Subject: RE: The pros and cons of DADGAD
From:
The Sandman
Date: 04 Sep 11 - 02:58 PM
here is what Steve Baughman has to say about orkney tuning
This tuning has nothing to do with the islands off the northern coast of Scotland. I have simply chosen Orkney as a shorthand way to refer to CGDGCD tuningwhose rise to prominence has been hampered solely by the fact that, unlike DADGAD, it is impossible to pronounce.
The Orkney tuning (CGDGCD) has become my favorite over the years. It is a wonderful tool for melodic (non-linear) playing, in which you avoid playing subsequent notes on the same string. This technique (Pierre Bensusan calls it "harp style,") allows for a very smooth and gentle delivery of the melody and avoids the staccato effect that marks many guitar arrangements of fiddle tunes.
The Orkney tuning is also a great tuning for session back-up. I like it better than DADGAD. You get one extra note's range in the first position and when you're in C, (which in Orkney is often,) you've got a fifth in easy reach at the fifth fret of the first string. This allows for a nice ringy sound. In DADGADyou'd have to stretch your pinkie to the 7th fret to get the equivalent effect.
Drawbacks are that the 6th string tuned down to a C note can sometimes become a bit spaghetti-like and hard to tune. I find, however, that using a heavy 6th string makes this problem quite manageable. Another possible drawback is that playing in D or A is best done with a capo at the 2nd fret. Some people prefer an, un-capoed sound. On the other hand, you may like the higher, ringy sound of the second fret D and A chords.
In all, it's a great tuning. In fact, my theory is that the only thing keeping CGDGCD from overtaking DADGADas the session player's tuning of choice is that its name has heretofore been impossible to pronounce. Accordingly, I hereby christen it "ORKNEY" to sharpen its competitive edge. Try it out and let me know what you think.
this idea of what he describes as melodic plying comes from a 5 string banjo player called Bill Keith who used other banjo tunings other than dgcd, including dgbd[similar to guitar tuning dgdgbd see below.Melodic Style Banjo Introduction
Melodic Style Banjo has been around since the 1950s and 1960s...introduced by Bill Keith and Bobby Thompson...brought to further popularity by the likes of Alan Munde, Bela Fleck, Butch Robins, Tony Trischka, Larry McNeely, Pat Cloud and Pete Wernick. (along with many others)
What is Melodic Style Banjo? Melodic Style Banjo has its origins in the adaptation of the 5-string banjo to playing note for note fiddle tunes...Bill Keith spearheaded this approach and even played this very same style within Bill Monroe's band. He adapted many fiddle tunes including: "Devil's Dream", "Sailor's Hornpipe" and even standards such as "Caravan". His facility with this style has been well respected by most every aspiring banjo player since the 1960s...and even today, Bill still travels most of the year teaching this style along with music theory at banjo workshops. His influence has been well established and is now considered an integral part of the evolution and legacy of the banjo.
Melodic style banjo is known by a few other names: Keith Style, Chromatic Style and Fiddle Tune Style...today, it doesn't seem to hold the same popularity it once did in the '70s. This is surprising considering this style offers another dimension to what can be accomplished with the 5-string banjo. The cascading beauty of melodic banjo cannot be emulated by any other approach...including Single-String Style (made popular and innovated by Don Reno), Scruggs Style (the bluegrass standard), Classical Banjo (known as parlor style), or Frailing (clawhammer and traditional Appalachian)...all of these approaches to the 5-string banjo resonate with their very own beauty...and deserve the highest regard within the history and development of the 5-string banjo. Notwithstanding, Melodic Banjo deserves its very own place within this legacy of banjo styles. Outside of the fact that this approach always seemed to lay in the shadows, while a few progressive exponents of the style have carried it forward, it may still be discovered as a mainstream approach in its own right. It has its very own uniqueness of which no other style can emulate...the flow of cascading notes falling down like a colorful waterfall over precipices of never-ending scales lays down the simple fact that Melodic Banjo is here to stay...whether in obscurity or not.
Now, as a complete banjoist, having some Melodic Banjo technique in your arsenal will add to your ability to create optimal lead or back-up for most any musical setting. Keep in mind, there is a time and place to apply the melodic style...many times you'll want to consider the origin of the tune you're playing. Your goal as a tasteful player is to contribute to the song; you should not haphazardly arrange nor play a passage for the sake of displaying technique. When putting together your first melodic passages, find ways to make it contributory to the song's message. Technique in itself can be fun to pursue...however, when it comes to the ultimate goal of contributing to a musical setting, whether a recording session or a performance, make your best effort to contribute to the message...no matter how simple or complex the final arrangement becomes, the main question you want to ask yourself is: Did I contribute or take away from this musical setting? Having Melodic Banjo Technique to tap into may just add a new dimension in your efforts to master your banjo.
Now, let's dissect this approach to 5-String Banjo called Melodic Banjo:
1. What classifies Melodic Banjo? Melodic Banjo can be easily differentiated by its unique sound...there's a cascading quality to it...it can sound almost like a harp or a harpsichord...some notes will continue to ring while other melody notes go floating by. This is caused by the consecutive notes being played, which classifies this style, are almost never played on the same string.
2. How is Melodic Banjo different than Scruggs Style? Melodic banjo offers note-for-note melody lines. Scruggs Style is based on chords and rolls with accents on the interspersed melody notes within chordal forms.
3. Melodic Banjo differs from Single String Style in the approach to the melody. In Single String approach, the melody is played in a linear fashion. For instance, three or four notes will be consecutively played on the same string. Whereas, in the Melodic approach, the melody will be played in a more vertical fashion. From note to note, the strings are played alternatively...one note per new string played. Very seldom do two consecutive notes occur on the same string...and on the rare occasion that they are played on the same string, the two notes would be connected by a slur through a hammer-on or a pull-off. This retains the floating effect that's characteristic of Melodic Style Banjo.
The best methodology for learning to play Melodic Banjo, is the scalar approach. First become familiar with the scales and patterns that constitute this style, and you'll have the skeletal framework necessary in arranging and executing melodies as a Melodic Banjo player.
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