Black mountain rag

[John Ritchhart]

I'm looking at Black Mountain Rag and all my mando references have it the key of A. On You Tube, Doc Watson is playing it in D. What do you normally see it played in in Jams?

[evanreilly]

I have been in jams where this tune gets played in every key, deliberately. A while back, at the Town Pump, in Black Mountain, NC, lots of times the evening would start with this tune and go around changing keys every couple of breaks. I guess it was a Black Mountain kind of thing.
I like it in C or A.

[Jim Broyles]

I like it in G with the cross tuning used by Ronnie McCoury on the version he did with Doc Watson and by Frank Wakefield on a YouTube video he did in his kitchen (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5R_4RACtfJw) - GG DD GG BD.

[evanreilly]

Yep, cross-tuned! Lots of fiddlers will only play it cross-tuned.

[tattiemando]

An awesome tune indeed

[Gary S]

I have always heard it played in A. There is a special tuning on fiddle I have refered to as Black Mt Rag tuning. Since the invention of the capo any key has become fair game.

[swampstomper]

The original is Leslie Keith's, cross-tuned on the fiddle in A. Doc worked it out in C fingering on the guitar and capoed it up to D, and stunned a generation of folkies with his first Vanguard album "Doc Watson". That's the same key as Don Reno chose for (non-capoed!!) "Green Mountain Hop" which AFAIK was recorded before Doc's version. I guess for Don the change of key justified a change in name and songwriter credits. It's a great banjo piece with his arrangement. Bill Keith later reprised it on his "Something Auld, Something New" with Grisman playing the mando part.

[Tom C]

I always play it in "A". But we will switch to key of "D" in the middle of tune once in a while (if we feel like it).

Bb

[AlanN]

Why Bb?

[Jim Broyles]

Why Bb?
You know, I just tried it in Bb. It really lays kind of nice in that key, although my humble opinion is that Two Hats was making a typically (for him) contrarian post. TH, I apologize profusely if you were being serious.

[AlanN]

Yeah, Bb lays out real nice on the fretboard, always has, always will.

My question was to get at why, in his words, TH suggested that key. Maybe we'll never know.

[Jim Garber]

I have always heard it played in A. There is a special tuning on fiddle I have refered to as Black Mt Rag tuning. Since the invention of the capo any key has become fair game.
AEAC#!! (low to high)

[Steve G]

Norman and Nancy Blake do it in 'Bb' on an older album and it sounds great. I like it best in 'A' on both mando and guitar. However, in the band we do it in 'D' at the guitar player's request.