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I'm not a crook. I'm an opportunist - Bernie, owner of the Nightshift Tavern, Bremerton spoken to Texan JohnD after Bernie tried to sell him a pint of Alaska Amber for $6

Author Topic: Spanish variant  (Read 2119 times)

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Offline frailer24

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Spanish variant
« on: September 27, 2015, 05:06:44 AM »
Anybody ever hear of lowering the B to a B-flat in Spanish? Tried it on a whim, very interesting!
That's all she wrote Mabel!

Offline Johnm

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Re: Spanish variant
« Reply #1 on: September 27, 2015, 11:18:50 AM »
Hi Larry,
I recorded a tune, "Chester County", on my first Blue Goose album that I played out of open G minor tuning, and also backed JoAnn Kelly on a version of Teddy Darby's "Deceiving Blues" that I played out of open G minor tuning, that was never released.  I think I was thinking of Henry Townsend's early sound when I came up with "Chester County".  I'll attach an .mp3 of it.  Minor Spanish is a great tuning which has barely been used/explored.
All best,
Johnm

Offline banjochris

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Re: Spanish variant
« Reply #2 on: September 28, 2015, 09:35:35 AM »
There's a great banjo version of John Hardy done in that tuning, gDGBbD, that Mike Seeger played on his Folkways Old-Time Country Music solo album. He got it from a Library of Congress recording and I can't remember the original artist. It's surprising with the number of modal banjo songs that there are very few played in a tuning with the lowered third.
Chris

Offline Norfolk Slim

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Re: Spanish variant
« Reply #3 on: September 29, 2015, 12:57:34 PM »
John- that is absolutely fantastic.  Love it.

These fabled Blue Goose recordings need a re-release so us latecomers can get them!


Hi Larry,
I recorded a tune, "Chester County", on my first Blue Goose album that I played out of open G minor tuning, and also backed JoAnn Kelly on a version of Teddy Darby's "Deceiving Blues" that I played out of open G minor tuning, that was never released.  I think I was thinking of Henry Townsend's early sound when I came up with "Chester County".  I'll attach an .mp3 of it.  Minor Spanish is a great tuning which has barely been used/explored.
All best,
Johnm

Offline frankie

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Re: Spanish variant
« Reply #4 on: September 29, 2015, 01:48:55 PM »
There's a great banjo version of John Hardy done in that tuning, gDGBbD, that Mike Seeger played on his Folkways Old-Time Country Music solo album. He got it from a Library of Congress recording and I can't remember the original artist. It's surprising with the number of modal banjo songs that there are very few played in a tuning with the lowered third.

Bill Cornett's "Old Reuben" is in that minor tuning, I think, although tuned pretty low.

Offline frankie

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Re: Spanish variant
« Reply #5 on: September 29, 2015, 01:52:05 PM »
Hi Larry,
I think I was thinking of Henry Townsend's early sound when I came up with "Chester County".

Mission accomplished, John.  Wow.

I was listening to a Greek guitar piece on the Secret Museum of Mankind, volume 2 this morning and it seemed to me it was in some sort of spanish variant  - the second string being either flat or sharp a half step.

Offline banjochris

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Re: Spanish variant
« Reply #6 on: September 29, 2015, 02:04:56 PM »
Well, now I'm going to have to listen to Secret Museum and Banjo Bill Cornett today. Not a bad thing, but you can't just listen to Cornett in the background while you're working.

I liked that Chester County, too, John -- it's got that feel of Townsend's (and Walter Davis too) where it seems like you're gonna go somewhere but then you just come right back to the I chord, which I love.
Chris

Offline Johnm

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Re: Spanish variant
« Reply #7 on: September 29, 2015, 04:54:09 PM »
Thanks very much for the good words, Simon and Frank and Chris.  I'm glad you like that "Chester County".  As Sam Goldwyn said, "There's been a lot of water passed since then."  That was when I was young and promising.
All best,
Johnm

Offline Lastfirstface

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Re: Spanish variant
« Reply #8 on: September 29, 2015, 07:10:08 PM »
Out of curiosity I looked up the liner notes for the Mike Seeger record that Banjochris was referring to (worth noting that you can get a .pdf of the liner notes to any Folkways record off their website) and the recording he based the G-minor version of John Henry on was a performance by J.W. Russell of Marion, VA. Anybody heard his recordings? They don't seem to have been issued outside of the AAFS discs.

Offline banjochris

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Re: Spanish variant
« Reply #9 on: September 30, 2015, 08:46:27 AM »
I've never heard the original, but someone probably has it on a tape somewhere. PS it's John Hardy, not John Henry if you go to learn it. And despite what Ernest Stoneman said, they're not the same person! :)

Offline Lastfirstface

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Re: Spanish variant
« Reply #10 on: September 30, 2015, 08:51:04 AM »
Whoops. Spaced out on that one and typed Henry in place of Hardy.  :P

Offline Stuart

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Re: Spanish variant
« Reply #11 on: September 30, 2015, 09:31:52 AM »
Mike Seeger's version was repackaged on:

http://www.folkways.si.edu/classic-folk-music-from-folkways-recordings/american-folk/music/album/smithsonian



Here's the LoC page for J.W. Russell's recording:

http://www.loc.gov/item/afc9999005.6851

And the available Online recordings at LoC (7,916 down, only 569,551 to go!):

http://www.loc.gov/audio/?q=&st=list&c=150


I'd also like to hear  the original. (I did listen to "Crab is a Better Man Than Man"--couldn't resist the title!)

Offline Prof Scratchy

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Re: Spanish variant
« Reply #12 on: October 01, 2015, 03:42:06 AM »
Chester County is a great track!

Offline big joe weems

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Re: Spanish variant
« Reply #13 on: October 30, 2015, 09:48:54 AM »
Who is the vocalist on jm's "Chester County"?

Offline Johnm

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Re: Spanish variant
« Reply #14 on: October 30, 2015, 11:02:02 AM »
Me.
All best,
Johnm

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