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Arkansas Traveler — Sheet Music, Tab & Chord Directory

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About Arkansas Traveler

Arkansas Traveler is a two-part old-time fiddle reel in D major — intermediate, running from A, to a and staying in first position on banjo, mandolin and fiddle.

Type
Reel, two parts, each usually played twice
Key
D major · 2/4
Range
A, to a · first position
Notes used
C♯ D E F♯ G A B
Level
Intermediate

Arkansas Traveler — sheet music

D major · 2/4

The notes

Letter names, bar by bar · capitals up to C in the third space, lower case from the D on the 4th line

D F♯ E D B, B, B, | A, A, D D D | E E F♯ F♯ D | E F♯ E D B, A, D F♯ E D B, B, B, | A, A, D D D | d C♯ d A B d A G | F♯ D E C♯ D F♯ D E C♯ D f♯ g | a g f♯ a g f♯ e g | f♯ e d f♯ e A | d d d e e e f♯ e d f♯ e f♯ g | a g f♯ a g f♯ e g | f♯ e d f♯ e A | d C♯ d A B d A G F♯ D E F♯ D f♯ g | F♯ D E F♯ D

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Arkansas Traveler — tab

Tenor banjo · mandolin · fiddle · guitar · ukulele — tap one to open it

Arkansas Traveler — Tenor banjo tab

G D A E (Irish tuning) · open position

E|---------------|-----------|-----------|-------------|
A|---------------|-----------|-----------|-------------|
D|-0-4-2-0-------|-----0-0-0-|-2-2-4-4-0-|-2-4-2-0-----|
G|---------4-4-4-|-2-2-------|-----------|---------4-2-|
E|---------------|-----------|-----------------|-----------|
A|---------------|-----------|-5-4-5-0-2-5-0---|-----------|
D|-0-4-2-0-------|-----0-0-0-|---------------5-|-4-0-2---0-|
G|---------4-4-4-|-2-2-------|-----------------|-------6---|
E|-----------2-3-|-5-3-2-5-3-2-0-3-|-2-0---2-0---|-------0-0-0-|
A|---------------|-----------------|-----5-----0-|-5-5-5-------|
D|-4-0-2---0-----|-----------------|-------------|-------------|
G|-------6-------|-----------------|-------------|-------------|
E|-2-0---2-0-2-3-|-5-3-2-5-3-2-0-3-|-2-0---2-0---|-----------------|
A|-----5---------|-----------------|-----5-----0-|-5-4-5-0-2-5-0---|
D|---------------|-----------------|-------------|---------------5-|
G|---------------|-----------------|-------------|-----------------|
E|-----------2-3-|-----------|
A|---------------|-----------|
D|-4-0-2-4-0-----|-4-0-2-4-0-|
G|---------------|-----------|

Numbers are frets. Tenor banjo sounds an octave below the written notes.

Arkansas Traveler — Mandolin tab

G D A E · open position

E|---------------|-----------|-----------|-------------|
A|---------------|-----------|-----------|-------------|
D|-0-4-2-0-------|-----0-0-0-|-2-2-4-4-0-|-2-4-2-0-----|
G|---------4-4-4-|-2-2-------|-----------|---------4-2-|
E|---------------|-----------|-----------------|-----------|
A|---------------|-----------|-5-4-5-0-2-5-0---|-----------|
D|-0-4-2-0-------|-----0-0-0-|---------------5-|-4-0-2---0-|
G|---------4-4-4-|-2-2-------|-----------------|-------6---|
E|-----------2-3-|-5-3-2-5-3-2-0-3-|-2-0---2-0---|-------0-0-0-|
A|---------------|-----------------|-----5-----0-|-5-5-5-------|
D|-4-0-2---0-----|-----------------|-------------|-------------|
G|-------6-------|-----------------|-------------|-------------|
E|-2-0---2-0-2-3-|-5-3-2-5-3-2-0-3-|-2-0---2-0---|-----------------|
A|-----5---------|-----------------|-----5-----0-|-5-4-5-0-2-5-0---|
D|---------------|-----------------|-------------|---------------5-|
G|---------------|-----------------|-------------|-----------------|
E|-----------2-3-|-----------|
A|---------------|-----------|
D|-4-0-2-4-0-----|-4-0-2-4-0-|
G|---------------|-----------|

Numbers are frets. Same strings as the fiddle, so the same notes fall in the same places.

Arkansas Traveler — fiddle fingering

G D A E · first position — finger numbers

E|---------------|-----------|-----------|-------------|
A|---------------|-----------|-----------|-------------|
D|-0-2-1-0-------|-----0-0-0-|-1-1-2-2-0-|-1-2-1-0-----|
G|---------2-2-2-|-1-1-------|-----------|---------2-1-|
E|---------------|-----------|-----------------|------------|
A|---------------|-----------|-3-2-3-0-1-3-0---|------------|
D|-0-2-1-0-------|-----0-0-0-|---------------3-|-2-0-1----0-|
G|---------2-2-2-|-1-1-------|-----------------|-------H3---|
E|------------1-L2-|-3-L2-1-3-L2-1-0-L2-|-1-0---1-0---|-------0-0-0-|
A|-----------------|--------------------|-----3-----0-|-3-3-3-------|
D|-2-0-1----0------|--------------------|-------------|-------------|
G|-------H3--------|--------------------|-------------|-------------|
E|-1-0---1-0-1-L2-|-3-L2-1-3-L2-1-0-L2-|-1-0---1-0---|-----------------|
A|-----3----------|--------------------|-----3-----0-|-3-2-3-0-1-3-0---|
D|----------------|--------------------|-------------|---------------3-|
G|----------------|--------------------|-------------|-----------------|
E|-----------1-L2-|-----------|
A|----------------|-----------|
D|-2-0-1-2-0------|-2-0-1-2-0-|
G|----------------|-----------|

0 = open string · 1–4 = finger · L = low (half step back), H = high.

