How To Play "Down In The Valley To Pray"

An instructional video on how to play the traditional gospel tune "Down In The Valley To Pray" in DADF#AD tuning. This contains a 4-bar phrase which is missing from my performance version posted some months ago!

Tab is available from my website:

http://www.mjra.net/WillFly/

If you like DIY music and good companionship, why not take a look at the "Front Porch" discussion board. You can find it at:

http://frontporch.phpbb3now.com

Our only rule is: Respect each other.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Will
• Fly
• instructional
• teaching
• acoustic
• open
• tuning
• fingerstyle
• guitar
• gospel
• folk

[tobyisatramp]

i dont get the diagram? one chord is not even on the fret board it on the head where the 0 fret would be. why?

[HenfieldWill]

When the red circles are on the guitar nut - this means that you play those strings as open, unfretted strings. :-)

[xvirg]

Doc Watson sings it Down in the Valley to Pray, so it don't really matter so long as you go somewhere to pray, eh?

[HenfieldWill]

Indeed he does - and it's Doc's version that I based my arrangement on! :-)

[10dtrupe]

No you have it wrong.. Its down in the RIVER to pray.. and theres another song called Down IN THE VALLEY. TWO SEPARATE SONGS

[HenfieldWill]

Ah well... too late now! :-) It's the tune that matters in the end...

[abaclast1000]

i really enjoyed your tutorial but every chord i played didnt sound right so im not to sure ive tuned it right but really good lesson :)

[classicvinylbiz]

Johnny Cash: Down in the Valley

watch?v=GJorUGP3TOM

thanks and regards

[4u250ut]

you have a voice for Narrator ..contact car company I bet they would love to have your voice in the comercail.

[thallassocracy]

Good to hear someone using an open tuning to foreground the lower guitar strings this way. A guitar will give a magically rich but open sound with the right kind of usage. Doc Watson, Gary Davis and Furry Lewis all knew this - obviously you do too.

[Barefootlarry]

"Doc Watson sings it Down in the Valley to Pray, so it don't really matter so long as you go somewhere to pray, eh? " The song IS "Down In The Valley To Pray", which makes a lot more sense than wading out into a river. The lyric was changed for use in the movie "Oh Brother Where Art Thou".

They aren't two separate songs, just one song adapted to a movie or not.

[xvirg]

(I Went) Down to the River to Pray is the song title I believe..... some of the verses are 'down in the river to pray'. Pretty song either way. I'm going there now.