{"id":146245,"date":"2024-12-27T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-12-27T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/?p=146245"},"modified":"2024-12-20T08:45:00","modified_gmt":"2024-12-20T16:45:00","slug":"learn-buck-currans-slow-stately-dadgad-arrangement-of-black-is-the-colour-of-my-true-loves-hair","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/learn-buck-currans-slow-stately-dadgad-arrangement-of-black-is-the-colour-of-my-true-loves-hair\/","title":{"rendered":"Learn Buck Curran\u2019s Slow, Stately DADGAD Arrangement of \u201cBlack Is the Colour of My True Love\u2019s Hair\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Learn Buck Curran\u2019s DADGAD Interpretation of \u201cBlack is the Colour of My True Love\u2019s Hair\u201d\" width=\"1290\" height=\"726\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/U6OdX3bv4cs?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cBlack Is the Colour of My True Love\u2019s Hair\u201d is a traditional lament with mysterious origins. Believed to have originated in Scotland, as the River Clyde is referenced in the lyrics, the song made its way to America in the late 19th or early 20th century with Scottish and Irish immigrants. In 1916, English folklorist Cecil Sharp collected it from Lizzie Roberts in North Carolina and published it in the<br>book <em><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3P4kFls\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians<\/a><\/em>. John Jacob Niles, a ballad singer and collector, composed the melody widely used today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I first heard \u201cBlack Is the Colour\u201d through singer Jessica Ruby Radcliffe\u2019s version, featuring Martin Simpson on guitar. Radcliffe learned the song from her family, influenced by Burl Ives\u2019 1944 recording. I recorded it with Shanti Deschaine and the band Arborea on our 2011 album, <em><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/4fsQYWa\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Red Planet<\/a><\/em>, and again for my solo album <em><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3BB5A7Z\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">One Evening and Other Folk Songs<\/a> <\/em>(2024), featuring my wife, Adele, inspired by Nina Simone\u2019s 1959 rendition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This solo guitar arrangement closely follows the vocal melody as heard on <em>Red Planet<\/em> and Radcliffe\u2019s version. I recommend committing the melody to memory before working through the transcription. The song is a lament, performed in the style of an Irish slow air, so take it slowly, making every note count to convey the song\u2019s brooding mood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the accompanying video, notice how I pace and sustain many of the notes, using slow, subtle vibrato, as if I were singing. The guitar is tuned to DADGAD with a capo at the fourth fret, causing it to sound in the key of F# minor, though the song can easily be played without the capo. The goal is to highlight the haunting beauty and timeless quality that has allowed this song to endure for generations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"762\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/AG350-BLACK-IS-THE-COLOR-NOTATION-1.png?resize=762%2C1024&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-146249\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/AG350-BLACK-IS-THE-COLOR-NOTATION-1.png?resize=762%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 762w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/AG350-BLACK-IS-THE-COLOR-NOTATION-1.png?resize=372%2C500&amp;ssl=1 372w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/AG350-BLACK-IS-THE-COLOR-NOTATION-1.png?resize=768%2C1033&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/AG350-BLACK-IS-THE-COLOR-NOTATION-1.png?resize=223%2C300&amp;ssl=1 223w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/AG350-BLACK-IS-THE-COLOR-NOTATION-1.png?w=1083&amp;ssl=1 1083w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 762px) 100vw, 762px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"780\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/AG350-BLACK-IS-THE-COLOR-NOTATION-2.png?resize=780%2C1024&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-146250\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/AG350-BLACK-IS-THE-COLOR-NOTATION-2.png?resize=780%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 780w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/AG350-BLACK-IS-THE-COLOR-NOTATION-2.png?resize=381%2C500&amp;ssl=1 381w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/AG350-BLACK-IS-THE-COLOR-NOTATION-2.png?resize=768%2C1008&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/AG350-BLACK-IS-THE-COLOR-NOTATION-2.png?resize=229%2C300&amp;ssl=1 229w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/AG350-BLACK-IS-THE-COLOR-NOTATION-2.png?w=1079&amp;ssl=1 1079w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/store.acousticguitar.com\/products\/no-350-january-february-2025\" name=\"magazine\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"width: 150px; height: 198px; margin: 0px 20px 10px 0px;\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/001_350_Cover-150px.jpg?w=1290&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Acoustic Guitar magazine cover for issue 350\"><\/a>\n<p style=\"font-family: sans-serif; margin: 0px 0px 15px 0px;\">This article originally appeared in the <a href=\"https:\/\/store.acousticguitar.com\/products\/no-350-january-february-2025\">January\/February 2025<\/a> issue of <em>Acoustic Guitar<\/em> magazine.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The song is a lament, performed in the style of an Irish slow air, so take it slowly, making every note count to convey the song\u2019s brooding mood.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":146247,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"The song is a lament, performed in the style of an Irish slow air, so take it slowly, making every note count to convey the song\u2019s brooding mood.","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1658,1151],"tags":[1961],"ppma_author":[1929],"class_list":["post-146245","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-folk","category-instrumentals","tag-january-february-2025"],"blocksy_meta":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Buck-Curran-Sobell-Butterfly-10-May-2024-APPAREL-1-11-photo-David-James-Logan.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1","authors":[{"term_id":1929,"user_id":0,"is_guest":1,"slug":"buck-curran","display_name":"Buck Curran","avatar_url":{"url":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/buck-curran.jpg","url2x":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/buck-curran.jpg"},"user_url":"","last_name":"","first_name":"","job_title":"","description":""}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146245","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=146245"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146245\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":146748,"href":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146245\/revisions\/146748"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/146247"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=146245"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=146245"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=146245"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=146245"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}