Midnight on the Water / Bonaparte's Retreat

Tuned to drop-d or "dead man's tuning" (DDAD) on a Steve Owsley Smith mandolin.

Thanks for watching. My CDs can be found here:
http://www.mandolinarchive.com/dan/torch_and_fire.html

Category:

Music

Tags:

• mandolin
• beimborn
• old-timey
• alternate
• tuning
• ddad

[OysterLava]

I don't see how you get the pick to stick to your finger everytime you lift your thumb.

[DanBeimborn]

@OysterLava

Mostly just gravity is holding it in place. I try to relax my grip, the larger picks (three usable points, rounded triangle shape) will pretty much stay in place unless you tilt your hand a lot. I do drop them occasionally too!

[chris6729]

Hi,

Could you give us a clue on the séries of chords you use in this tune?

[DanBeimborn]

@chris6729 : The tunes both fall on open D chords (ds and as) as drone notes. I'm tuned to DDAD on the mandolin, and am hitting mostly open strings or thirds (F#) as I go

[mizjessie44]

My word!!! You aren't using a pick? That was just great...I never heard of tuning mandolin to anything other than what it was in when my friend gave me one.

[DanBeimborn]

I'm using a pick. I have a loose grip is all

[contravert]

It is indeed Bonaparte's Retreat. This is what happens when a Scottish piping tune is transplanted to the (formerly) isolated coves of Appalachia. Copeland took his Hoedown theme, almost verbatim, from a 1937 Alan Lomax recording of Lakeville, Kentucky fiddler Bill Stepp which you can listen to here: 1yeQucos9-M&feature=fvw

[elfgran1]

Fabulous. You take me to another place listening to it.

[bluenote1960]

Nice playing

[WussGawd]

What an amazingly talented musician. Amazing playing, Mr. Beimborn.

[nateanders0n]

Just fantastic.

[cwarrider]

Beautifully done sir!

[reillyevan]

Excellent job there!!

[thatstrueyousay]

yowzer

[Fuiltua]

Woot! Love it!