Chords for Clinch Mountain Backstep (Ralph’s lick in the A part explained)

_ _ Hey everybody, I decided to try to make this video to try to help out anybody that's trying to learn Clinch Mountain Backstep
The way Ralph Stanley played it or as close, you know as possible _
Because it is unique and it is tricky to grasp a hold of especially if you're not familiar with anything
You know if you're not really familiar with Ralph Stanley type techniques
But I've had a lot of people that really like this song and really wanted to figure out this one little tricky part
_ That is essentially Ralph style and it really makes it his turn
you know on it he has makes it puts his spin on it and
_ It's just it's a hard thing to kind of grasp if you're not familiar with it
I know I struggled with it for a long time trying to figure out had different things
I come up with trying to figure out what Ralph did when I figured out what Ralph did I was like man
That's what he's doing.
That's it.
But when you when you get it, it's like that's it, you know
you're not I can't believe that was it, you know, but
Anyway, I'm gonna try to break this down
Hopefully this will help somebody but a lot of people that try to play Clinch Mountain this is focusing mostly on the A part
_ _ Because a lot of people do you know kind of different stuff with this song
But a lot of times the A part is where you get the most questions at how did Ralph do this?
So I'm gonna try to explain this as best I can
But anyway, most people that I have heard to play this song could come, you know, primarily from a Scruggs background
It's not very familiar with Ralph techniques they will for lack of a better term and this is not meant derogatory in any way
Whatsoever, but just for lack of a better term to describe this to explain the difference in it.
I would say that they chop
The the A part out and what I mean with that is they would play it like [A] this _
_ _ _ So they're punctuating it different I guess is a better explanation
_ But _ _ [D] _ [A] _
_ _ _ _ they're also putting a backward roll in it
Which is something Ralph didn't [N] do and that backward roll comes in this [Bb] part
_ [C] _ [A] _ _ See that right hand going backwards after that pinch.
[D] _ [Am] _ _ _ [A] _
_ [Am] They're noting
_ They're _ _ noting that note [N] with their right hand Ralph didn't do that Ralph noted that note with this hand and his roll stayed forward _
This is where it gets a little tricky
[A] _ so as you start off
_ This roll as Ralph did it [C] it's a pinch
_ _ _ But it's a pull off right after that right here, _ [A] _ so it's a pinch _ _ but then it goes to a forward roll
_ [D] _ _
_ [Am] _ _ _ [D] There's where that note comes in [Am] on the left hand.
_ _ _ _ So after that pinch
_ _ _ [A] _ _ _ _ _
_ _ Show my pinky in there and noting it.
So after that pinch _ _ _ _ _ _
The forward roll on the right hand after the pinch it goes _ _
[Bb] thumb on the fifth
index [D] on the second _
_ [Am] pinky on the third string right there then your middle finger on the first _ _ _
So it goes _ _ _ _ _ _
Right hand, we'll try to show it a little closer _ _ _
_ _ _ _ [A] left hand _ _
_ _ [Am] _ _ and you know, you note your second string
Here too as you pinch it is
But _ _ _ _ _ _ you can hear that hammer on _ _ _
It's being noted with this finger
[Em] _ _ [N]
Right here and it's kind of for lack of better term
We're gonna call it a ghost note because it's not it's not noted with this hand
It's noted with the left hand and a lot of times I think Ralph Stanley played a lot with his left hand
More than he really would with his right hand in certain circumstances to get whatever note
He was wanting to get across and this is definitely one of those times where he did [A] that
It's kind of his trademark on it.
But uh
Just taking it from the top again as you guys you start off
_ _ that part, you know, that's how you start but then you get to the pinch _ _ _ and
Like I said putting some people to pick it this way
They note that too.
[Em] That's also picked with [A] this _ _ that that pull off is your
Instead of hitting it with this hand. _
It's a pinch
So _ _ _ _ instead of going _ you're going _ _ and then you go back to the four roll
_ [D] _
[Am] _ _ [A] _ And the timing on it is after you do your pinch _ and your pull off _ _
It goes first string
[D] second _ then after that second
_ _ _ _ here that
you noting second string up here and
_ [Am] You _ don't pick
_ That note with this hand after that second [D] string gets hit
So [Am] it goes so _ _ _
_ _ _ [A] _ _ _ all in all you got your pinch
_ _ first
_ _ [D] Second on the first fret then your ghost note hammer [C] on _ then your [Am] third
Finger on your right hand on the first string
Back up to the fifth and then you [Bm] end with index on the open
[A] _
third
So real slow if I can try to get it all in here
_ Same time here. _
_ _ _ _ _ Once again, really really slow try to [Bbm] count and remember I'm noting [D] up here to my index finger on this
second string here on the [A] first fret _
So _ _ _ [E] _ _ _ [Am] _
_ _ _ _ _ _ [A] _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ the whole thing _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ [D] _ _ [A] _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
This this right hand stays forward motion the whole time _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ and instead of
_ _ You know playing it that way kind of chopping chopping and you slide up right here
_ You note the fifth string right here open and [A] then _ _
_ _ _ So we'll just go slide up fifth open
_ _ first string on first fret _ _
_ _ Then open _ _ then you start your pinch and your pull off
with _ _ your hammer on
_ _ _ Hopefully that helps somebody hopefully [Ab] I explained it good enough
It's hard thing to try to explain especially
Especially, you know without somebody here to actually physically show you and I ain't got a really good camera angle, but hopefully that helps somebody
[A] _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ [Am] _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
[Dm] _ _ [Am] _ _ _ You see my right hand there
_ _ _ _ [A] _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ And another really cool Ralphie thing to play even more Ralphie [G] Ralphie style would be [A] how you play that _ _ _
Ralph would go and that's a forward roll.
It starts on the fifth
_ First on the note on the fifth or the seventh fret being where in a tempo that day and it just goes _
So the index and the third finger
Are noted or or picking _ _ _ _ first string fretted right there.
So it will go _
_ [D] _ [A] _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ [Dm] _ [A] _ _
_ [D] _ [Am] _ _ [B] _ _ _ [A]
Hopefully _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ [Dm] _
_ [G] _ [A] _ _ _ _ _
it helps somebody and I hope it does [Ab] and good luck trying to
Capture the Ralph sound because it is it is unique and a lot of people might not like it
But not everything for everybody like but the ones that do like is trying to figure out close as Ralph as they can
I hope this helps you and