Arkansas Traveler — Guitar tab

E A D G B E · open position

e|---------------|-----------|-----------|-------------|
B|---------------|-----------|-----------|-------------|
G|---------------|-----------|-----------|-------------|
D|-0-4-2-0-------|-----0-0-0-|-2-2-4-4-0-|-2-4-2-0-----|
A|---------2-2-2-|-0-0-------|-----------|---------2-0-|
E|---------------|-----------|-----------|-------------|
e|---------------|-----------|-----------------|-----------|
B|---------------|-----------|-3-2-3---0-3-----|-----------|
G|---------------|-----------|-------2-----2-0-|-----------|
D|-0-4-2-0-------|-----0-0-0-|-----------------|-4-0-2---0-|
A|---------2-2-2-|-0-0-------|-----------------|-------4---|
E|---------------|-----------|-----------------|-----------|
e|-----------2-3-|-5-3-2-5-3-2-0-3-|-2-0---2-0---|-------0-0-0-|
B|---------------|-----------------|-----3-------|-3-3-3-------|
G|---------------|-----------------|-----------2-|-------------|
D|-4-0-2---0-----|-----------------|-------------|-------------|
A|-------4-------|-----------------|-------------|-------------|
E|---------------|-----------------|-------------|-------------|
e|-2-0---2-0-2-3-|-5-3-2-5-3-2-0-3-|-2-0---2-0---|-----------------|
B|-----3---------|-----------------|-----3-------|-3-2-3---0-3-----|
G|---------------|-----------------|-----------2-|-------2-----2-0-|
D|---------------|-----------------|-------------|-----------------|
A|---------------|-----------------|-------------|-----------------|
E|---------------|-----------------|-------------|-----------------|
e|-----------2-3-|-----------|
B|---------------|-----------|
G|---------------|-----------|
D|-4-0-2-4-0-----|-4-0-2-4-0-|
A|---------------|-----------|
E|---------------|-----------|

Numbers are frets; the bottom line is the low E string.

Arkansas Traveler — Ukulele tab

G C E A (high G) · open position · played an octave up, as the tune dips below the lowest string

A|-5-9-7-5-2-2-2-|-0-0-5-5-5-|-7-7-9-9-5-|-7-9-7-5-2-0-|
E|---------------|-----------|-----------|-------------|
C|---------------|-----------|-----------|-------------|
G|---------------|-----------|-----------|-------------|
A|-5-9-7-5-2-2-2-|-0-0-5-5-5-|-17-16-17-12-14-17-12-10-|-9-5-7-4-5-|
E|---------------|-----------|-------------------------|-----------|
C|---------------|-----------|-------------------------|-----------|
G|---------------|-----------|-------------------------|-----------|
A|-9-5-7-4-5-21-22-|-24-22-21-24-22-21-19-22-|-21-19-17-21-19-12-|-17-17-17-19-19-19-|
E|-----------------|-------------------------|-------------------|-------------------|
C|-----------------|-------------------------|-------------------|-------------------|
G|-----------------|-------------------------|-------------------|-------------------|
A|-21-19-17-21-19-21-22-|-24-22-21-24-22-21-19-22-|-21-19-17-21-19-12-|-17-16-17-12-14-17-12-10-|
E|----------------------|-------------------------|-------------------|-------------------------|
C|----------------------|-------------------------|-------------------|-------------------------|
G|----------------------|-------------------------|-------------------|-------------------------|
A|-9-5-7-9-5-21-22-|-9-5-7-9-5-|
E|-----------------|-----------|
C|-----------------|-----------|
G|-----------------|-----------|

Numbers are frets; the top line is the A string, the bottom line the high G.

Arkansas Traveler chords

D major · 3 chords: D, G, A

D G
D
A
A
D G
D
D G
D A D
D A D
D G
D A
D A
D A
D G
D A
D G
D A D
D A D

One box per bar, in the same order as the sheet music. A faded chord carries on from the bar before.

Guitar chords for Arkansas Traveler

Strings E A D G B E, low to high · o = open string, × = don't play it

D××GA×

Ukulele chords for Arkansas Traveler

Strings G C E A, low to high · o = open string, × = don't play it

DGA

Tenor banjo & mandolin chords for Arkansas Traveler

Strings G D A E, low to high · o = open string, × = don't play it

DGA

More reels and tunes like it

Soldier's JoyWhiskey Before BreakfastThe Redhaired BoyCumberland GapForked DeerMississippi SawyerSaint Anne's ReelLiberty

This traditional setting comes from Jim’s Roots & Blues. The tune itself is traditional. Tabs and letter names worked out by The Music Arcade.

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