Black Mountain Rag: Mandolin Tab

Mandolin tab and sheet music with synced audio · Leslie Keith · Key of A · 120 BPM · 4/4 time · Bluegrass · Intermediate

Also known as Black Mountain Blues.

Chords used in this arrangement: A, E, D.

I had fun tabbing this one out and really enjoy this tune.

The name you know is not the one Leslie Keith gave it. Keith originally called the tune "Black Mountain Blues". It was fiddler Curly Fox who renamed it "Black Mountain Rag" on his 1947 King Records release, which eventually sold over 600,000 copies. The tune itself was stitched together by Keith in the early 1940s from pieces of the Stripling Brothers' recording of "The Lost Child" and, by his own admission, "a little of two or three of the Carter Family's tunes." Keith never recorded it himself; it spread entirely through radio broadcasts and word of mouth, other fiddlers picking it up by ear before a single commercial pressing existed. As for which Black Mountain the title points to, several have been proposed — including Mount Mitchell in North Carolina, one of the tallest peaks east of the Mississippi, whose summit balsams give it a dark appearance that earned it the name.

Musically, the tune is built in a three-part AA'BB'CC' form, not the simple AABB loop you find in most bluegrass standards. Each section is a close variant of the one before it, which means you're constantly navigating subtle melodic twists on familiar terrain. In A major the tune sits high and bright, with a rolling, sequential melodic figure in the A-part that gives it its characteristic forward momentum. The C-part in particular tends to climb toward the upper register, which is where showboating fiddlers have historically let loose — it was long considered a "trick" tune in the Texas contest tradition, a vehicle for showcasing speed and flash.

Mandolin-specific tips for playing it in A:

- Lock in the triplet drive of the A-part with tight down-up-down pick strokes. The repeating scalar run that opens the tune lives almost entirely on the E and A strings; keep your pick close to the strings and resist the urge to oversweep. Clarity matters more than volume at 120 BPM. - Use open strings as pivot notes wherever the melody allows. In A, the open E string rings naturally against many of the chord tones, and leaning into those open notes adds sustain and a fiddle-like resonance that smooths out position shifts between the parts. - Give the C-part its own dynamic lift. Since it's the climactic third section, try starting it slightly louder or brighter, a small but deliberate bump in attack. This gives listeners (and jam partners) the feel that the tune building rather than cycling on repeat.

This page includes mandolin tablature, standard music notation, and a chord chart, printable as PDF and playable in sync with the original recording. Change the key, slow the tempo down, and loop the bars you want to practise. Download the Black Mountain Rag PDF.

Black Mountain Rag: questions and answers

What key is Black Mountain Rag in?

Black Mountain Rag is in A major. The transpose control on this page moves the tab, notation and chords to any other key.

What chords are used in Black Mountain Rag?

The chords in this arrangement are A, E, D. The chord chart on this page shows each shape and highlights the current chord as the tune plays.

How fast is Black Mountain Rag played?

This recording is at 120 BPM in 4/4 time. Use the speed control to slow it down without changing the pitch, then work back up to full tempo.

Is Black Mountain Rag a good tune for beginners?

Black Mountain Rag is rated intermediate, so it is best approached after a few beginner tunes are comfortable.

Can I download Black Mountain Rag as sheet music?

Yes. A printable PDF with the mandolin tab and standard notation is free at /tab/black-mountain-rag.pdf, and there is a download button on this page.

Is Black Mountain Rag known by any other names?

Yes. It is also called Black Mountain Blues. The same melody often travels under several titles in different regions and collections.