Topic: Adventures in Dropped-D tuning

[Bunker Hill]

I heard two songs played in dropped-D tonight by a musician I had never heard before.  He recorded as "Poor Bill" in 1939 for the Varsity label in New York, and his two tracks, "Way Up On The Mountain" and "A Hundred Women", can be found on the Document disc "Blues & Gospel From the Eastern States", DOCD-5644.  According to the liner notes, by Dave Moore,
   ". . . .  Composer credits are to William White, and hence the suggestion has been made that the singer is in fact the brother of Josh White, who accompanied Josh vocally on record in the early 1940s, and was part of his group the Carolinians, although no confirmation is available."

Purely on a historical note these two sides first appeared on Chris Smith's Policy Wheel label appended to a Gabriel Brown compilation (see Stefan's PW page). This is what Tony Travers had to say in his 1976 booklet:

"The final two tracks here are by an unknown bluesman called Poor Bill, whose real name may well have been William White, to whom the composer credits are given. poor Bill's connection with Gabriel Brown is not a little tenuous, it having been suggested that the latter provides the second guitar accompaniment. Whether or not this is the case, the possibility of Brown's having been in New York in 1930 is an intriguing one. (Poor Bill, to judge by his lyrics, was not unfamiliar with that city.) John Godrich and Bob Dixon described Bill as a "typical mid-thirties performer", an opinion, I feel, that gives insufficient credit to this fine vocalist. The only known issue for these two sides was on Varsity, whose owner, Eli Oberstein, reissued ex-Paramount and Gennett material under pseudonym from 1939 to 1941. It is an interesting, though not necessarily related, coincidence that Joe Davis acquired the Varsity masters not long after Oberstein bankruptcy, in the early forties."

[Johnm]

Hi Bunker Hill,
Your mention of Gabriel Brown in possible connection with Poor Bill made me dig up the recordings of Gabriel Brown I have, to listen and compare them with the playing on Poor Bill's two cuts.  It sounded, after listening to a lot of Gabriel Brown's pieces in dropped-D, that the guitarist on Poor Bill's cuts may have heard Gabriel Brown (he uses one of Gabriel Brown's pet bends), but was a different player.  Gabriel Brown recorded so many more songs in dropped-D tuning than any other East Coast player I'm aware of that hearing of another East Coast player working in that tuning around the same period, suggests the possibility of Gabriel Brown either recording using a pseudonym or being an uncredited accompanist.  I don't think either was the case with the Poor Bill cuts, but it remains a possibility, I suppose.
All best,
John

[Coyote Slim]

Prof:

Thanks for your analysis.

I think most of the G6 stuff is in the bass.

D: fingered
1 string  5 fret
2nd string  3 fret
3rd string  5 fret

the rest open (D(4), G(5), D(5)

G: fingering
1 string  5 fret
2 string  3 string
3 string  4 string

The rest open D(4), G(5), D(not played)

In the D section (first bar) the bass goes:

D(6 string open), D(4 string open), F#(6 string 4 fret), D (4 string open)

The second bar (IV chord, G) goes:

G(5 string open), D(4 string open), F#(6 string 4 fret), D(4 string open).

I respect your analysis. I just hear a root (G bass) at the beginning of the second bar. To get a G bass in Dropped D, you'd need to fret the 6 string at the 5 fret. Whereas this is not impossible, I think its easier in G6. What do you think?

Alex

When I'm playing Lonnie Johnson-style in drop D I use my left thumb to finger the "G" on the bottom string.  So that it looks like, from low to high string: T5 x 5 4 6/3 3....I hope you understand that!     Then the "A" is just the same thing but up two frets with the A string played open this time.

[Johnm]

Hi all,
I found another song in dropped-D on the new JSP "Mississippi Blues" set, played by Mose Andrews, a new name to me who recorded pretty late, in 1937.  The song is "Ten Pound Hammer", and it is in the "Big Road Blues"/"Stop And Listen" tune family.
All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Hi all,
A song played in dropped-D that I don't believe has been mentioned here previously is Edward Thompson's "West Virginia Blues".
All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Mississippi Bracey's "You Scolded Me and Drove Me", thought to be a duet with his wife, is played in dropped-D, and is very much in the Walter Vinscon "Overtime/Stop and Listen" mold.
All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Hi all,
A song that has been discussed at the site recently that was played in dropped-D is Frankie Lee Sims' "Lucy Mae Blues".
All best,
Johnm

[lostintheblues]

Drunken Hearted Man by RJ is dropped D I believe, I don't think it was mentioned before.

That silent footage of John Hurt is really cool to watch also, it was on a video I bought to start to learn how to pick, it was great, started me on my way to where I am now!

[Norfolk Slim]

And, of course, that song's twin- Malted Milk.

Both clearly very heavily influenced by Lonnie Johnson- and not surprisingly adopting his trademark tuning.

[Pan]

Hi all.

I believe that Lucious Curtis' "High Lonesome Hill" is in dropped D. Some of the bass runs seem to end on the low D-note. The song also has a second guitar played by Willie Ford, which of course makes it a bit hard, trying to hear who plays what.
Each chorus also seem to end to a DMaj7 chord, which is not very common in country blues.

[Johnm]

Hi all,
I just heard a tremendous piece by Lightnin' Hopkins in dropped-D, "Crawlin' Black Snake".  I was aware that Lightnin' played anything in this tuning, but he sounds sensational in it, and what's more, has his own sound in it.  This one is definitely worth seeking out.
all best,
Johnm

[daddystovepipe]

Thanks John, I'm very curious where you found/heard that song (cd, lp...?), it sure is a great find.

Best,
Carl

[Johnm]

Hi Carl,
A student who wanted the piece transcribed sent me an mp3 of the piece, Carl (thanks, Ben).  I believe the piece is from one of Lightnin's '60s albums on Prestige.  It is available on CD, I saw it when I was last in Seattle and will check and find out what album it was.  It's a great one, isn't it?
All best,
Johnm

[Bunker Hill]

Hi Carl,
A student who wanted the piece transcribed sent me an mp3 of the piece, Carl (thanks, Ben).  I believe the piece is from one of Lightnin's '60s albums on Prestige.  It is available on CD, I saw it when I was last in Seattle and will check and find out what album it was.  It's a great one, isn't it?
All best,
Johnm

The original LP was entitled "Soul Blues" released in 1966 but recordings made May 1964. "Soul" music was all the rage around then so maybe the reason for the title. Who knows? Not I.

[banjochris]

Hi all,
I just heard a tremendous piece by Lightnin' Hopkins in dropped-D, "Crawlin' Black Snake".  I was aware that Lightnin' played anything in this tuning, but he sounds sensational in it, and what's more, has his own sound in it.  This one is definitely worth seeking out.

I was listening awhile ago to the Gold Star session CDs and realized one of the songs was in dropped-D (and I've listened to those albums many many times, so I was pretty surprised). Going back and listening, it's "Loretta Blues" on Vol. 1.
Chris