Why lowered bass Briggs tuning?

[Steve Jeter]

 I may get ripped a new one for asking this, but I want to know. I dont work good on "just do it"

 I need to know why to do it that way.

 If the Briggs is just that 1 string lowered, what are the advantages to this tuning ,over tuning in open D ?  dADF#A

 If it is purely historical , I understand ,, and am not challenging that. But with my lack of knowledge being so green, it would be great to know.

 I put that bass up to A and feel more comfy.  But if there is a reason, and I am missing out here , maybe somebody will inform me here.

 again NO  criticism to Briggs , or the folks who use this ,,, I am just trying to understand.

 I know I ask a lot of question, but Im not sure how else to learn. Nobody around here plays Minsterel Banjo

 Thanks

Steve

[Trapdoor2]

Eli told me that about Van Eps and I asked Howard Weilmuenster (one of Van Eps last students)...who also maintains it was so. I do what the sheet music says. If it says, raised bass...I raise my bass, etc. Macht nichts for me, I regularly use 5 or 6 different tuning schemes (not counting capoing)...but I'm not reading those little black dots either. ;-)

deuceswilde said:

I'm with Tim.  Standard as much as possible.  Not that this applies exactly, but I have heard rumors that Van Eps never tuned up the bass string, but that could just be lore.

[Rob Morrison]

Joel--

I did'nt mean to imply that "Sugar Cane Dance" was an early tune, but it is an example of a tune where the only note played on the bass string must be fretted in "low bass" tuning and can be played open in "high bass tuning," thus making it a bit less clumsy to play.  I don't usually tune and retune my banjos a lot, but if I am in "high bass" there are a bucket load of tunes I can play in that tuning.  Also I don't limit my nineteenth century repertoire to just the tunes or versions of the tunes in the tutors.  Neither did the nineteenth century musicians.

Rob Morrison
deuceswilde said:

"Sugar Cane Dance" is from Converse's '86 ABM... not an "early tune."  Bob Flesher was incorrecto in his simplified method.

 

Of course, if it is in "Buckley's Guide, '68" and I am not seeing it, please correct me, but page 95 of the ABM clearly states "original for this work" and that would make our hero FBC a fibber.

 

The piece also makes use of the forth string open in the repeat of the fist line as it modulates from "A" to "E" for the second phrase.  

 

Flesher also leaves out the quadruplets beginning each phrase, an important effect.

[Tim Twiss]

Perhaps not an "early tune" by date, but it sure is written in an early style. Fragmented, pieced together, or written specifically later...who knows? But the style is pure early stroke, as is most of that section of that book.

[Joel Hooks]

Yes, but are the quadruplets of an earlier style?  Do we see these written or described as characteristic stroke style effects before the 1870s?

 

As to Sugar Cane, it does use the forth string "A" played unstopped, at least played as written.  The last note of the sixth measure, it is needed to balance and switch keys cleanly.  I'm not sure why Flesher changed this.

 

Sorry, these forums don't convey tone of voice and true intention.  Sorry for getting off subject too.

 

 

 

Rob Morrison said:

Joel--

I did'nt mean to imply that "Sugar Cane Dance" was an early tune, but it is an example of a tune where the only note played on the bass string must be fretted in "low bass" tuning and can be played open in "high bass tuning," thus making it a bit less clumsy to play.  I don't usually tune and retune my banjos a lot, but if I am in "high bass" there are a bucket load of tunes I can play in that tuning.  Also I don't limit my nineteenth century repertoire to just the tunes or versions of the tunes in the tutors.  Neither did the nineteenth century musicians.

Rob Morrison
deuceswilde said:

"Sugar Cane Dance" is from Converse's '86 ABM... not an "early tune."  Bob Flesher was incorrecto in his simplified method.

 

Of course, if it is in "Buckley's Guide, '68" and I am not seeing it, please correct me, but page 95 of the ABM clearly states "original for this work" and that would make our hero FBC a fibber.

 

The piece also makes use of the forth string open in the repeat of the fist line as it modulates from "A" to "E" for the second phrase.  

 

Flesher also leaves out the quadruplets beginning each phrase, an important effect.

[Tim Twiss]

That figure (four  32nd notes) takes up the space of an eighth note. As sounded, it is similar to the intro of Darkey Fisher (Briggs). You see it a lot in Buckley 1868. It's a natural thing to do (I think) and is likely an earlier technique. It is a small detail in the shadow of the bigger picture anyway.