Anybody out there's good at tunings?
I've been listening to Judy Collins Daddy you've been on my mind for some 40 years now and never been able to figure out how she does it.
Despite watching the nice youtube clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pucWDn6d4sU
over and over again, I still can't figure out much.

To begin with, what tuning is it?
A dropped D on 6th doesn't sound right to me when I try it, tho I still think the 6th is altered.
Open tuning it can't be, since the chord figures seems quite regular.
Then, what opening chord is it? C or G?
Anybody knows (or can figure out) the chords in the interplay?
Anybody knows of any decent tabs of her fingerpicking from any songs from the mid '60s?

Thanks!

I would say, with a fair "confidence-level," that the tune is in standard tuning, capoed on the second-fret, and then played "as if" in C (which would make the "true-pitch" key the Key of D).


At the risk of adding confusion (but hopefully not) looking closely at the video it sometimes looks as if she has a capo on the 3rd-fret (maybe, maybe not). If this is the case then she has originally tuned the guitar a half-step down and then capoed the 3rd-fret. She could have several reasons for doing this (if it's what she did). Capoing makes the "fret-span" of many tunes slightly easier to make, which is why some fingerstylists (especially women) often capo up. The higher you capo also increases the "spread" of the strings (the spaces between strings) which is often a benefit in some fingerstyles. (That's why I prefer a very wide neck for fingerstyle.) As far as tuning down first, and then capoing, tuning down might be better for her vocal-range (and also the slight reduction in string-tension). Just a guess, if she is actually capoed on the 3rd instead of the second fret. Either way would of course sound and play identically.

Anyway, My vote is capoed on the 2nd, and then played "as if" in C. (Or the 3rd, as above). I tried doing it and then playing a brief fingerstyle using similar chord-changes, etc, to the video and it seems to "work."


And welcome to GTU.

Thanks for a quick answer and welcome, dadfad!

I think you're right in most of your assumptions, except the tuning.
I got a suggestion from a youtube user, namely dropped C on the 6th, which sounds very similar to the clip.
It's also consistent with her G chord on the 7th fret (and fits well on the Dm7 in the interplay riff)

As a further non-compelling evidence, in the bob dylan's dream clip from the same session, she's tuning up
the 6th to regular tuning before starting. My amateur guess is that the previous song she just came from
was actually daddy you've been on my mind.

BTW, nice to get an answer on this. Proves to me there's not only teenageers here :-)

/Jonas

I'd considered dropped-C. I didn't catch that G-chord on the video. (I'm getting slow-witted in my old age! ) And like you said about her re-tuning up for the next tune probably confirms that it was dropped-C.


Jonas, there are a few of us old-coots on the site, and some younger guys too, who are into good fingerstyle. This forum (acoustic) waxes and wains as to how busy it is or isn't. Anyway, welcome again to the site. Good to have another fingerstyle player on board.





John