I agree with everything Suffet says but would add that this tuning is also convenient for 5-string banjo players who feel compelled to chase fiddle tunes in major as well as minor keys. I generally capo up to A (2 frets) enabling me to play A-minor tunes such as Cold Frosty Morning, Kitchen Girl and Home with the Girls in the Morning. But I can also chase D-major tunes with modified C-chords (Over the Waterfall, Whiskey before Breakfast, Spotted Pony), chase G-major tunes with modified F-chords (Golden Sleepers/Colored Aristocracy), or retune easily to A-Major for Little Beggarman and the other miccaledian(?) tunes. This strategy generally saves 5th strings from breaking as well. Of course, when fiddles go into other keys such as C-major, you're still left all standing.