Black Is The Colour chords
by Christy Moore- Black Is The Colour has been recorded by many artists and one of the most popular versions is by Irish folk-singer, Christy Moore featured on the album, Live At The Point.
- Music: Key of Am in 4/4 time at 122 bpm (♩)
- Chords: Am, Asus2, F, G, E7
- Capo on 1st fret if playing with the video (Bbm)
- If you prefer to play in Bbm, press Db on the Transposer, as that is the Relative Major of Bbm.
Black Is The Colour
The Relative Major Key of Am is highlighted (C) - Transpose to any other key. Am F G Am Asus2
1. Black is the co-lour Of my true love's | hair - |
Am F G E
Her lips are like Some ro-ses fair
E7 F G E
She has the sweet-est smile And the gent-lest hands,
E7 F G Am Asus2
And I love the ground Where-on she | stands - |
Am F G Am Asus2
2. I love my love And well she | knows - |
Am F G E
I love the ground Where-on she goes
E7 F G E
I wish the day It soon would come
E7 F G Am Asus2
When she and I could be as | one - |
Am F G Am Asus2
3. I go to the Clyde And I mourn and | weep - |
Am F G E
Sat-is-fied I ne-ver can be
E7 F G E
I write her a let-ter Just a few short lines
E7 F G Am Asus2
And suf-fer death A thou-sand | times - |
Am F G Am Asus2
4. Black is the co-lour Of my true love's | hair - |
Am F G E
Her lips are like Some ro-ses fair
E7 F G E
She has the sweet-est smile And the gent-lest hands
E7 F G Am Asus2
And I love the ground Where-on she | stands - | Notes:
- Level Of Ease: Easy with a capo
- Key Signature: B♭minor - 5 flats (B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭, G♭)
- Capo on the 1st fret and play in the key of Am (no sharps or flats... much easier to play).
- 4/4 time: This means 4 quarter-note/crotchet beats per bar, therefore the count is
| 1 2 3 4|, or | 1& 2& 3& 4& |etc. - Tempo: approximately 122 bpm - the click track will sound on every beat of each bar If you want the beat to sound on the every 2nd beat of each bar, set the metronome to approx 60 bpm.
- The hyphen between 2 chords means you split the beat-count of the bar evenly between the 2 chords, e.g., | Am - Asus2| with a time signature of 4/4, you play the Am chord for 2 beats, and the Asus 2 for 2 beats.
- The Asus2 chord adds a nice touch. You don't have to play it, but it does enhance the overall sound. It's a very easy chord to play... you just take your first finger off the Am chord.
- The chord formula for a sus2 chord is 1 - 2 - 5... Asus2 = A - B - E (x02200)
- On the second and third lines of each verse there is an added 2/4 bar (2 beats) of F major before the G chord... you will notice this when you play along with the video. There is a tendency to want to play the G chord earlier, but if you count each bar and listen to Christy, you will notice there is an extra 2 beats added to the F chord - 6 beats in total OR 1 bar + 1/2 bar OR 4/4 bar + 2/4 bar... I hope this is not too confusing. Just follow the chord changes on the chart as they are placed exactly where each chord change occurs.
- Christy plays the G chord exactly the same as the F chord (open position) except 2 frets up... F + 2 semitones (frets) = G. You don't have to play it like this, but you should give it a go as it gives you an extra option to add to your repertoire... xx5433 (see charts).
Christy Moore
Born: Christopher Andrew Moore on the 7th May 1945 in Newbridge, County Kildare, Ireland.
Carreer: Singer, songwriter, musician
Instruments: Vocals, guitar, bodhrán
Active Years: 1969 – present
Music Styles: Folk, Traditional Irish, Pop
Associations: Planxty, Moving Hearts, The Dubliners
Songs by Christy Moore on this site:
- Black Is The Colour
- Only Our Rivers Run Free
