About Buddy Bolden's Blues
Buddy Bolden's Blues is a blues in E♭ major — intermediate, running from C to B♭ and staying in first position on banjo, mandolin and fiddle.
- Type
- Blues
- Key
- E♭ major · 4/4
- Range
- C to B♭ · first position
- Notes used
- C D E♭ F G♭ F♯ G A♭ A B♭
- Level
- Intermediate
Buddy Bolden's Blues — sheet music
E♭ 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
G | B♭ B♭ A A♭ A♭ | G G F F E♭ | F E♭ E♭ G♭ E♭ G F♯ G E♭ E♭ E♭ | F F E♭ E♭ E♭ G♭ E♭ | G F♯ G B♭ B♭ D | F F♯ G A B♭ B♭ G | B♭ B♭ A A A♭ A♭ | G G F F | F F F E♭ G♭ G♭ F E♭ E♭ G G E♭ E♭ | F F F E♭ G♭ G♭ F E♭ E♭ | G G B♭ B♭ G | E♭ C G♭ F E♭ F E♭ E♭
Buddy Bolden's Blues — tab
Tenor banjo · mandolin · fiddle · guitar · ukulele — tap one to open it
Buddy Bolden's Blues — Tenor banjo tab
G D A E (Irish tuning) · open position
E|---|-----------|-----------|-----------| A|---|-1-1-0-----|-----------|-----------| D|-5-|-------6-6-|-5-5-3-3-1-|-3-1-1-4-1-| G|---|-----------|-----------|-----------|
E|-------------|---------------|-------------|-----------| A|-------------|---------------|-------1-1---|-------0-1-| D|-5-4-5-1-1-1-|-3-3-1-1-1-4-1-|-5-4-5-----0-|-3-4-5-----| G|-------------|---------------|-------------|-----------|
E|-----|-------------|---------|-------------------| A|-1---|-1-1-0-0-----|---------|-------------------| D|---5-|---------6-6-|-5-5-3-3-|-3-3-3-1-4-4-3-1-1-| G|-----|-------------|---------|-------------------|
E|---------|-------------------|-----------|---------------| A|---------|-------------------|-----1-1---|---------------| D|-5-5-1-1-|-3-3-3-1-4-4-3-1-1-|-5-5-----5-|-1---4-3-1-3-1-| G|---------|-------------------|-----------|---5-----------|
E|---| A|---| D|-1-| G|---|
Numbers are frets. Tenor banjo sounds an octave below the written notes.
Buddy Bolden's Blues — Mandolin tab
G D A E · open position
E|---|-----------|-----------|-----------| A|---|-1-1-0-----|-----------|-----------| D|-5-|-------6-6-|-5-5-3-3-1-|-3-1-1-4-1-| G|---|-----------|-----------|-----------|
E|-------------|---------------|-------------|-----------| A|-------------|---------------|-------1-1---|-------0-1-| D|-5-4-5-1-1-1-|-3-3-1-1-1-4-1-|-5-4-5-----0-|-3-4-5-----| G|-------------|---------------|-------------|-----------|
E|-----|-------------|---------|-------------------| A|-1---|-1-1-0-0-----|---------|-------------------| D|---5-|---------6-6-|-5-5-3-3-|-3-3-3-1-4-4-3-1-1-| G|-----|-------------|---------|-------------------|
E|---------|-------------------|-----------|---------------| A|---------|-------------------|-----1-1---|---------------| D|-5-5-1-1-|-3-3-3-1-4-4-3-1-1-|-5-5-----5-|-1---4-3-1-3-1-| G|---------|-------------------|-----------|---5-----------|
E|---| A|---| D|-1-| G|---|
Numbers are frets. Same strings as the fiddle, so the same notes fall in the same places.
