[f#BEAD tuning; aka Cumberland Gap tuning]
So it’s been a loooonnnnnnnngggg time since I posted anything up here. My apologies. Grown-up responsibilities have really been getting in the way of my fun lately. C’est lavie.
Now that that’s out of the way…
This post is based upon an interesting version of Cumberland Gap as played by the late Stella Kimble of Carroll County, Virginia. Mrs. Kimble , along with her husband Taylor (whom she married when they were in their 60’s) and their children, played music well into old age. They made two tapes for the now defunct Marimac Recordings label that are full of great music. They can also be heard on a CD pressed in 2006 by the Field Recorders’ Collective (FRC106). I highly recommend it.
Check the .mp3 and .pdf sections of this site for my interpretation. Enjoy!
Thumb-Lead Banjer 
FYI: In 1972, I saw Tommy Jarrell use this tuning for “Frankie Baker” (Frankie and Johnny). Does anyone know of a recording of this by him?