Billy Boy — Chords, Tab & Sheet Music

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About Billy Boy

Billy Boy is a nursery rhyme in B♭ major — beginner-friendly, running from A, to B♭ and staying in first position on banjo, mandolin and fiddle.

Type: Nursery rhyme
Key: B♭ major · 2/4
Range: A, to B♭ · first position
Notes used: C D E♭ F G A B♭
Level: Beginner-friendly

Billy Boy — sheet music

B♭ 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 E♭ | F F F | B♭ D E♭ | F F G F D E♭ | F F F | B♭ E♭ D | D C C D | E♭ E♭ E♭ E♭ | E♭ F E♭ | D C D E♭ F B♭ G | F D F | F E♭ C A, | C B♭, B♭,

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Billy Boy — tab

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

Billy Boy — Tenor banjo tab

G D A E (Irish tuning) · open position

E|-----|-------|-------|-------|
A|-----|-------|-1-----|-------|
D|-0-1-|-3-3-3-|---0-1-|-3-3-5-|
G|-----|-------|-------|-------|

E|-------|-------|-------|-----|
A|-------|-------|-1-----|-----|
D|-3-0-1-|-3-3-3-|---1-0-|-0---|
G|-------|-------|-------|---5-|

E|-----|---------|-------|---------|
A|-----|---------|-------|---------|
D|---0-|-1-1-1-1-|-1-3-1-|-0---0-1-|
G|-5---|---------|-------|---5-----|

E|-------|-------|---------|-----|
A|---1---|-------|---------|-----|
D|-3---5-|-3-0-3-|-3-1-----|-----|
G|-------|-------|-----5-2-|-5-3-|

E|---|
A|---|
D|---|
G|-3-|

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

Billy Boy — Mandolin tab

G D A E · open position

E|-----|-------|-------|-------|
A|-----|-------|-1-----|-------|
D|-0-1-|-3-3-3-|---0-1-|-3-3-5-|
G|-----|-------|-------|-------|

E|-------|-------|-------|-----|
A|-------|-------|-1-----|-----|
D|-3-0-1-|-3-3-3-|---1-0-|-0---|
G|-------|-------|-------|---5-|

E|-----|---------|-------|---------|
A|-----|---------|-------|---------|
D|---0-|-1-1-1-1-|-1-3-1-|-0---0-1-|
G|-5---|---------|-------|---5-----|

E|-------|-------|---------|-----|
A|---1---|-------|---------|-----|
D|-3---5-|-3-0-3-|-3-1-----|-----|
G|-------|-------|-----5-2-|-5-3-|

E|---|
A|---|
D|---|
G|-3-|

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

Billy Boy — fiddle fingering

G D A E · first position — finger numbers

E|------|----------|---------|---------|
A|------|----------|-L1------|---------|
D|-0-L1-|-L2-L2-L2-|----0-L1-|-L2-L2-3-|
G|------|----------|---------|---------|

E|---------|----------|---------|-----|
A|---------|----------|-L1------|-----|
D|-L2-0-L1-|-L2-L2-L2-|----L1-0-|-0---|
G|---------|----------|---------|---3-|

E|-----|-------------|----------|----------|
A|-----|-------------|----------|----------|
D|---0-|-L1-L1-L1-L1-|-L1-L2-L1-|-0---0-L1-|
G|-3---|-------------|----------|---3------|

E|---------|---------|-----------|------|
A|----L1---|---------|-----------|------|
D|-L2----3-|-L2-0-L2-|-L2-L1-----|------|
G|---------|---------|-------3-1-|-3-L2-|

E|----|
A|----|
D|----|
G|-L2-|

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

Billy Boy — Guitar tab

E A D G B E · open position

e|-----|-------|-------|-------|
B|-----|-------|-------|-------|
G|-----|-------|-3-----|-----0-|
D|-0-1-|-3-3-3-|---0-1-|-3-3---|
A|-----|-------|-------|-------|
E|-----|-------|-------|-------|

e|-------|-------|-------|-----|
B|-------|-------|-------|-----|
G|-------|-------|-3-----|-----|
D|-3-0-1-|-3-3-3-|---1-0-|-0---|
A|-------|-------|-------|---3-|
E|-------|-------|-------|-----|

e|-----|---------|-------|---------|
B|-----|---------|-------|---------|
G|-----|---------|-------|---------|
D|---0-|-1-1-1-1-|-1-3-1-|-0---0-1-|
A|-3---|---------|-------|---3-----|
E|-----|---------|-------|---------|

e|-------|-------|---------|-----|
B|-------|-------|---------|-----|
G|---3-0-|-------|---------|-----|
D|-3-----|-3-0-3-|-3-1-----|-----|
A|-------|-------|-----3-0-|-3-1-|
E|-------|-------|---------|-----|

e|---|
B|---|
G|---|
D|---|
A|-1-|
E|---|

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

Billy Boy — Ukulele tab

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

A|-5-6-|-8-8-8-|-13-5-6-|-8-8-10-|
E|-----|-------|--------|--------|
C|-----|-------|--------|--------|
G|-----|-------|--------|--------|

A|-8-5-6-|-8-8-8-|-13-6-5-|-5-3-|
E|-------|-------|--------|-----|
C|-------|-------|--------|-----|
G|-------|-------|--------|-----|

A|-3-5-|-6-6-6-6-|-6-8-6-|-5-3-5-6-|
E|-----|---------|-------|---------|
C|-----|---------|-------|---------|
G|-----|---------|-------|---------|

A|-8-13-10-|-8-5-8-|-8-6-3-0-|-3-1-|
E|---------|-------|---------|-----|
C|---------|-------|---------|-----|
G|---------|-------|---------|-----|

A|-1-|
E|---|
C|---|
G|---|

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

Billy Boy chords

B♭ major · 3 chords: B♭, C7, F7

pickup

B♭

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

Guitar chords for Billy Boy

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

Ukulele chords for Billy Boy

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

Tenor banjo & mandolin chords for Billy Boy

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

More nursery rhymes and tunes like it

London Bridge Is Falling Down Row, Row, Row Your Boat Rock-a-bye Baby Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star Mary Had A Little Lamb Pop Goes The Weasel This Old Man Old Macdonald Had A Farm

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.