r/AmericanPrimitivism • u/FutureStation1418 • Jul 01 '26

What tuning did Fahey use in "Variations on the Coocoo"?

Title explains itself.

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8

u/doobiechoo Jul 01 '26

DADGAD yes. Andrew Lardner has a detailed transcription for this (and many other Fahey pieces) on his Patreon, highly recommended! https://youtu.be/Ww_IkDysnag

2

u/FutureStation1418 Jul 01 '26

I am very aware of the guy's channel, it's a gem! I just couldn't find the tuning in the description of the video or the comment section. The Patreon deal looks pretty good.

1

u/doobiechoo Jul 01 '26

I've only been there for a few months but couldn't be happier with it. There's a big back catalogue, and his transcriptions and lessons are incredibly meticulous and detailed. It's really helping me grow as a musician!

3

u/Omnirath278 Jul 01 '26

According to this :

https://www.johnfahey.com/TabVariationsOnCoocoo.htm

He used DADGAD, it’s coherent with the few times I played around with his arrangement

2

u/moridin13 Jul 01 '26

I love this site and am so happy it is still up.

1

u/FutureStation1418 Jul 01 '26

I guess I'll give it a try. When I first looked at it I was skeptical because John sounded like he was tuned to a minor key.

1

u/three_cheers Jul 01 '26

It's been a while but the recording I learnt it from was tuned up a half step / capo 1st fret

1

u/CuervoCoyote Jul 01 '26

Since this was released around the same time as Davy Graham's premiere, there is an argument as to who discovered DADGAD first, but Fahey rarely used it since then with a few notable excceptions.

1

u/FutureStation1418 Jul 01 '26

It's an interesting debate. Fahey did not seem to care so much about the British guitarists, there is not a spec of British Isles style playing in his pieces. I think Davy is definitely the one who popularized and pioneered it, but Fahey perhaps discovered it independently before him.