross-tuning exactly. My best guess is:
g g / d d / a' a' / c#" e"
i.e. only one string re-tuned: the inside e" down to c#" to make an open A.
But if it's like Black Mountain, maybe the lower string are tuned up to open A:
a a / e e / a' a' / c#" e"
But then again maybe I am all wrong.

Does anyone know for sure?
Thanks!

evanreilly
Feb-21-2006, 11:05am
The Bear Family box notes only says "...several pairs of strings were tuned to different notes."
Further reseach required....

bsimmers
Feb-21-2006, 11:50am
I have it at home. I'll post it tomorrow. Grisman listed the tuning in Frets magazine about 20+ yrs ago.

swampstomper
Feb-21-2006, 12:29pm
Thanks! my ear just isn't good enough to definitively get it.

swampstomper
Mar-02-2006, 2:51am
OK, bsimmers answered in another thread. For the record, Grisman says in Frets magazine that the tuning is:

g g / d' d' / a' a' / e" c#"

that is, only the outside E string is de-tuned to C# to make an open A chord.