# Music by Genre > Bluegrass, Newgrass, Country, Gospel Variants >  John Hartford Music

## Phillip Tigue

Here's some John Hartford chord progressions I have posted on the forum at his website.  I thought I'd share, since I know there are many who have the same type of awe for John's music as I do.  Hope you enjoy, and I hope you can use some of it.

-Phil

http://www.johnhartford.com/forum/to...&fid=6&tid=966

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Bob Visentin

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## F5GRun

Awesome...Thanks Phil!

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## woodwizard

Yes! ... Cool! Thank you  :Smile:

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## Bob Wiegers

nice! I just found a bunch of his recordings and I'm loving it. why did it take so long for me to find out about this?

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## Phillip Tigue

Yeah.  I've learned a lot about chord progressions, musical phrasing, and lyrics by listening to him.

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## F5GRun

Hey Phil do you know the chords for "Holding" ????? I know its in B or somehwere around there but I havent be able to get it right. Thanks

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## Ken

Wonderful!  Thank you.
Ken

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## Phillip Tigue

Now you [E]asked was I [B]holding, [E/G#] I said why [C#m]no I'm not [A]holding 
[E/G#]I [C#m ]thought you were [F#m7]holding [B7]it's [E]true [B7]
So here you're not holding you thought I was holding 
My dear what on earth will we do?

Now you know when I'm holding there's no need to holding 
And a-you know the same about me
And if you run out before I run out 
You know you could get some from me

But if you ain't got none and if I ain't got none
Let's go and find some other head
Find out if they're holding, get down and start rolling
And a-smoke what they're holding instead      



Another...
E B G#m C#m A G#m A F#m B E B 

Different key?
D/A/F#m/Bm/G/F#m/G/Em/A/D/A/D

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## F5GRun

Excellent.  I was so close. Now could you please tab out all those banjo parts????     HAHAHA just kidding.  Thanks for all the info Phil.  Its very much appreciated.

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## Mike Bunting

Any chance that anyone has the changes for "Wish We Had Our Time Again"? TIA

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## Phillip Tigue

Did at one time.  Sold the banjar years ago...

Hey, does anyone know Blake's break on "My Rag," I believe it's from Mark Twang.

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## Mike Bunting

> Did at one time. Sold the banjar years ago...


What's the banjo got to do with it? Changes are changes.  :Wink:

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## Phillip Tigue

I agree Mike...but the operative words being "years ago."  IOW, I'd have to noodle on a banjo for about a week to figure it out.  :Smile:

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## Mike Bunting

Did Hartford play it on the banjo? I have the version on the Mountain Stage CD where it on the fiddle with Compton on mando, and Darrin Vincent on bass. Guess I should get off my butt and figure it out myself!  :Whistling: 
 (lovin' them smileys!)

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## F5GRun

Phil,  I had worked out "Blake's Break" once.  Its wasnt perfect but bascially there.  Ill see if I can dig it up or remember it this weekend. Ill let ya know.

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## Phillip Tigue

> Phil,  I had worked out "Blake's Break" once.  Its wasnt perfect but bascially there.  Ill see if I can dig it up or remember it this weekend. Ill let ya know.


That'd be wonderful, F5GRun!  Thanks!

"Then the minor part's B minor and you go and hit G flat, then you do it once again, just one more time...."

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## F5GRun

Hey Phil what are the chords to "My Rag" again...I cant find them ANYWHERE!  :Laughing:

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## fishdawg40

Thanks Phillip!  I actually stumbled upon these a couple of weeks ago.

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## Phillip Tigue

Yeah, the problem with "My Rag" and memory...I've been picking at it thinking, "Wait, did he say, 'then B flat with a 7th' or was it G flat?"

Sadly, I had about $1000 worth of CDs stolen from my car about 5 years ago, this being among them.  They got Steam Powered Aeroplain also.  They're probably sitting in a pawn shop or a booth at a trade day somewhere in Alabama.  *sigh*

Back in the goodle days...

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## Trey Young

The original recording of My Rag was on Morning Bugle if that helps, as far as the break goes  :Frown:  ???

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## Dan Johnson

just finding my way into Hartford's work too... ran across "Cross-Eyed Child" on youtube with Mike Compton... what a great great song... wow

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f16G6M3xh5Y

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## RBMB

Does anyone know where I can get the lyrics to "My rag" by John Hartford?

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## mandolirius

The cool thing about that tune is when you get the lyrics, you get the chords as well.

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## Ed Goist

What are two or three of the best Hartford albums for those of us looking for an introduction to this important artist?
Thanks in advance.

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## mandolirius

> What are two or three of the best Hartford albums for those of us looking for an introduction to this important artist?
> Thanks in advance.


"Steam-Powered Areoplane" is one that most people seem to think is among his best. Beyond that, there's "Morning Bugle", from which "My Rag" comes. I like that one a lot. "Down On The River" is another favourite. It's a very lush-sounding record with multiple fiddles on a lot of it. I also recommend Rounder SPL1083, called "Vassar Clements-John Hartford-Dave Holland". Some amazing playing that also features Mark Howard on guitar and mandolin.

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## danbui

It's hard to narrow it down to just 2 or 3 albums with John Hartford, because his career covered so much stylistic ground.  Here are some of my favorites from what I recognize are his different periods:

_Love Album/Housing Project_ - His earliest albums for RCA were very 60s's Nashville-sounding country music, and this two-fer is my favorite of this stuff.  Hartford sticks mostly to banjo and guitar and the songs have a very produced sound with drums, electric bass, string overdubs, pianos, organs... The main thing on display with his early albums is his very unique and quirky, sometimes surreal, song-writing style (check out Category Stomp or I Would Not be Here).

_Aereo-Plain_ Definitely his most well-known album, and a fantastic place to start.  Now with Warner Bros, Hartford assembled an incredible band with Norman Blake, Vassar Clements, and Tut Taylor.  As opposed to his RCA stuff, there is a whole lot of great picking on display here, with more "live" sounding production by David Bromberg.  Some say this is where newgrass music started.  Still got some of that John Hartford weirdness in there too...

_Morning Bugle_ Another fabulous album in the style of Aereo-Plain.  Line-up is Hartford, Norman Blake, and jazz bassist Dave Holland playing some of John's more far out tunes.

_Mark Twang_ This is the album that got John Hartford a Grammy.  It's all done live and solo, with Hartford performing banjo, fiddle, guitar, vocals, and foot stomps.  Some great great songs on here, most of them having to do with the life and culture of riding steamboats, but there's also a virtuoso solo fiddle instrumental and a song where he names as many important bluegrass musicians as he can!  This album really showcases John's ability to blend his deep knowledge and love of traditional music with his own modern and sometimes bizarre sense of humor.

_Hamilton Ironworks_ Later in his career, John Hartford created the Hartford String Band (of which Mike Compton was an important member) and focused more on his love of old-time style fiddling.  I haven't heard all that much of the later Hartford String Band stuff, but this album is great.


Edit:  I've been looking for that Hartford, Clements, Holland album for a long time.  Never been able to find it!

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