Buddy Bolden's Blues — fiddle fingering
G D A E · first position — finger numbers
E|---|---------------|--------------|---------------| A|---|-L1-L1-0-------|--------------|---------------| D|-3-|---------H3-H3-|-3-3-L2-L2-L1-|-L2-L1-L1-2-L1-| G|---|---------------|--------------|---------------|
E|----------------|---------------------|---------------|-------------| A|----------------|---------------------|-------L1-L1---|--------0-L1-| D|-3-2-3-L1-L1-L1-|-L2-L2-L1-L1-L1-2-L1-|-3-2-3-------0-|-L2-2-3------| G|----------------|---------------------|---------------|-------------|
E|------|-----------------|-----------|--------------------------| A|-L1---|-L1-L1-0-0-------|-----------|--------------------------| D|----3-|-----------H3-H3-|-3-3-L2-L2-|-L2-L2-L2-L1-2-2-L2-L1-L1-| G|------|-----------------|-----------|--------------------------|
E|-----------|--------------------------|-------------|--------------------| A|-----------|--------------------------|-----L1-L1---|--------------------| D|-3-3-L1-L1-|-L2-L2-L2-L1-2-2-L2-L1-L1-|-3-3-------3-|-L1---2-L2-L1-L2-L1-| G|-----------|--------------------------|-------------|----3---------------|
E|----| A|----| D|-L1-| G|----|
0 = open string · 1–4 = finger · L = low (half step back), H = high.
Buddy Bolden's Blues — Guitar tab
E A D G B E · open position
e|---|-----------|-----------|-----------| B|---|-----------|-----------|-----------| G|-0-|-3-3-2-1-1-|-0-0-------|-----------| D|---|-----------|-----3-3-1-|-3-1-1-4-1-| A|---|-----------|-----------|-----------| E|---|-----------|-----------|-----------|
e|-------------|---------------|-------------|-----------| B|-------------|---------------|-------------|-----------| G|-0---0-------|---------------|-0---0-3-3---|-----0-2-3-| D|---4---1-1-1-|-3-3-1-1-1-4-1-|---4-------0-|-3-4-------| A|-------------|---------------|-------------|-----------| E|-------------|---------------|-------------|-----------|
e|-----|-------------|---------|-------------------| B|-----|-------------|---------|-------------------| G|-3-0-|-3-3-2-2-1-1-|-0-0-----|-------------------| D|-----|-------------|-----3-3-|-3-3-3-1-4-4-3-1-1-| A|-----|-------------|---------|-------------------| E|-----|-------------|---------|-------------------|
e|---------|-------------------|-----------|---------------| B|---------|-------------------|-----------|---------------| G|-0-0-----|-------------------|-0-0-3-3-0-|---------------| D|-----1-1-|-3-3-3-1-4-4-3-1-1-|-----------|-1---4-3-1-3-1-| A|---------|-------------------|-----------|---3-----------| E|---------|-------------------|-----------|---------------|
e|---| B|---| G|---| D|-1-| A|---| E|---|
Numbers are frets; the bottom line is the low E string.
Buddy Bolden's Blues — Ukulele tab
G C E A (high G) · open position
A|---|-1-1-0-----|-----------|-----------| E|---|-----------|-----1-1---|-1-----2---| C|---|-----------|---------3-|---3-3---3-| G|-0-|-------1-1-|-0-0-------|-----------|
A|-------------|---------------|-------1-1---|-------0-1-| E|---2---------|-1-1-------2---|---2---------|-1-2-------| C|-------3-3-3-|-----3-3-3---3-|-----------2-|-----------| G|-0---0-------|---------------|-0---0-------|-----0-----|
A|-1---|-1-1-0-0-----|---------|-------------------| E|-----|-------------|-----1-1-|-1-1-1---2-2-1-----| C|-----|-------------|---------|-------3-------3-3-| G|---0-|---------1-1-|-0-0-----|-------------------|
A|---------|-------------------|-----1-1---|---------------| E|---------|-1-1-1---2-2-1-----|-----------|-----2-1---1---| C|-----3-3-|-------3-------3-3-|-----------|-3-0-----3---3-| G|-0-0-----|-------------------|-0-0-----0-|---------------|
A|---| E|---| C|-3-| G|---|
Numbers are frets; the top line is the A string, the bottom line the high G.
Buddy Bolden's Blues chords
E♭ major · 14 chords: E♭, F♯dim, B♭7/F, E♭9, A♭6, Adim, E♭/B♭, E♭7, C7, B♭, G♭7, F7, B♭7, G♭dim
One box per bar, in the same order as the sheet music. A faded chord carries on from the bar before. A slash chord like B♭7/F means play B♭7 with F as the lowest note.
Guitar chords for Buddy Bolden's Blues
Strings E A D G B E, low to high · o = open string, × = don't play it
Ukulele chords for Buddy Bolden's Blues
Strings G C E A, low to high · o = open string, × = don't play it
Tenor banjo & mandolin chords for Buddy Bolden's Blues
Strings G D A E, low to high · o = open string, × = don't play it
More bluess 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.