Topic: Pink Anderson's Tuning

[junko]

I'm working on Pink's "I got Mine" and "Travelin' Man" - I believe its the same chord progression for both tunes.? Anyone know what tuning/capo/chords, etc. he's using?? Thanks.

[Yves]

Both in Standard tuning
Both key of C
Good luck
Yves

[junko]

Wow, that's tricky.  Do you know if it's written out anywhere?

[Johnm]

Hi Junko,
These tunes are both played in standard tuning, but they are played in G.  Pink's turn-around which opens them starts on a C chord--C-C#-G-E7-A7-D7-G.  You can probably orient yourself to the verse accompaniments from there. 
All best,
Johnm

[Bob B]

Hi Junko

Ken Perlman has a book entitled Advanced Fingerstyle Guitar which has a transcription of Travelin' Man that is very reminiscent of Roy Bookbinder's version of the tune.  Some of the best lyrics in the genre!

Happy picking

Bob B

[junko]

Starting to get a handle on it, thanks all for the assistance.

[Rockdale]

  Hi everyone,

     This is my first post and I think this is a great website. I just had a question about Pink Anderson. I've been listening to his album "Medicine Show Man Vol. 2" and I'm pretty sure he tunes about a step low but I haven't tried playing any of the songs. Is there anyone here that can give me some deeper insight into his guitar technique and tuning? It would be much appreciated.

        Thanks,
   
         Kenny

[Slack]

Hi Kenny,

Welcome to Weenie Campbell.   JUst gave a short listen just now and I'd say you are right - he's about a step low... standard tuning.  If you like Pink, Stefan Grossman has some video that is worth watching.  Pink has got these incredibly long spidery fingers .. and makes reaches mere mortals can only dream about.

Cheers,
slack

[Rockdale]

    Thanks for the reply Slack. It's good to know my ear isn't as bad as I think it is. I think I'll start messing with "Greasy Greens"....I love that song.

    Kenny

[thehook]

I am confused when people talk about tuning down in steps. Does this mean down one step instead of tuning mostly at 5th fret you go to 4th then 3rd for G or whatever?

would down a step be dgcfad? and what about half step from stand just sharps or something?

[Johnm]

Hi,
I have always used one step as the sum of two half-steps, with a half-step being synonomous with a semi-tone, so if Pink was tuned a whole step low, I would say he was tuned DGCFAD as you had it, John Hardy.  I just checked the CD, and that's where he is.  I've always thought of someone tuned D#G#C#F#A#D# as being tuned a half-step (semi-tone) low. 
All best,
Johnm

[waxwing]

Confusing, isn't it? A step is a semi-tone, so a tone is two steps? Or could be a step is two half steps, or a full tone, as John M says (which is what I always thought)? The best way to express it would be to say Pink is tuned to Standard at D, meaning the reltionship of the strings is the same as in Standard, but instead of having the 6th string at E it is now at D, and everything follows from there, tuned at the 5th fret of the previous string, except the 2nd string, of course , as Alex desscribed. This is also why it is better to say Vestapol at D (or E), or Spanish at G (or A or F# or whatever). These names, along with Crossnote and others, describe the relationship of the strings to each other. "Open D" or "Open G" could actually refer to several different tunings, but Vestapol is always Vestapol, no matter where it's tuned. For instance, Blind Willie McTell often tunes his 12 string to Standard at B and sometimes Vestapol at B or Spanish at D. It would be really confusing to say he was tuned to "Open G"at D, eh? But saying he was in "Open D" would imply to most that he was in Vestapol, when he's really in Spanish (at D).

Making sense? Just a little pet peeve of mine. In interviews, most of the prewar greats referred to these tunings by these names.

But folks persist. I've given up trying to point this out to folks on other forums. <G>

All for now.
John C.

[Johnm]

Hi all,
I really don't think this is so confusing.? If you think of the step formula for the major scale, it is whole-whole-half-whole-whole-whole-half.? If you plug this into the notes of the C major scale, you get C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C.? A whole step, or one step, is the distance between C and D, for example.? A half-step or semitone is the distance between E and F or B and C.? The prefix "semi" means half in this context, so it would naturally take two semitones to make a whole tone, or two half-steps to make a whole step.? Translated to the neck of the guitar, a whole step, or one step, is a distance of two frets; a half-step or semitone is one fret.
All best,
Johnm

[Slack]

Translated to the neck of the guitar, a whole step, or one step, is a distance of two frets; a half-step or semitone is one fret.

