# Music by Genre > Old-Time, Roots, Early Country, Cajun, Tex-Mex >  Songs/tunes in Dm

## Bill Findley

I'm looking for a few songs/tunes in Dm, like "Red Rocking Chair." Love that sound. Now that I think about it, songs/tunes in other minor keys would also be appreciated.

Thanks,

Bill

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## Perry

Red Rocking Chair is not a minor tune key. It's modal.

Little Sadie is often played in Dm so is Shady Grove.

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## Bill Findley

Thanks, Perry. Trying to understand this. So Red Rocking Chair is in D, but it's built on Dm minor scale. I could play D Major chord in the first measure, but Dm chord sounds so much better. And I guess I play C Major in the second measure, which is the minor 7th which conforms to the Dm scale. Sounds great! Is that right? But in measure 7 the Dm doesnt' sound good; D Major is better. So, some of this must be whatever sounds best to you, is that right. Sorry to be so obtuse, and dont' want to bother you with much of this stuff. Rather than learning by the book, I like to play my way into this stuff if possible. I'm taking lessons from Mike Marshall at Artistworks, and he goes through this a bit, so I can find my way with his lessons. Thanks for your response! -- Bill

Bill

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## Denny Gies

Check out "The Coal Tatoo", chords are dm,f and c.  It's a fun tune to play and sing.

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Bill Findley

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## Charles E.

Raleigh and Spencer, great tune.

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Bill Findley

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## Charles E.

Here is a sample from my home boy Joe Newberry, along Mike and Ray.....

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Bill Findley

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## onassis

> Here is a sample from my home boy Joe Newberry, along Mike and Ray.....


Though, again, not in Dm, but rather D modal.

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## onassis

Lonesome Fiddle Blues
Big Timber
Lonesome Moonlight Waltz
Dawg's Breath (Skaggs tune)
Elzic's Farewell
Julia Delaney

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Bill Findley

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## Tom C

Perry,
   Pete(friend of ours) plays Red Rockin' Chair with Bm and D chords. Or the tune is actually in D and just not a minor tune?

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Bill Findley

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## AlanN

Songs in minor keys

Vamp In The Middle
Travellin' Kind
You Don't Miss Your Water
Muddy Water

Tunes in minor keys

Bluegrass Minor - Sizemore 
Edsel's Tailpipe - Gaudreau
Old Grey Coat, Manzanita - T. Rice
Waiting on Vassar - Dawg
Gilderoy - trad.

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Bill Findley

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## Ky Slim

Manzanita is a great Dm tune.

People play Red Rocking Chair different ways.  

This one is minor:




This one is major:

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Bill Findley

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## jefflester

Obligatory Spinal Tap reference:

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## CarlM

My favorite Red Rocking Chair is Jack Lawrence's version he does solo.  Quite a bit different from what Doc would do when they played together.  I believe it is C# minor capoed fourth fret if I recall properly.  

Has anyone mentioned Wayfaring Stranger.  Normally A minor but it lays out in D minor just fine.

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## Jim Broyles

> Thanks, Perry. Trying to understand this. So Red Rocking Chair is in D, but it's built on Dm minor scale. I could play D Major chord in the first measure, but Dm chord sounds so much better. And I guess I play C Major in the second measure, which is the minor 7th which conforms to the Dm scale. Sounds great! Is that right? But in measure 7 the Dm doesnt' sound good; D Major is better. So, some of this must be whatever sounds best to you, is that right. Sorry to be so obtuse, and dont' want to bother you with much of this stuff. Rather than learning by the book, I like to play my way into this stuff if possible. I'm taking lessons from Mike Marshall at Artistworks, and he goes through this a bit, so I can find my way with his lessons. Thanks for your response! -- Bill
> 
> Bill


Try using D and Bm. If you use Dm, go to F.

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## JeffD

Julia Delaney is a favorite. D modal or Dm I am not sure. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyTbK9_zdcQ

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## foldedpath

> Julia Delaney is a favorite. D modal or Dm I am not sure.


It's in D dorian in the usual (Irish) settings. Cool tune, very common in sessions.

I was in a former band where we used to play "Man of Constant Sorrow" in a slow D minor version. It had a spooky sound, a little closer to the theme of the lyrics than the usual upbeat Ralph Stanley/Soggy Bottom Boys major key setting.

