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BanjoBelle
Apr-15-2016, 3:56pm
When I've played clawhammer I've used a number of different tunings,such as sawmill tuning,and so forth. Any of you use this in bluegrass? I'm waiting for a book I sent for that deals with this very thing.

DaveM
Apr-17-2016, 12:29pm
When I've played clawhammer I've used a number of different tunings,such as sawmill tuning,and so forth. Any of you use this in bluegrass? I'm waiting for a book I sent for that deals with this very thing.

BanjoBelle,

Alternate tunings are not very common in traditional bluegrass as played by Earl Scruggs, Ralph Stanley, JD Crowe, etc.
I’d estimate that at least 80% of the time traditional bluegrass players play out of open G (gDGBD), 18% or 19% are in dropped-C (gCGBD), or D-tuning (aDF#AD or f#DF#AD), and the remaining 1 or 2% are unusual tunings, such as JD Crowe’s “Bear Tracks” in open-C (gCGCE), Earl’s “Nashville Blues” in D-minor (aDFAD), or G-minor (gDGBbD).

-Dave

Kevin B
Oct-02-2016, 12:50pm
I have used most of the above that Dave mentions and also (gDGCD). Three finger style, resonator bluegrass banjo.

Montana
Oct-03-2016, 10:00am
I try not to use them. Don't want to waste time at jam. Either just lower 5th to F# or raise it to A to play those popular alternate tunes. I do use C tuning though.