I came across this clip of an Old Timey American player playing Bonepart's Retreat while crosstuned DDAD. http://youtu.be/l9bH4AqQuJM
I really liked how he got a sound that sometimes sounded alot like u-pipes. I have tried some cross tunings AEAE & GDGD but didn't find them very useful for Irish tunes. Later on I tried ADAD, it's a bit better, but the gains aren't worth the sacrifices for me.
After hearing this clip, I dropped my G down to a low D & e down to d. I started playing some jigs & reels that had alot of the melody sitting on the d string while droning that low D. I really had a lot of fun with it - but I quickly found no advantage in having the first string tuned down to D, I wanted a high e instead of a d. I like to have that b under my pinky, even when I play in DADGAD I leave the first string alone (effectively making it DADGAE)
At any rate I really had alot of fun with the tuning & started to play some airs & was happy with the new dimension opened up by that low drone note. I quickly recorded "The Sally Gardens" in this tuning & made some adjustments to the melody to make it more "pipey" while still keeping aspects of the fiddle in there, because after all: you can't squeeze bacon from a turkey. Here's the results of my tinkering. http://youtu.be/TgFPwHGwHxU
I'm not even remotely suggesting something new that everyone should do all the time, but it is a fun effect for a party piece or stage show. I got a big kick out of it & I thought some others might too.
Have you listened to Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh's cross-tuned stuff? There's rather a lot of it on his latest album with Mick O'Brien. It's called 'Deadly Buzz', and it's an absolute must-have album.
I Like Caoimhín's playing alot, I haven't heard the latest one with Mick O'Brien though - I'll have to check it out. I'm familiar with the Kelly AEAE foxhunters reel - I love how he plays it, but whenever I tried it I just didn't feel comfortable with it & I don't like the idea of all that extra tension on my fiddle. He does do a lovely job.
If you're worried about tension, you can consider retuning down (GDGD) or across concert pitch (G#-D#-G#-D#). That's how Caoimhin did his first album.
Denis Murphy and Padraig o'Keeffe are amongst other classic fiddle players known to have cross-tuned occasionally, with awesome results. George Whelan was probably the West Clare/Sliabh Luachra connection, I'd imagine.
Cross tuning or Scordatura DDAE
Cross tuning or Scordatura DDAE
I came across this clip of an Old Timey American player playing Bonepart's Retreat while crosstuned DDAD.
http://youtu.be/l9bH4AqQuJM
I really liked how he got a sound that sometimes sounded alot like u-pipes. I have tried some cross tunings AEAE & GDGD but didn't find them very useful for Irish tunes. Later on I tried ADAD, it's a bit better, but the gains aren't worth the sacrifices for me.
After hearing this clip, I dropped my G down to a low D & e down to d. I started playing some jigs & reels that had alot of the melody sitting on the d string while droning that low D. I really had a lot of fun with it - but I quickly found no advantage in having the first string tuned down to D, I wanted a high e instead of a d. I like to have that b under my pinky, even when I play in DADGAD I leave the first string alone (effectively making it DADGAE)
At any rate I really had alot of fun with the tuning & started to play some airs & was happy with the new dimension opened up by that low drone note. I quickly recorded "The Sally Gardens" in this tuning & made some adjustments to the melody to make it more "pipey" while still keeping aspects of the fiddle in there, because after all: you can't squeeze bacon from a turkey. Here's the results of my tinkering.
http://youtu.be/TgFPwHGwHxU
I'm not even remotely suggesting something new that everyone should do all the time, but it is a fun effect for a party piece or stage show. I got a big kick out of it & I thought some others might too.
# Posted on November 6th 2011 by B Rad
Re: Cross tuning or Scordatura DDAE
Have you listened to Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh's cross-tuned stuff? There's rather a lot of it on his latest album with Mick O'Brien. It's called 'Deadly Buzz', and it's an absolute must-have album.
There's a great clip of James Kelly playing the Foxhunters Reel in AEAE, which he got from Patrick Kelly of Cree: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zb1K5BCtLY8
Watch from around 3.30
You can hear Patrick Kelly play it on Ceol an Cláir: http://ceolalainn.blogspot.com/2009/09/ceol-clair-1978.html
# Posted on November 6th 2011 by Dragut Reis
Re: Cross tuning or Scordatura DDAE
I Like Caoimhín's playing alot, I haven't heard the latest one with Mick O'Brien though - I'll have to check it out. I'm familiar with the Kelly AEAE foxhunters reel - I love how he plays it, but whenever I tried it I just didn't feel comfortable with it & I don't like the idea of all that extra tension on my fiddle. He does do a lovely job.
# Posted on November 7th 2011 by B Rad
Re: Cross tuning or Scordatura DDAE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrweiTxfVgQ
ADAE
Not Irish but great stuff in my opinion. Very hypnotic first tune - I love the A part with the low A drone.
# Posted on November 7th 2011 by prestonian
Re: Cross tuning or Scordatura DDAE
If you're worried about tension, you can consider retuning down (GDGD) or across concert pitch (G#-D#-G#-D#). That's how Caoimhin did his first album.
Denis Murphy and Padraig o'Keeffe are amongst other classic fiddle players known to have cross-tuned occasionally, with awesome results. George Whelan was probably the West Clare/Sliabh Luachra connection, I'd imagine.
# Posted on November 7th 2011 by Danjo
Re: Cross tuning or Scordatura DDAE
George Whelan was from Ballybunion, he may have provided a connection to North Kerry but not to Sliabh Luachra.
# Posted on November 7th 2011 by Prof. Prlwytzkofski