Chord Req: Dark as a Dungeon (Merle Travis)

Subject: Chord Req: Travis' Dark as a Dungeon
From: Ebbie
Date: 15 Feb 07 - 01:23 PM

Somewhere I once found the chords that Merle Travis purportedly used for the song. I didn't save them but I remember they were intricate and difficult.

Since then I have heard people perform the song live and they use simple chords with perhaps just one minor.

Do YOU know the chords that Travis used?

Thanks.

Subject: RE: Chord Req: Travis' Dark as a Dungeon
From: Jim Krause
Date: 16 Feb 07 - 12:17 AM

Ebbie,
       Near as I can figure out, Merle Travis just uses the standard first position chords on the first "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" album. And if memory serves me, I think he played it in A.

Jim

Subject: RE: Chord Req: Travis' Dark as a Dungeon
From: Ebbie
Date: 16 Feb 07 - 02:50 AM

Hey, Jim, welcome back! I've often wondered about you.

Thanks for the chord info. It could be that the chords I saw were someone else's ideas. As I said, I don't remember where I saw them but it was on the internet.

Subject: RE: Chord Req: Travis' Dark as a Dungeon
From: Roger in Baltimore
Date: 16 Feb 07 - 08:13 AM

Ebbie,

I agree with Jim. I never heard Travis do the song. However, whenever I have seen the chords reported they are usually in the key of A and fairly simple. I'm only guessing, but I suspect Travis may have used Travis picking on the song. If so, he added grace notes to pick up the melody. Sometimes people indicate a new chord for each grace note. Then it can look real complicated. Perhaps that is what you saw.

Roger

Subject: RE: Chord Req: Travis' Dark as a Dungeon
From: GUEST,Bill
Date: 17 Mar 09 - 03:44 AM

A E7 D
Come all..
A D A
And seek not...
A E7 D
For it forms like...
A D A
Till the stream of your blood...
E7 A
For its dark as...
E7 A
Where the dangers are...
A A7 E7 D
Where the rain never...
A D A
Its dark as a dungeon...

From Lomax "Folk Songs of North America"

I use the A7 in some of the other verses as well