RE: [Harp-L] Re: Country Tuning Songs (Willin')

[Richard Hunter <turtlehill@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

"Bradford Trainham" wrote:
<Long Black Veil. (honestly not sure who did the original.) But the Band's
<version (certainly not the original) lays out on a country-tuned harp in
<second position. 

Wikipedia says this about the origins of the song:
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"Long Black Veil" is a 1959 country ballad, written by Danny Dill and Marijohn Wilkin and originally recorded by Lefty Frizzell. It is about a man accused of murder who refuses to provide an alibi because he was having an affair with his best friend's wife at the time, and would rather die than reveal this. Subsequently, he is executed by hanging, taking their secret to the grave. The chorus describes the woman's mourning visits to his gravesite in her long black veil. The song is sung from the point of view of the executed man.

The writers later stated that they drew on three sources for their inspiration: Red Foley's recording of "God Walks These Hills With Me", a contemporary newspaper report about the unsolved murder of a priest, and the legend of a mysterious veiled woman who regularly visited Rudolph Valentino's grave. Dill himself called it an "instant folksong."
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In the world of this song, murder is a lesser crime than betraying your best friend.  And every transgression has a price.  The outcomes are death and broken hearts, both of which are eternal.

It's a scary, beautiful song, a stark message from a place where sorrow is a constant companion and honor means more than life.  

Never tried it on a country-tuned harp, but why not?  

Regards, Richard Hunter




author, "Jazz Harp"
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