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Author: Admin | 2025-04-28
It for Darling Cora, and GG believes thatB. F. Shelton did as well.I realize that I made an error in listing eDADD, and I've now eliminatedthis tuning (though, who knows, there may be some use for it!). My previousstory ran that Art Rosenbaum (in London, 1995) - having been tuned to aDADE- ran his 1st string down to D, and played us Darling Cora as he thoughtShelton had, in aDADD (gCGCC tuned up 2 steps), instead of in the open-D(f#DF#AD) tuning Pete Seeger used for this song. I later went back toShelton's classic recording and decided that he had his fifth string tunedlower (to match 1st string at the 4th fret). That's not 'E', that's 'F#'!So: if B.F. Shelton were doing this tune in the key of C, his tuning wouldbe eCGCC, and if in the key of D, f#DADD. He is 2-finger picking, with athumb lead; and in fact, on recordings I've got, is in the key of C#...Myconclusion: this is another great episode in the saga of "wonderful droningsounds" to be found on the 5-string.B.F. Shelton, Darling Cora, 1927 ("Music of Kentucky Vol 1";"Old Time Mountain Ballads"). gCGCE "Open-C" Uncle Dave Macon used this tuning a lot; so did Frank Proffitt. Some frailers/clawhammerers and old-time finger-pickers (e.g. Tom Paley) consistently use Open-C rather than Double-C. Ray Stewart says it makes far better sense for The 8th of January and Turkey in the Straw than Double C. Tuned up to D, this becomes aDADF#, and as such has the name of "Quince Dillon's High D".A few examples: Dave Macon, Way Down The Old Plank Road; Rise When the Rooster Crows (& many others). Frank Proffitt, Bonnie James Campbell; I'll Never Get Drunk Any More, 2-finger style ("North Carolina Songs & Ballads"). Dock Boggs, Little Omie Wise; Sugar Blues; I
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