Topic: Adventures in F position

[Johnm]

Hi all,
I was thinking how this much-maligned key/position in standard tuning nonetheless had a surprising number of tunes recorded in it over the years.  Working with our format of the recent past, I thought it might be fun to make a list of such performances.  I'll get the ball rolling:
   * "Travellin' Coon"--Luke Jordan
   * "Fightin' The Jug"--Blind Blake
   * "Roberta"--Leadbelly
   * "I Decided To Go Down"--Rev. Gary Davis
   * "Prison Wall Blues"--Gus Cannon & His Jugstompers
All best,
Johnm

[NotRevGDavis]

As a relative beginner the key of "F" gives me the blues.

[banjochris]

A few off the top of my head:

"Search Warrant Blues" Blind Blake
"In the Jailhouse Now" Pink Anderson (one of my personal favorites)
"Barbershop Rag" William Moore
"Ragtime Crazy" William Moore
"Shake It and Break It" Charlie Patton
"You Got to See Your Mama Every Night" Mance Lipscomb
"Devil's Dream" Rev. Gary Davis
"Soldier's Drill" Rev. Gary Davis (OK half of it is in C, I know)
"Blow Gabriel" Rev. Gary Davis
"God's Gonna Separate" Rev. Gary Davis
"Looked Down the Road" Rev. Gary Davis (don't remember if this is the right title, but it's on "Say No to the Devil")

Chris

[Rockdale]

hey everybody,

   I've got a good country blues in F to add to the list....

    "King Edward Blues" on Roy Bookbinder's Live CD

   On the cd I believe he says it was originally a Willie McTell tune. I've been playing it for about a year and a half I guess ( it's really fun to play and sing ).

          Kenny

[Rockdale]

I just thought of another 'F Tune' to mention......

        "Try Some Of That" from Pink Anderson's "Carolina Blues Man Vol. 1" CD. The lyrics, in my opinion, are really funny but the thing about this song that I love is the cool bass runs that he does. Is anyone else familiar with this tune?

    I was in Texas about 3 1/2 years ago and I was looking around in a used vinyl shop and came across Carolina Blues Man Vol. 1 for around 7 bucks. Needless to say, I bought it. Well, a friend of mine who loves country blues was having a birthday not too long after that and I ended up giving to him as a gift. I know he appreciated it but every once in a while I wish I still had that record ( even though I own the CD version now ).

    Kenny

[uncle bud]

I just thought of another 'F Tune' to mention......

? "Try Some Of That" from Pink Anderson's "Carolina Blues Man Vol. 1" CD. The lyrics, in my opinion, are really funny but the thing about this song that I love is the cool bass runs that he does. Is anyone else familiar with this tune?

Kenny- I love this tune and have always meant to figure it out. Didn't realize it was in F. Will have to check it out.

[Johnm]

Hi all,
I'm sneaking in from England.  How about:
   *  "Doing A Stretch"--Blind Blake
   * "Pick Poor Robin Clean"--Luke Jordan
   * "Alabama Jubilee"--Mance Lipscomb
All best,
Johnm

[Rivers]

Willie McTell's Delia was in F but perhaps detuned?

[eagle rockin daddy]

Hello everyone,

  Rev. Davis arranged the "The United States of America March" in F.  Just amazing.  Andy Cohen put his version on his new cd, Rediculous Instrumentals that I just got.  I'll post a review soon.

Mike

[Johnm]

Hi all,
I'm just back from England, and thought of a bunch by Papa Charlie Jackson:
   * Corn Liquor Blues
   * Big Feeling Blues
   * Ma and Pa Poorhouse Blues
   * She Belongs To Me Blues
All best,
Johnm

[banjochris]

Thought of one more by William Moore -- "Tillie Lee" -- this means that F is the key Moore plays in the most often on his released sides -- that must be a first.

And if memory serves from the big Willie McTell thing I did, his "Beedle Um Bum" is played out of F. Curley Weaver plays in F on a bunch of those sides.

Also there's a tune called the "Blue Grass Twist" on Yazoo's "Mr. Charlie's Blues" that's in F -- by the Bibb County Highballers IIRC.

By the way I'm pretty sure "Pick Poor Robin Clean" is in C.
Chris

[Johnm]

Good catch on "Pick Poor Robin Clean", Chris.  It is sure enough in C.  That's what I get for relying too heavily on my memory!
All best,
Johnm

[frankie]

Couple others, partly from another topic:

Rev. Davis:

He Knows How Much We Can Bear
Friend Like Lonely Jesus
Babe, What You Gonna Do?

Blind Blake:

Notoriety Woman

[si]

Just started learning "Soldier's Drill" by Rev Gary Davis.
I tune the bass E string up to F. Makes it slightly less impossible.
.

[frankie]

Just started learning "Soldier's Drill" by Rev Gary Davis.
I tune the bass E string up to F. Makes it slightly less impossible.

Well...  until you get to the little interludes between the repeated sections in C.  There's an E on the open 6th string that shows up there that would be kinda inconvenient if you tuned it away.