Topic: playing in A in dropped D

[a2tom]

Hey all - I've been messing around with a tune lately that I'm playing in key of A but in dropped D tuning.  I've found this fun - the low D comes in handy and gives a nice effect  when you pick it up as the bass note on the IV chord.  I can still get the E bass on the V chord by just thumbing the 2nd fret 6th string. 

What country blues tunes out there do this?  I bet there must some, probably many, but I don't know any offhand.  I'd like to take a listen to some and hear how different folks used it.  I tried searching WC, but it is hard to search the letters A and D!  I did see in the threads on the Bo Carter G tuning comments that people did the A in dropped D thing, but no specifics.

I'd be especially interested if any of the Texas dead thumb players did this. Mance Lipscomb?  That seems likely to me, but I haven't learned any Mance tunes yet.  This tune I'm messing with was specifically part of my "make the thumb more versatile" campaign - I have been working hard to get my dead thumb going steady (which is more tricky than I would have thought...).  It seemed to naturally fall into this A over dropped D, so I'm wondering...

Thanks,

tom

[Slack]

Hi Tom,

If I am remembering right, I think Mance Lipscomb's 'Bout A Spoonful - has a dropped D.

Bo Carters 'Policy Blues' is in dropped D - but key of D (but has a nice descending A part).

I'll keep my ears peeled.

Cheers,
slack

[Johnm]

Hi Tom and John D.,
You guys are both right.  Dropped D was Mance Lipscomb's preferred tuning for playing in the key of A, and he used it on many tunes, "'Bout A Spoonful", "Goin' Down Slow", "Boogie in A", among others.  It really does bring the change to the IV chord out; that low D note just honks.  Right now I can't think of any other Country Blues players (especially from the pre-War era) who did this.  It is a great sound.
All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Come to find out almost six years later that Lightnin' Hopkins and Carolina Slim (copying Lightnin') both did this.
All best,
Johnm

[sustaireblues]

Hey John, thanks for bringing this back up, I'd never seen it.
What a great idea, I'm going to go play around with that.

Thanks,
Joe

[Dakota Red]

In open G one can also drop the lowest string to C, same deal.  Thumb-hook to get the low V or hit it open an octave up.

[LB]

Thanks folks, for the comments. I played around with this for past few days and eventually a bunch of Mance style stuff bubbled to the surface but I also worked this into a lot of the McTell drop D stuff. Very nice to be jolted back onto these things. So much to remember and keep herded into your playing.

[Johnm]

Hi all,
I was very surprised recently to see a video of Jack Owens on YouTube playing in A in dropped D tuning.  So much for the Bentonia sound!
All best,
Johnm

[frailer24]

Interesting. I thought Mance Lipscomb was the only practicioner of that. It is quite useful, though.

[zoner]

Dave Van Ronk did a lovely version of "Jesus Met The Woman At The Well" in this tuning....

[MTJ3]

I may be completely off base as I haven't listened to Larry Johnson's Blue Goose album for literally decades (so apologies if I am), but I believe he has one such piece on the album.

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Here is the song that Jack Owens plays in A out of dropped-D tuning, cited earlier in this thread:



All best,
Johnm