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Bill Cheatham — Sheet Music, Tab & Chord Directory

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About Bill Cheatham

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

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

Bill Cheatham — sheet music

A major · C|

The notes

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

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

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Bill Cheatham — tab

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

Bill Cheatham — Tenor banjo tab

G D A E (Irish tuning) · open position

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

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

Bill Cheatham — Mandolin tab

G D A E · open position

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

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

Bill Cheatham — fiddle fingering

G D A E · first position — finger numbers

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

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

Bill Cheatham — Guitar tab

E A D G B E · open position

e|-----|-------|-----------------|-------|
B|-----|---2-2-|-2-0---2-0-------|---3-3-|
G|-1---|-------|-----2-----2-----|-------|
D|---4-|-2-----|-------------4-2-|-4-----|
A|-----|-------|-----------------|-------|
E|-----|-------|-----------------|-------|
e|-2-4-5-2-0-------|-------|-----------------|-------0-2-4-5-2-|
B|-----------2-0---|---2-2-|-2-0---2-0---0-2-|-3-2-3-----------|
G|---------------2-|-------|-----2-----2-----|-----------------|
D|-----------------|-2-----|-----------------|-----------------|
A|-----------------|-------|-----------------|-----------------|
E|-----------------|-------|-----------------|-----------------|
e|-0---------|-----|-0---0-5-2---2-5-|-4-0-2-4-5-0-4-|
B|---2-0-2---|-2-3-|---2-------3-----|---------------|
G|---------2-|-----|-----------------|---------------|
D|-----------|-----|-----------------|---------------|
A|-----------|-----|-----------------|---------------|
E|-----------|-----|-----------------|---------------|
e|-5-4-5-0-2-4-5-2-|-0-------------|-0---0-5-2---2-5-|-4-0-2-4-5-0-4-|
B|-----------------|---2-0---0-2-3-|---2-------3-----|---------------|
G|-----------------|-------2-------|-----------------|---------------|
D|-----------------|---------------|-----------------|---------------|
A|-----------------|---------------|-----------------|---------------|
E|-----------------|---------------|-----------------|---------------|
e|-5-4-5-0-2-4-5-2-|-0---------|
B|-----------------|---2-0-2---|
G|-----------------|---------2-|
D|-----------------|-----------|
A|-----------------|-----------|
E|-----------------|-----------|

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

Bill Cheatham — Ukulele tab

G C E A (high G) · open position

A|-----|---4-4-|-4-2-0-4-2-0-----|---5-5-|
E|---2-|-0-----|-------------2-0-|-2-----|
C|-----|-------|-----------------|-------|
G|-1---|-------|-----------------|-------|
A|-9-11-12-9-7-4-2-0-|---4-4-|-4-2-0-4-2-0-2-4-|-5-4-5-7-9-11-12-9-|
E|-------------------|-0-----|-----------------|-------------------|
C|-------------------|-------|-----------------|-------------------|
G|-------------------|-------|-----------------|-------------------|
A|-7-4-2-4-0-|-4-5-|-7-4-7-12-9-5-9-12-|-11-7-9-11-12-7-11-|
E|-----------|-----|-------------------|-------------------|
C|-----------|-----|-------------------|-------------------|
G|-----------|-----|-------------------|-------------------|
A|-12-11-12-7-9-11-12-9-|-7-4-2-0-2-4-5-|-7-4-7-12-9-5-9-12-|-11-7-9-11-12-7-11-|
E|----------------------|---------------|-------------------|-------------------|
C|----------------------|---------------|-------------------|-------------------|
G|----------------------|---------------|-------------------|-------------------|
A|-12-11-12-7-9-11-12-9-|-7-4-2-4-0-|
E|----------------------|-----------|
C|----------------------|-----------|
G|----------------------|-----------|

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

Bill Cheatham chords

A major · 3 chords: A, D, E

pickup
A
A
D
D
A
A
D
E A
A
A D
E A
A D
A E
A D
E A
A D
E A

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

Guitar chords for Bill Cheatham

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

A×D××E

Ukulele chords for Bill Cheatham

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

ADE

Tenor banjo & mandolin chords for Bill Cheatham

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

ADE

More reels and tunes like it

Old Joe ClarkThe Devil's DreamSally GoodinCherokee ShuffleJune AppleBuffalo GalsGrey EagleBoil The Cabbage Down

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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