About Alouette
Alouette is a nursery rhyme in F major — beginner-friendly, running from C to d and staying in first position on banjo, mandolin and fiddle.
- Type
- Nursery rhyme, each usually played twice
- Key
- F major · 4/4
- Range
- C to d · first position
- Notes used
- C D F G A B♭
- Level
- Beginner-friendly
Alouette — sheet music
F major · 4/4
The notes
Letter names, bar by bar · capitals up to C in the third space, lower case from the D on the 4th line
F G A A | G F G A F C | F G A A | G F G A F F G A B♭ C C C | C d C B♭ A G F | C C C C C C | C C C C C C C B♭ A G F G A A | G F G A F C | F G A A | G F G A F
Alouette — tab
Tenor banjo · mandolin · fiddle · guitar · ukulele — tap one to open it
Alouette — Tenor banjo tab
G D A E (Irish tuning) · open position
E|---------|-------------|---------|-----------| A|-----0-0-|-------0-----|-----0-0-|-------0---| D|-3-5-----|-5-3-5---3---|-3-5-----|-5-3-5---3-| G|---------|-----------5-|---------|-----------|
E|---------------|---------------|-------------|-------------| A|-----0-1-3-3-3-|-3-5-3-1-0-----|-3-3-3-------|-3-3-3-------| D|-3-5-----------|-----------5-3-|-------------|-------------| G|---------------|---------------|-------5-5-5-|-------5-5-5-|
E|-----------------|-------------|---------|-----------| A|-3-1-0-------0-0-|-------0-----|-----0-0-|-------0---| D|-------5-3-5-----|-5-3-5---3---|-3-5-----|-5-3-5---3-| G|-----------------|-----------5-|---------|-----------|
Numbers are frets. Tenor banjo sounds an octave below the written notes.
Alouette — Mandolin tab
G D A E · open position
E|---------|-------------|---------|-----------| A|-----0-0-|-------0-----|-----0-0-|-------0---| D|-3-5-----|-5-3-5---3---|-3-5-----|-5-3-5---3-| G|---------|-----------5-|---------|-----------|
E|---------------|---------------|-------------|-------------| A|-----0-1-3-3-3-|-3-5-3-1-0-----|-3-3-3-------|-3-3-3-------| D|-3-5-----------|-----------5-3-|-------------|-------------| G|---------------|---------------|-------5-5-5-|-------5-5-5-|
E|-----------------|-------------|---------|-----------| A|-3-1-0-------0-0-|-------0-----|-----0-0-|-------0---| D|-------5-3-5-----|-5-3-5---3---|-3-5-----|-5-3-5---3-| G|-----------------|-----------5-|---------|-----------|
Numbers are frets. Same strings as the fiddle, so the same notes fall in the same places.
Alouette — fiddle fingering
G D A E · first position — finger numbers
E|----------|---------------|----------|-------------| A|------0-0-|--------0------|------0-0-|--------0----| D|-L2-3-----|-3-L2-3---L2---|-L2-3-----|-3-L2-3---L2-| G|----------|-------------3-|----------|-------------|
E|--------------------|-------------------|----------------|----------------| A|------0-L1-L2-L2-L2-|-L2-3-L2-L1-0------|-L2-L2-L2-------|-L2-L2-L2-------| D|-L2-3---------------|--------------3-L2-|----------------|----------------| G|--------------------|-------------------|----------3-3-3-|----------3-3-3-|
E|--------------------|---------------|----------|-------------| A|-L2-L1-0--------0-0-|--------0------|------0-0-|--------0----| D|---------3-L2-3-----|-3-L2-3---L2---|-L2-3-----|-3-L2-3---L2-| G|--------------------|-------------3-|----------|-------------|
0 = open string · 1–4 = finger · L = low (half step back), H = high.
Alouette — Guitar tab
E A D G B E · open position
e|---------|-------------|---------|-----------| B|---------|-------------|---------|-----------| G|---0-2-2-|-0---0-2-----|---0-2-2-|-0---0-2---| D|-3-------|---3-----3---|-3-------|---3-----3-| A|---------|-----------3-|---------|-----------| E|---------|-------------|---------|-----------|
e|---------------|---------------|-------------|-------------| B|---------1-1-1-|-1-3-1---------|-1-1-1-------|-1-1-1-------| G|---0-2-3-------|-------3-2-0---|-------------|-------------| D|-3-------------|-------------3-|-------------|-------------| A|---------------|---------------|-------3-3-3-|-------3-3-3-| E|---------------|---------------|-------------|-------------|
e|-----------------|-------------|---------|-----------| B|-1---------------|-------------|---------|-----------| G|---3-2-0---0-2-2-|-0---0-2-----|---0-2-2-|-0---0-2---| D|---------3-------|---3-----3---|-3-------|---3-----3-| A|-----------------|-----------3-|---------|-----------| E|-----------------|-------------|---------|-----------|
Numbers are frets; the bottom line is the low E string.
Alouette — Ukulele tab
G C E A (high G) · open position
A|-----0-0-|-------0-----|-----0-0-|-------0---| E|-1-------|---1-----1---|-1-------|---1-----1-| C|---------|-----------0-|---------|-----------| G|---0-----|-0---0-------|---0-----|-0---0-----|
A|-----0-1-3-3-3-|-3-5-3-1-0-----|-3-3-3-------|-3-3-3-------| E|-1-------------|-------------1-|-------------|-------------| C|---------------|---------------|-------0-0-0-|-------0-0-0-| G|---0-----------|-----------0---|-------------|-------------|
A|-3-1-0-------0-0-|-------0-----|-----0-0-|-------0---| E|---------1-------|---1-----1---|-1-------|---1-----1-| C|-----------------|-----------0-|---------|-----------| G|-------0---0-----|-0---0-------|---0-----|-0---0-----|
Numbers are frets; the top line is the A string, the bottom line the high G.
Alouette chords
F major · 2 chords: F, C7
One box per bar, in the same order as the sheet music. A faded chord carries on from the bar before.
Guitar chords for Alouette
Strings E A D G B E, low to high · o = open string, × = don't play it
Ukulele chords for Alouette
Strings G C E A, low to high · o = open string, × = don't play it
Tenor banjo & mandolin chords for Alouette
Strings G D A E, low to high · o = open string, × = don't play it
More nursery rhymes and tunes like it
This melody comes from The Public Domain Song Anthology (David Berger & Chuck Israels), released CC0. The song is in the public domain. Tabs and letter names worked out by The Music Arcade.