Topic: Adventures in F position

[Johnm]

Hi all,
I recently noticed a few more tunes that fall into this category:
   "Sadie Lee"--Peg Leg Howell
   "Turtle Dove Blues"--Peg Leg Howell
   "Laughing Pallet"--Hacksaw Harney
All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Snooks Eaglin plays a number of tunes in F, standard tuning, on his recently released "New Orleans Streetsinger" album on Smithsonian Folkways:  "Let Me Go Home, Whiskey", "The Lonesome Road", "Helping Hand" and "Drifting Blues".
All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Hi all,
I was just listening to the Algia Mae Hinton CD "Honey Babe:  Blues, Folk Tunes and Gospel" (Hin-Tone 82929) that was produced by Lightnin' Wells and recorded at Port Townsend a few years back, and noticed that Algia Mae does an eccentric little F tune on there, "Take Me Back To The Movie Star".  I have never heard another like it.  Incidentally, I don't know if this CD is still in print, but it is excellent, better, I think, than the later release put out on Cello by the Music Maker Foundation.  If the CD is still in print, you could probably get it from Lightnin'.
All best,
Johnm

[Stuart]

John:

It appears that the Algia Mae Hinton CD: "Honey Babe" is still available. Here's the link:

http://shop.store.yahoo.com/musicmakerstore/algiamaehinton.html

[Slack]

..and the CD is on the Juke

[frankie]

A few Mississippi Sheiks songs:

Jail Bird Love Song
Yodeling Fiddling Blues
Times Done Got Hard
Unhappy Blues
I've Got Blood In My Eyes For You

[banjochris]

A couple more, since Frankie jogged my memory on tunes with fiddle -- Andy and Jim Baxter's Georgia Stomp and Forty Drops are both in F.
Chris

[frankie]

Andy and Jim Baxter's Georgia Stomp and Forty Drops

Nice ones, both.  James Baxter's accompaniment on Georgia Stomp definitely takes the cake for me - perfect loose-but-tight stuff!

[Johnm]

Hi all,
I recently heard the re-issue of the Mance Lipscomb album on Reprise, "Trouble In Mind", and Mance does a previously unreleased version of "Casey Jones" on there that he plays out of F.  The melody that Mance uses is the one commonly used by Trad Jazz bands playing the song, and it sits beautifully in F, really natural.
All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Hi all,
I got to thinking about it and realized Leadbelly must have recorded more tunes in F.  I checked on the first two volumes of his Library of Congress recordings on Rounder this evening, and in addition to "Roberta", he does a terrific version of "Midnight Special" in F and also "Governor Pat Neff".  He was so prolific, I'm sure he had more F tunes.
All best,
Johnm

[rbuniv]

Memphis Jug Band; "FOURTH ST. MESS AROUND", Starts on Dm but resolves to key of F. Tampa Red; " DUCKS YASS YASS YASS" another great song in F.

  Try adding the low F note on the E string with your thumb, this gives the chord a nice well rounded sound also try to pick out the base runs associated with this position. I play the B flat barring the top four strings on the third fret with the ring finger, add the C7 and you're playing in the key of F.

Later; RB

[waxwing]

Yeah, but Duck's Yas Yas is a VI7-II7-V7-I (D7-G7-C7-F) so no Bb necessary.-G- Which is why this is such a popular rag key.

All for now.
John C.

[Johnm]

Hi all,
I listened through Leadbelly's Last Sessions yesterday and today and found two more songs he played out of F position, standard tuning (though tuned quite low, as was his practice).  "Relax Your Mind" is an F blues with great lyrics including driving tips (really!) and "Sweet Mary" is a terrific raggy number.  Listening to Leadbelly reminded me again of how under-rated I think he is as a blues player.  Perhaps he is not given enough credit for his blues playing because he was embraced by the Folk crowd, and that made him suspect to die-hard Blues fans.  These fans should know better; all you have to do is listen to him to realize that he absolutely had the goods when it came to playing blues.  And what a singer he was!
All best,
Johnm

[PattonsDaimon]

John, is Luke Jordan's Travelling Coon really in F?  I've been playing it in E for years....

[frankie]

John, is Luke Jordan's Travelling Coon really in F?

Sounds like it to me.  It may sound counterintuitive, but those bass lines are probably easier in F than E.