Tune Req: Instrumental Bluegrass - minor modes?

Subject: Instrumental Bluegrass - minor modes?
From: GUEST,Howard in Florida
Date: 25 Feb 02 - 04:19 PM

Howdy:

years ago, I heard several fast-paced bluegrass tunes on the radio that were instrumental and in a darkish minor mode. Fast licks, intense counter melodies... virtuoso bluegrass - more than "traditional" banjo and guitar fare.

I loved it, but never learned who it was. Forgot about it until recently...

Any ideas who, or for CD's, tapes, albums that might fit this somewhat vague question?

thanks very much!

Howard guitarist with a new banjo ;)

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Instrumental Bluegrass - minor modes
From: Anahootz
Date: 25 Feb 02 - 11:15 PM

Have you heard the Freighthoppers? It's not really bluegrass, more oldtime, but they play a lot of minor-key and modal tunes that have that "sawmill" feel to them. If you get ahold of a song called "Elzic's farewell", that is a perfect example of the breed.

'Hootz

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Instrumental Bluegrass - minor modes?
From: GUEST,Howard in Florida
Date: 26 Feb 02 - 02:54 PM

'Hootz:

thanks. No, I've not heard of the Freighthoppers. Are they still around? Wait a sec... I'm checking on the web... hey, looks like they are pretty young from this picture: www.geocities.com/Nashville/6245/oibf98/freight.html

So it is probably not them I heard.

It was more a bluegrass kind of feel; a 4/4 or 2/4 beat, harmony motion not much more complex than 6-2-5-1 over the course of 12 to 24 bar phrases ... but the melodies were complicated and often countrapuntal ...

any other ideas??

thanks again!

- Howard

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Instrumental Bluegrass - minor modes?
From: Jim Krause
Date: 26 Feb 02 - 03:03 PM

How about Ralph Stanley's playing of Clinch Mountain Backstep? The tune is modal, but the guitar chords are straight ahead key of A. Makes for quite an interesting dissonance in certain places. Jim

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Instrumental Bluegrass - minor modes?
From: GUEST
Date: 26 Feb 02 - 04:42 PM

Jim:

thanks - most of the players are new to me as I've not paid much attention to this before. Do you know if there's a CD out with Stanley's version of this tune?

There were two times I heard the style I'm trying to discribe, several times on the radio, back between 1978 and 1985, and then again around 1990.

cheers! - H

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Instrumental Bluegrass - minor modes?
From: Art Thieme
Date: 27 Feb 02 - 10:19 PM

I learned a very different version of "John Hardy" from Mike Seeger long ago. From a staight-ahead open-G tuning, lower your second string one half note and you've got a minor chord.

"John" is the open chord. "Hardy" is backed by holding the first two strings at the second fret. It's a great sound---but I love minor chords.

I wish I could tell ya better how to do this but I was ALWAYS an ear musician and learned by watching Mike---and then continued with my own trial-and-error / hit-or-miss method. I did the song for 30 years without ever really thinking twice about it---'til now.

Art Thieme

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Instrumental Bluegrass - minor modes
From: Anahootz
Date: 27 Feb 02 - 10:25 PM

Y'know, Bill always had a thing for minor- and flat-key songs...mebbe you heard something by him. Check out "Kentucky Mandolin" or "Old Ebenezer Scrooge"

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Instrumental Bluegrass - minor modes?
From: GUEST
Date: 01 Mar 02 - 03:32 PM

'Hootz:

Bill who?

- H

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Instrumental Bluegrass - minor modes
From: Anahootz
Date: 01 Mar 02 - 04:10 PM

*cough*

That would be Bill Monroe, the Father of Bluegrass.

I guess I figured that in a bluegrass thread, folks would know to whom I was referring to...

'Hootz

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Instrumental Bluegrass - minor modes?
From: GUEST
Date: 01 Mar 02 - 04:17 PM

*snooze*

Oh, sorry, I was asleep at the wheel. ;-)

- H