I'll Fly Away - Video ------>>

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 17 Apr 2014 2:41 pm

A Major tuning. Same intervals as â€œG dobroâ€, a whole step higher. I think this tuning was called "A High bass" back in the early days of Hawaiian steel guitar. Lots of hammer-on and pull-offs in this one.

Thanks for listening.

CLICK on the PICTURE to watch the Video!

Allen Hutchison · Post by **Allen Hutchison** » 17 Apr 2014 3:16 pm

Great stuff Doug

Is this in the new book?
Any news on that BTW???
Cheers, Allen.

C. E. Jackson · Post by **C. E. Jackson** » 17 Apr 2014 3:37 pm

Very nice Doug, as usual. I have an old Sears Home Study Course for Hawaiian Guitar, copyright 1938, by Nick Manoloff. The course covers playing on 6 string flat top acoustic steel guitar. The tuning was: E C# A E C# A (H-L). Nick called the tuning Octave, High Bass, Orchestra, or DOUBLE A MAJOR CHORD TUNING in the course.

C. E.

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 17 Apr 2014 3:50 pm

Thanks, Allen and C.E., this won't be in the new book, and yes, I have to get back to work on that!

The tuning was: E C# A E C# A (H-L)

Yes, that's the tuning I'm using here.

Jerry Berger · Post by **Jerry Berger** » 17 Apr 2014 5:40 pm

Wow Doug, that is some fancy steel pick'en! It gives me a lot of motivation to play once my Sierra lap steel arrives next week.
JB

Len Amaral · Post by **Len Amaral** » 17 Apr 2014 7:26 pm

Nice tune and technique Doug. That guitar has a nice tone. The Gibson EH-150 was sold to someone else when I asked to have the ohms on the pickup measured. That tells me something was not right.

Lenny

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 17 Apr 2014 7:36 pm

Thanks Jerry, enjoy your Sierra!

Len, thanks for checking in! I'm glad you like the video. I think you made the right call on that Gibson lap steel.

Deirdre Higgins · Post by **Deirdre Higgins** » 17 Apr 2014 7:58 pm

Beautiful Doug just Beautiful!

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 17 Apr 2014 8:05 pm

Thanks Deirdre!

Jim Williams · Post by **Jim Williams** » 17 Apr 2014 8:34 pm

Great playing as usual Doug, and I love that old Gibson.

Bosse Engzell · Post by **Bosse Engzell** » 17 Apr 2014 11:47 pm

WOW, nice start on a new day. Is this the tune writing of a person that have a famous son that was playing steel.

Bosse in Sweden

Mike Neer · Post by **Mike Neer** » 18 Apr 2014 4:13 am

Smooth and clean.

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 18 Apr 2014 7:24 am

Thanks guys. Bosse, it's an old Gospel song, written in 1929. It's become a bluegrass standard.

Bosse Engzell · Post by **Bosse Engzell** » 18 Apr 2014 7:37 am

Doug, I know the song, writing by Albert E. B. Maybe the name of the son T B. Know for playing a ZB Custom?

Bosse in Sweden

Mike Neer · Post by **Mike Neer** » 18 Apr 2014 7:47 am

Yes, Albert E. Brumley.

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 18 Apr 2014 8:07 am

Wow, I didn't know that! Tom Brumley was the son of Albert E. Brumley.

Sonny Jenkins · Post by **Sonny Jenkins** » 18 Apr 2014 8:16 am

Grrrreat Doug,,,,,just Great!!!!!

Ron Bednar · Post by **Ron Bednar** » 18 Apr 2014 9:47 am

Me and Mary put you on full screen with replay and watched four times in a row.
We were both in awe...really enjoyed it!

Steve Branscom · Post by **Steve Branscom** » 18 Apr 2014 11:00 am

Simple yet elegant. Listened to it a couple of times and enjoyed it immensely. Thanks for posting your rendition.

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 18 Apr 2014 12:17 pm

Thanks for the kind replies. I'm thinking "dobro" when I play this song... open strings, unison notes, hammer-ons. The tuning is perfect for this style. I tuned my C6 down to A Major. String 6, low A, is kinda floppy, but it does work. Thanks again for listening.

Jack Hanson · Post by **Jack Hanson** » 18 Apr 2014 5:33 pm

That's great, Doug. Wish I could make my Century 6 sound like that. Do you use your regular C6 string gauges and drop the bottom three strings without changing them?

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 18 Apr 2014 5:54 pm

Jack, yes, I re-tuned my C6 strings. I didn't change any strings.

[tab]C6 A Major

E E
C ----> C#
A A
G ----> E
E ----> C#
C ----> A
[/tab]

Strings 4, 5, and 6 go down three half steps each, which is quite a bit, and they are kind of floppy. If I played this tuning all the time I would change the strings, but for one song, I can live with floppy strings.

Steve Hogge · Post by **Steve Hogge** » 18 Apr 2014 6:15 pm

Sounds wonderful.

Steve Green · Post by **Steve Green** » 19 Apr 2014 4:06 am

Doug Beaumier wrote:Wow, I didn't know that! Tom Brumley was the son of Albert E. Brumley.

Albert E. Brumley wrote hundreds, if not thousands of Gospel songs.

Todd Brumley (Tom's son) put out a cd a few years ago called "A Family Heritage", where he sang songs that his grand-father Albert E. Brumley had written, and had his dad, Tom playing steel on them.

http://www.tower.com/a-family-heritage- ... /117152653

Rob Munn · Post by **Rob Munn** » 19 Apr 2014 6:50 am

Well done Doug!

Beautiful chording and great picking! Shows that both styles can be used on the same song (in deference to the great discussion on C6th and other tunings) One of my Pa's favorite tunes. Before he passed away, he left us a cd of him singing a number of these classic tunes, and he nailed "Ill Fly Away" with his voice. He did others, "PS I love you", "I'd be lost without you" "A Satisfied Mind". He pulled out some folk/bluegrass standards as well, like "Whiskey in the Jar". Would these songs be adaptable to a High G dobro tuning?
Hey Doug, are you going to put out an instrumental cd with other similar tunes?
Nice playing.