Blackest Crow

[SteveW]

I'm learning "Blackest Crow" as performed on the Songs from the Mountain album featuring Tim O'Brian. I think the opening chord is a D, but I'm not sure. The way I'm playing it, it's basically a D, G, Em progression. Does that sound about right?

Steve

[Jon Hall]

Steve,

That's how I hear it. It's in the key of Em. The leading note is in the Em chord before changing to D. (Em)As (D)time draws near..

Em-D-G-Em-D-G-Em
G-Em-D-Em-D-G-Em-D-Em

What a great song. One of the best I've learned this year.

[SteveW]

Jon,

Ah, that's it -- I wasn't getting that Em in just before the D and so the D sounded wrong somehow as the measure started.

It is indeed a gorgeous song -- I think one of the most beautiful love songs ever. I can't wait to get it down pat. Thanks so much for your help.

Steve

[Paul Kotapish]

There are many settings of this song, and although Tim O'Brien's might be the most easily accessible, it's worth listening to some other rendititions.

If you listen to fiddler Tommy Jarrell's version--the inspiration for Bruce Molsky's and Tim O'Brien's versions--the song is more clearly rooted in the relative major. Tim's version plays up the relative minor aspect, but I think that the home tone is still the relative major--even though it never starts or ends on the tonic. A lot of version emphasize a four chord in there, too. Here's a pretty typical pattern in the key of G, with a chord for each measure of 3/4:

D C G G G G Em
D C G G G G Em
G G G G C C Em
D C G G G G Em

A lot of fiddlers I know play this in song in A (or F#m) in cross (open) tuning.

[Jon Hall]

Paul

That's an interesting chord progression. I'm going to play around with it.

Jon

[withak]

Here's the chord progression I use. I haven't listened to the song in a while so it may have evolved from how I originally heard it. One chord symbol per bar.

D D C G G G Em C
D D C G G G Em C
D D G G C D G G
D D C G G G Em C