Martin Carthy's tuning to drop D?

[sirwhale]

Hi

I like playing folk music and wouldn't mind learning some Martin Carthy stuff:

But, I'm a lazy bugger for changing the tuning of my guitar a lot. I like Drop D, his tuning is CGCDGA, which tuned up a tone would be DADEAB.

How hard would it be to take his tabs and change them for DADGBE?

I understand that some people may be tempted to tell me to not be lazy and to immerse myself in this alternative tuning, but this isn't my question

[RodB]

I think it would end up both unplayable (given how much his 1st string is tuned down) and would loose the texture of the sound the very thing that makes this so catchy..

I would say the more you play around with alt tunings the easier retuning between them becomes. But why not leave a guitar in this tuning for a while and go for it?

[sirwhale]

The problem is just that, the top string is so low I'd have to restring the guitar just for one song.

That open top string, if I play in Drop D, can be found on the open 2nd string. I'd have to rearrange the other parts down a string each, as the E and A can be found on the second fret of the 4th and 3rd strings.

DADEAB

DADGBE

[JonPR]

Originally Posted by sirwhale

The problem is just that, the top string is so low I'd have to restring the guitar just for one song.

Depending on whether your 5th and 4th strings will take it, you could try E-B-E-F#-B-C#, which preserves his intervals.

[RodB]

Originally Posted by sirwhale

....That open top string, if I play in Drop D, can be found on the open 2nd string. I'd have to rearrange the other parts down a string each, as the E and A can be found on the second fret of the 4th and 3rd strings.....

Maybe... He does seem to skip the 4th string a lot so you might still preserve the sound...worth trying a few bars I would think. I would still drop the 1st a tone just in case its not always muted and rings or gets touched.