March 2008 Song of the Month

Clinch Mountain Backstep
This is a classic Ralph Stanley banjo tune played in the key of A. It is a modal song that only involves the I and V chords.

The A part is repeated twice and the B part is repeated twice.

Watch out, this song has an extra count on the V chord in the B part! (You will notice the funky extra E in the chords below). As you learn to keep track of this change, count it out, you should have 7 counts on the I chord, and then the V chord comes on the 8th and (strangely enough) 9th count.

Chords:
A Part:
A / A / A / E / A / A / A E / A //
B Part:
A / A / A / A E E / A / A / A E / A //

Videos:
Guitar rhythm
Guitar lead
Ralph Stanly
Banjo Lead

Audio:
Here is a version where the funky V chord in the B part is accentuated with stop time so it is easy to hear (this is the way it is often done in jams as well).