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## Stompbox

> Check out "The Coal Tatoo", chords are dm,f and c.  It's a fun tune to play and sing.


The song Warren a Haynes did?  Cool!

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## DavidKOS

I know the OP was asking about BG tunes...but if you play Klezmer on mandolin, you'll learn a LOT of Dm tunes.

At the 1985 Klez Kamp, the saying was "Dm isn't just another key, it's a way of life."



Typical Dm tune

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## Warren H

Buck White's tune "Broken Dreams" is a lovely Dm piece. There's mandolin tune on Bob Black's "Ladies on the Steamboat" album written by John Purk called "Flight to D.C." that's in Dm as well. Both are very nice tunes and not too difficult to play.

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Bill Findley

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## ralph johansson

> I'm looking for a few songs/tunes in Dm, like "Red Rocking Chair." Love that sound. Now that I think about it, songs/tunes in other minor keys would also be appreciated.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Bill



A song is in whatever key you choose to sing it in. I believe there are several different melodies for this one; the one I recall basically oscillates between a major chord and the relative minor.

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Bill Findley

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## ralph johansson

> I know the OP was asking about BG tunes...but if you play Klezmer on mandolin, you'll learn a LOT of Dm tunes.
> 
> At the 1985 Klez Kamp, the saying was "Dm isn't just another key, it's a way of life."
> 
> 
> 
> Typical Dm tune


Looks like it's largely using the fourth degree of the a harmonic minor scale (with the exception of that g minor chord).  Perhaps one could use a little more exotic chords, extracted from the scale?

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## ralph johansson

> Lonesome Fiddle Blues
> Big Timber
> Lonesome Moonlight Waltz
> Dawg's Breath (Skaggs tune)
> Elzic's Farewell
> Julia Delaney



If you are to give the Moonlight Waltz as being in one single key, it would have to be F major, because that's how it ends. There's a strong suggestion of d minor in the first 8 bars, not so much because of the d minor chords, but because of the A7 in the middle. But there never is full d minor ending.

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Bill Findley, 

Mark Wilson

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## CarlM

Has anyone mentioned Little Sadie?  Rosa Lee McFall is another song that the Monroe Brothers did in Dm.  Doc and Tony Rice play Shady Grove in Dm.  I think it is that way on the Pizza Tapes also with Grisman and Rice.

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Bill Findley

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## Mark Wilson

I like cruzin timber in Dm.

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Bill Findley

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## Bill Findley

Wow, I haven't heard of many of these tunes. Thanks, my work's cut out.

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## Daniel Nestlerode

I love Dm as well!

'Ain't No Grave' is a great one. This is a nice version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YU9BObi1GVw
'The Wayfaring Stranger' is usually done in Am, but it's a very easy transposition to Dm on the mandolin.
'C'est Noyé' by Victoria Vox.  She's a uke player, but the song works well on mandolin. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkVQHBbzZ8E
I've also arranged 'Going to the West' in Dm.  It's usually played in Dmaj or G.

Enjoy!
Daniel

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## Stevo75

If you're willing to go slightly outside trad bluegrass:

Minor Swing (Grisman's version is in Dm, the traditional gypsy jazz version is Am)
Dark Eyes (also a gypsy swing tune)
Opus 38 (Grisman)
Shady Grove

A couple good Em tunes:

Swallowtail Jig
EMD (Grisman)

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## David L

Play in a Tango band, you'll play in Dm all night long.

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## AlanN

> I like cruzin timber in Dm.


Now yer talkin...

also Dawg's Rag. Messing with that this AM a bit. Great number.

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## Mark Miller

> Minor Swing (Grisman's version is in Dm, the traditional gypsy jazz version is Am)


What a great tune to jam to.  As long as nobody is home to wonder wtf that noise is.

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## fatt-dad

Horgalaten is a Swedish tune and I think it's in Dm?
I also think, "Home With the Girls in the Morning" is in Dm.
I know there's a Bach Invention in Dm - just can't recall which one. They are fun to learn, especially if you have a guitar to learn the left hand part!
I'll think of others. . .

I also found some homework on this thread!

f-d

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