I like the "droney" sound of that tuning Earl.
Thanks Martin. I saw Mike Compton demonstrate some alternate tunings Monroe used. The tunings become usable when you start to notice, hey, I can retune that string for this tune as opposed to using alternate tunings just because. Gospel according to Earl
I've resurrected this one form the past. I love minor key fiddle tunes slowed down. I was nearly derailed at the end though by the arrival of my dog.
Hey, James, I love the fiddle-like sound in the way you play this tune. It's excellent.
Hey James, well done, I really like your version. I have been meaning to try this one. I came across it on Adam Steffey's CD and didn't know it was back here in the SAW. OS really rips this one up. What tuning are you using and did you play it by ear or what score did you use?
Thanks Marcy and Bob. This version owes everything to Mike Marshall. You can find it Bob on the artist works site. It started as a video submission then Mike expanded on it on one of his monthly posts - was within the last 3 months. Standard tuning.
Having some fun with the kids, just pay no attention to the man with the mandolin
What a nice family you have, Mr. Hall! More families should be playing music with their kids. You are a lucky man to have such talented children.
My variant below. It's the same electro-thingie I use for 'mandolin' but it also temporarily doubles as a faux 5-string GDAEB 19.5" scale-length tenor guitar or mandola or something. (If video doesn't appear, here's a direct link) The video length (48 seconds) is about the maximum amount of time I can play the tune right now before stumbling and playing a bunch of wrong notes. Eons ago, I used to play the tune on clawhammer banjo. That's where I got the idea for the bent notes and slides. [Edited because I finally found instructions for how to post videos on MandolinCafe which explains how to make videos appear correctly - thought I'd try it to see if it works.]
tentatively dipping my toes into old time, can't help wondering how often this little 1916 A1 has played this one over the years
You make that Gibson sound mighty fine g. Nice picking.
Resurrecting this thread - I did this for this month's Newbies Tune of the Month, and thought to post it here, if for nothing else to show how it's impossible to mess up a great melody! I played u-bass, mandola & mandolin on this arrangement:
bbcee, this is THE best tune (in the genre) that I’ve heard in years! Excellent! (By the way I love chickens!)
That is one cool number bbcee. !
Great feeling, bbcee! I need that (urgent) and a u-bass (perhaps).
Interesting delivery, Bruce. Is the U-Bass the wee one with the silicon strings? It has quite a distinctive sound.
Thanks for the nice comments, very appreciated! In listening through the thread, it seemed like every contribution was unique and well-done. I was glad to be able to add another one in even another vein. Yea John, that's that silly-looking uke-bodied thing with the giant white strings. The intonation's pretty awful on these guys, but for basic rhythms, it gets the job done, and it's fun to be a fake bass player
That's the nice thing about this group: Every contribution is unique, but it's all the same tune. By taking part, we learn to play but also to develop our style. I, too, enjoyed your groovy version with the bass. I've only ever seen one once in a session. Those things are pretty effective.
I was going to sing in this one, but I think it’s already quite enough. -and I was also going to actually learn the tune before starting to record. Cluck old hen! https://youtu.be/eV_ya-kv3dw Slight editing modification, and I admit I do have mixed feelings about using livestock to promote my music in this vid, but there you, chickens.
Now you have a U-Bass too, Simon. What a great, fun version you put together here.
Thanks John, yes it’s definitely put together. And with all the technical issues, I’m still wondering if it’s actually more fun just learning another tune, certainly quicker.
Love this Simon. Very creative and I have never heard that bass thing - looks like a big ukulele. ?? I love the chickens. As long as none were eaten during the filming of the video. After maybe, fried crispy.
Thanks Ginny, though they say that acting in films with animals can be disastrous. In summer I could have gone out and made a full length feature film of chickens. The mixing is quite a job, I really need to hear the other parts while I record, and learn to be more minimalistic while integrating the instruments. I didn’t want the bass line to be too repetitive but it would maybe have been better like that. Actually this is a great exercise in planning -might do it again, and slower/bluesy too.
Good stuff, Simon! Your u-bass sounds like it's more in tune with itself than mine. Good arrangement, and you got pecks of approval at the end! I agree that doing recording like this is a good planning exercise, making all the parts fit together "organically". It can be very different than playing live, especially if you're playing all the instruments.
No but thank you bbcee for the motivation! How do you find your uke? It sounds good. The intonation on mine is ok, but next time I’ll actually tune the uke with the octave mandolin -without a separate microphone the room has an echo which seems to change the pitches too. To record the uke, I ran it through a small 15 watt ‘acoustic’ speaker, it’s called. I set the volume really low and placed the speaker right next to the Iphone that does the filming. In the room the uke REALLY does sound like an acoustic double bass. I bought the uke bass about 14 months ago, I tuned it to fifths within five minutes (low CGDA), though the low C string is really slack. Then I used an A4 paper printed with a fretboard and with a tuner wrote down all the note pitches to + or - a sixteenth of a note. I found if I stay in the middle of the fretboard the intonation is pretty good. The ideal situation would be to find a thinner top string in order to be able to tighten up the bottom string. The sticky silicone strings take a while to get used to, but in fifths if you already play the mando then it’s a lot of fun right from the start. There is a slight click sound if you use the pick, so sometimes I play using the thumb on down strokes and the first finger on upstrokes which works quite well for a strummer type of person. The whole process also helps you to learn arpeggio shifting in 145 chords and alternating notes on double stops. And there you go, I’ve typed too much again. Have a great day guys!
Great lesson BTW (Fiddle): https://youtu.be/F0k8tso7FnQ
