About Dallas Blues
Dallas Blues is a blues in B♭ major — intermediate, running from C♯ to d and staying in first position on banjo, mandolin and fiddle.
- Type
- Blues, each usually played twice
- Key
- B♭ major · 4/4
- Range
- C♯ to d · first position
- Notes used
- C D♭ C♯ D E♭ F♭ F F♯ G A♭ A B♭
- Level
- Intermediate
Dallas Blues — sheet music
B♭ 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 F♭ E♭ | D F d F F♭ | E♭ F C d B♭ | B♭ B♭ C B♭ A A♭ A♭ B♭ A♭ F | F♯ G B♭ B♭ B♭ C | d♭ C B♭ B♭ G | B♭ B♭ C♯ D F B♭ d C♯ | d C F F d C♯ | d C A F C d B♭ | B♭ B♭ d C♯ d B♭ F F♭ E♭ | B♭
Dallas Blues — tab
Tenor banjo · mandolin · fiddle · guitar · ukulele — tap one to open it
Dallas Blues — Tenor banjo tab
G D A E (Irish tuning) · open position
E|-------|-----------|-----------|-----------| A|-------|-----5-----|-----3-5-1-|-1-1-3-1-0-| D|-3-2-1-|-0-3---3-2-|-1-3-------|-----------| G|-------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
E|-----------|-------------|-----------|-----------| A|-----1-----|-----1-1-1-3-|-4-3-1-1---|-1-1-------| D|-6-6---6-3-|-4-5---------|---------5-|-------0-3-| G|-----------|-------------|-----------|-----6-----|
E|-------|-------------|---------------|-----------| A|-1-5-4-|-5-3-----5-4-|-5-3-0---3-5-1-|-1-1-5-4-5-| D|-------|-----3-3-----|-------3-------|-----------| G|-------|-------------|---------------|-----------|
E|---------|---| A|-1-------|-1-| D|---3-2-1-|---| G|---------|---|
Numbers are frets. Tenor banjo sounds an octave below the written notes.
Dallas Blues — Mandolin tab
G D A E · open position
E|-------|-----------|-----------|-----------| A|-------|-----5-----|-----3-5-1-|-1-1-3-1-0-| D|-3-2-1-|-0-3---3-2-|-1-3-------|-----------| G|-------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
E|-----------|-------------|-----------|-----------| A|-----1-----|-----1-1-1-3-|-4-3-1-1---|-1-1-------| D|-6-6---6-3-|-4-5---------|---------5-|-------0-3-| G|-----------|-------------|-----------|-----6-----|
E|-------|-------------|---------------|-----------| A|-1-5-4-|-5-3-----5-4-|-5-3-0---3-5-1-|-1-1-5-4-5-| D|-------|-----3-3-----|-------3-------|-----------| G|-------|-------------|---------------|-----------|
E|---------|---| A|-1-------|-1-| D|---3-2-1-|---| G|---------|---|
Numbers are frets. Same strings as the fiddle, so the same notes fall in the same places.
Dallas Blues — fiddle fingering
G D A E · first position — finger numbers
E|---------|-------------|---------------|---------------| A|---------|------3------|-------L2-3-L1-|-L1-L1-L2-L1-0-| D|-L2-1-L1-|-0-L2---L2-1-|-L1-L2---------|---------------| G|---------|-------------|---------------|---------------|
E|----------------|-----------------|--------------|---------------| A|-------L1-------|-----L1-L1-L1-L2-|-2-L2-L1-L1---|-L1-L1---------| D|-H3-H3----H3-L2-|-2-3-------------|------------3-|----------0-L2-| G|----------------|-----------------|--------------|-------H3------|
E|--------|----------------|-------------------|-------------| A|-L1-3-2-|-3-L2-------3-2-|-3-L2-0----L2-3-L1-|-L1-L1-3-2-3-| D|--------|------L2-L2-----|--------L2---------|-------------| G|--------|----------------|-------------------|-------------|
E|------------|----| A|-L1---------|-L1-| D|----L2-1-L1-|----| G|------------|----|
0 = open string · 1–4 = finger · L = low (half step back), H = high.
Dallas Blues — Guitar tab
E A D G B E · open position
e|-------|-----------|-----------|-----------| B|-------|-----3-----|-----1-3---|-----1-----| G|-------|-----------|---------3-|-3-3---3-2-| D|-3-2-1-|-0-3---3-2-|-1-3-------|-----------| A|-------|-----------|-----------|-----------| E|-------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
e|-----------|-------------|-----------|-----------| B|-----------|-----------1-|-2-1-------|-----------| G|-1-1-3-1---|---0-3-3-3---|-----3-3-0-|-3-3-------| D|---------3-|-4-----------|-----------|-------0-3-| A|-----------|-------------|-----------|-----4-----| E|-----------|-------------|-----------|-----------|
e|-------|-------------|---------------|-----------| B|---3-2-|-3-1-----3-2-|-3-1-----1-3---|-----3-2-3-| G|-3-----|-------------|-----2-------3-|-3-3-------| D|-------|-----3-3-----|-------3-------|-----------| A|-------|-------------|---------------|-----------| E|-------|-------------|---------------|-----------|
e|---------|---| B|---------|---| G|-3-------|-3-| D|---3-2-1-|---| A|---------|---| E|---------|---|
Numbers are frets; the bottom line is the low E string.
Dallas Blues — Ukulele tab
G C E A (high G) · open position
A|-------|-----5-----|-----3-5-1-|-1-1-3-1-0-| E|-1-0---|---1---1-0-|---1-------|-----------| C|-----3-|-2---------|-3---------|-----------| G|-------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
A|-----1-----|-----1-1-1-3-|-4-3-1-1---|-1-1-------| E|---------1-|-2-----------|-----------|---------1-| C|-----------|-------------|-----------|-----1-2---| G|-1-1---1---|---0---------|---------0-|-----------|
A|-1-5-4-|-5-3-----5-4-|-5-3-0---3-5-1-|-1-1-5-4-5-| E|-------|-----1-1-----|-------1-------|-----------| C|-------|-------------|---------------|-----------| G|-------|-------------|---------------|-----------|
A|-1-------|-1-| E|---1-0---|---| C|-------3-|---| G|---------|---|
Numbers are frets; the top line is the A string, the bottom line the high G.
Dallas Blues chords
B♭ major · 8 chords: B♭/F, Gdim, F7/A, B♭, F7, B♭7, E♭, E♭7
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♭/F means play B♭ with F as the lowest note.
Guitar chords for Dallas Blues
Strings E A D G B E, low to high · o = open string, × = don't play it
Ukulele chords for Dallas Blues
Strings G C E A, low to high · o = open string, × = don't play it
Tenor banjo & mandolin chords for Dallas 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.