And of course this was the basis on which Kenny and I had instant understanding. 

[waxwing]

Yeah, and my post made more sense before Alex deleted his. <G> Should I delete mine? Altho' I still think it's clearest to say he was tuned to standard at D. But I was always in agreement with you on "steps" John M.
All for now.
John C.

[GhostRider]

Hi:

I deleted mine because I think it was confusing (and wrong!). I think Barbeque John and Johnm are right. It just seems counterintuitive to me.

I think that Barbeque John's scheme of denoting tunings and positions is the way to go. Much clearer.

Alex

[wspeck]

Here's a question for you guys from someone who isn't real good at distinguishing the subtleties of sounds. I guess the best way to ask this is to relate the issue I have as it pertains to a specific song.  My teacher is currently working with me on Mance Lipscomb's Blues in G (off the Texas Songster CD).  To do the song we first tune our guitars to Mance, which means tuning down thencapoing up two frets!  In my mind I see this as tuning in standard but flat 1 whole step, then capoing back up two frets and the tune is in G! Here's where my problem is.  Since my ear isn't refined enough to retune to Mance when I listen and work on the song by myself, I use my old analog tuner (I know I really need to upgrade there).  But I don't know what a whole step is on the needle.  If I am tuning the low E and 440 (straight up and down) is "in tune" then where would the needle be if I want to tune down a half step or a whole step?  When I work on this at home I tend to tune my strings to around 420, that seems to approximate Mance enough for me.  So really I am asking this for the more general purpose of relating it to other songs, etc. Like when I see someone post something like, "well, so and so, tended to tune his guitar a half step flat..." Then I know what to do with my tuner if I want to work on something by that artist and it just doesn't sound right tuned to standard 440.


Thanks for your help folks.  This is my first post here but I've been lurking for quite some time and love this site.   I love the focus you guys have and your dedication to this wonderful genre.

Wes

[frankie]

I'm not totally sure that I understand your question, but one way to see where the needle on your analog tuner would be when you want to tune a half-step flat would be to:

1. tune to pitch
2. fret the 6th string at the 5th fret and observe where the needle is (should be right on the money - straight up & down)
3. fret the 6th string at the 4th fret and observe where the needle is now.

You might be able to tune approximately using that as a guide, methodically tuning so that the needle is equally flat for all strings.  This wouldn't necessarily work for tuning to recordings of early blues musicians, because they rarely tuned to an objective standard, unless with a piano or harmonica.

In my opinion, you'd probably get better results learning to tune by ear.  You could use a tuner to train your ear if you're unsure how to go about it from scratch.  Your guitar teacher should certainly be able to guide you in this.  Tuning by ear, you'll always be able to keep the guitar in tune relative to itself, regardless of whatever absolute pitch you're tuned to (A flat, C sharp, E - whatever).

[Johnm]

Hi all,
I've been transcribing a bunch of Pink Anderson's songs from his three solo Prestige albums recently, so it seemed an appropriate time to return to this thread, especially since it never ended up giving a procedure for tuning down a whole step without using a tuner.  If you want to tune down a whole step without a tuner, you could do it as follows:
   * Tune your sixth and first strings each down a whole step using the open fourth string (D) as a reference.  When you get there, you'll have three octave Ds on the sixth, fourth and first strings.
   * Tune your second string down a whole step using the open fifth string (A) as a reference.
   * Tune the fifth string down a whole step using the open third string (G) as a reference.  At this point, you are tuned DGDGAD.
   * Tune the fourth string down to match the fifth string fretted at the fifth fret, or just try to hear the interval of the open fourth.  You're now at DGCGAD.
   * Tune the third string down to match the fourth string fretted at the fifth fret, or just try to hear the interval of the open fourth between the two strings.  You are now tuned one whole step low, DGCFAD.
It's so much easier to figure out stuff from recordings if you are in tune with them.  I don't know how many of you routinely tune without using an electronic tuner, but it sure is good for developing your ear.  That having been said, electronic tuners are a huge boon in music camp situations, like at EBA Blues Week or Port Townsend.  Before tuners, it could easily take fifteen minutes to get a roomful of guitarists reasonably in tune with each other.  I don't know if I've ever seen an electronic tuner that tuned an instrument so that it didn't need some additional fine tuning, though.
All best,
Johnm