Tune Req: Tuning Style for Mississippi John H

Subject: Tuning Style for Mississippi John Hurt
From: GUEST,Jeb
Date: 16 Oct 00 - 09:15 PM

Blues guitarists - I recently checked out a Mississippi John Hurt CD from the library and was really turned on to some rootsy finger pickin'. I don't have much blues experience, especially the new flashy stuff, but I really enjoy his style and was wondering if anyone could help me out with some of his favorite alternate tunings (I'm assuming he used them, but I don't know). Did he use several different styles? Also, what's the practical limit for string gauge for good finger pickin'? I have a Martin dreadnought and use Medium gauge, which seems awfully rough for finger pickin'.

Thanks for your help,

Jeb

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Tuning Style for Mississippi John H
From: GUEST,khandu
Date: 16 Oct 00 - 09:19 PM

Most of his stuff is in standard tuning; EADGBE. Some of it seems to be in other tunings that I have noy figured out.

He is a great player and has inspired more people that you would imagine.

khandu

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Tuning Style for Mississippi John H
From: GUEST,khandu
Date: 16 Oct 00 - 09:27 PM

OOPS!!

I use Martin Marquis Light Gauge.

I like the sound and the feel.

They do not seem to last as long as they once did.

khandu

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Tuning Style for Mississippi John H
From: Rasta
Date: 17 Oct 00 - 03:32 AM

I learned a trick from a friend for playing in the key of G . if you wrap you thumb around the sixth string on the third fret instead of a standard g chord and let the other fingers play around the !st 2ND AND 3RD STRING FOR THE BLUE NOTES you mite find it very interesting to some of JOHN HURTS STUFF ----good luck ----rastaaa

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Tuning Style for Mississippi John H
From: Peter T.
Date: 17 Oct 00 - 10:04 AM

Hurt plays songs like "I Shall Not Be Moved" and "Nearer My God To Theee" in standard tuning. "Here Am I, Lord Send Me" and others are in G tuning. There is a very good tape/book teaching country blues style picking by Dean Sires, that you can get through Stefan Grossman's Guitar Workshop, which has these transcribed, and others.

yours, Peter T.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Tuning Style for Mississippi John H
From: GUEST,CraigS
Date: 17 Oct 00 - 09:57 PM

Hurt only used standard and Spanish (DGDGBD) to my knowledge. Other tunings commonly used for blues: DADF#AD (dropped D or "Vestapol"), DADFAD(crossnote). If you want light, easy to play strings try Silk and Steel strings - La Bella are good but don't last long, Martin are also good but don't stand being wound up and down a lot if you use a lot of tunings.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Tuning Style for Mississippi John H
From:
Date: 18 Oct 00 - 01:01 AM

The URL for Stephen Grossman is: http://www.guitarvideos.com

In particular there is a book in Grossman's "Masters of Country Blues Guitar" series called "The Music of Missippi John Hurt". This is all in standard tuning and it has mostly what I would call MJH standards. Another is his book "Legends of Country Blues Guitar". This is devoted to various old Blues players including MJH and has some of the newer things he did on Vanguard records. Some of these pieces are in open D and open E (which are fingered in the same way.) Both books come with CDs containing the original recordings. There are three great instrumentals by Rev. Gary Davis.

Murray

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Tuning Style for Mississippi John H
From: ddw
Date: 18 Oct 00 - 01:08 AM

Jeb, the only MJH song I can think of that is obviously in an open tuning — G, I think — is Talking Casey.

As for strings and fingerpicking, a lot depends on your touch and the sound you want. I do nothing but fingerpicking and use different strings on different guitars. My Guild gets D'Addario (Sp?) phosphor-bronze 12s (that's a light-medium; the number refers to the thickness of the treble E string) and my Cort, which I use if I need to plug in) gets the same brand, but 11s. My Palmer, which is used mostly for slide work, takes 13s — not fussy about the brand on it.

The real trick for fingerpicking, in my opinion, is to learn to use fingerpicks. It's like walking through a tar pit on stilts for the first little while, but once you get used to them you'll never want to be without them. They give a much louder, crisper sound and it doesn't matter what string gage you use.

BTW — If you're taken with MJH's music, look up some Mance Lipscomb, Blind Boy Fuller or Blind Blake — all extraordinary pickers. And a lot of people consider Rev. Gary Davis the king of the fingerpickers, but his vocal style is pretty raw.

cheers

david

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Tuning Style for Mississippi John H
From:
Date: 18 Oct 00 - 06:46 AM

Don't forget Frank Stokes. The style on some if his pieces is the closest to MJH of any of the others.

Also Blind Lemon Jefferson is a great picker. His records remain is scratchy form and his voice is a bit grating--but not as much as Rev Garry Davis. If you listen to the guitar part in some of his stuff (like "See That My Grave is Kept Clean") you can see where Son House's style comes from.

Murray

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Tuning Style for Mississippi John H
From: GUEST,Jeremy J Woodland
Date: 19 Oct 00 - 12:10 AM

Jeb,

To my knowledge Mississippi John Hurt rarley used alternate tunings. I think talking Casey in is open G (DGDGBD). I find Hurt's style works really well using finger picks on my right hand fingers. Also try resting your pinky on the face of the guitar- modern teaching discourages it, but Hurt and Davis always did it!