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Duck River — Sheet Music, Tab & Chord Directory

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About Duck River

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

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

Duck River — sheet music

D 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

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

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Duck River — tab

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

Duck River — Tenor banjo tab

G D A E (Irish tuning) · open position

E|-----|---------------|-----------|-------------|
A|-----|---------------|---0-0-0-5-|-2-0-5-2-0---|
D|-----|-0-0-0-2-0-0-0-|-4---------|-----------5-|
G|-2-4-|---------------|-----------|-------------|
E|---------------|-----------------|-----------|-------------|
A|---------------|-----------------|---0-0-0-5-|-2-0-5-2-0---|
D|-4-4-4-2-0-----|-----0-0-2-0-0-0-|-4---------|-----------5-|
G|-----------4-2-|-2-4-------------|-----------|-------------|
E|-----------|-2-5-5-5-5-5-3-|-2-------------|-7-7-7-7-7-5-|
A|-----------|---------------|---5-5-5-5-5-5-|-------------|
D|-4-0-2---0-|---------------|---------------|-------------|
G|-------6---|---------------|---------------|-------------|
E|-3-0-0-0-0-0-0-|-2-5-5-5-5-5-3-|-2-------------|-------------|
A|---------------|---------------|---5-5-5-5-0-2-|-5-0-2-5-0---|
D|---------------|---------------|---------------|-----------5-|
G|---------------|---------------|---------------|-------------|
E|-------------|
A|-------------|
D|-4-0-2---0-0-|
G|-------6-----|

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

Duck River — Mandolin tab

G D A E · open position

E|-----|---------------|-----------|-------------|
A|-----|---------------|---0-0-0-5-|-2-0-5-2-0---|
D|-----|-0-0-0-2-0-0-0-|-4---------|-----------5-|
G|-2-4-|---------------|-----------|-------------|
E|---------------|-----------------|-----------|-------------|
A|---------------|-----------------|---0-0-0-5-|-2-0-5-2-0---|
D|-4-4-4-2-0-----|-----0-0-2-0-0-0-|-4---------|-----------5-|
G|-----------4-2-|-2-4-------------|-----------|-------------|
E|-----------|-2-5-5-5-5-5-3-|-2-------------|-7-7-7-7-7-5-|
A|-----------|---------------|---5-5-5-5-5-5-|-------------|
D|-4-0-2---0-|---------------|---------------|-------------|
G|-------6---|---------------|---------------|-------------|
E|-3-0-0-0-0-0-0-|-2-5-5-5-5-5-3-|-2-------------|-------------|
A|---------------|---------------|---5-5-5-5-0-2-|-5-0-2-5-0---|
D|---------------|---------------|---------------|-----------5-|
G|---------------|---------------|---------------|-------------|
E|-------------|
A|-------------|
D|-4-0-2---0-0-|
G|-------6-----|

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

Duck River — fiddle fingering

G D A E · first position — finger numbers

E|-----|---------------|-----------|-------------|
A|-----|---------------|---0-0-0-3-|-1-0-3-1-0---|
D|-----|-0-0-0-1-0-0-0-|-2---------|-----------3-|
G|-1-2-|---------------|-----------|-------------|
E|---------------|-----------------|-----------|-------------|
A|---------------|-----------------|---0-0-0-3-|-1-0-3-1-0---|
D|-2-2-2-1-0-----|-----0-0-1-0-0-0-|-2---------|-----------3-|
G|-----------2-1-|-1-2-------------|-----------|-------------|
E|------------|-1-3-3-3-3-3-L2-|-1-------------|-4-4-4-4-4-3-|
A|------------|----------------|---3-3-3-3-3-3-|-------------|
D|-2-0-1----0-|----------------|---------------|-------------|
G|-------H3---|----------------|---------------|-------------|
E|-L2-0-0-0-0-0-0-|-1-3-3-3-3-3-L2-|-1-------------|-------------|
A|----------------|----------------|---3-3-3-3-0-1-|-3-0-1-3-0---|
D|----------------|----------------|---------------|-----------3-|
G|----------------|----------------|---------------|-------------|
E|--------------|
A|--------------|
D|-2-0-1----0-0-|
G|-------H3-----|

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

Duck River — Guitar tab

E A D G B E · open position

e|-----|---------------|-----------|-------------|
B|-----|---------------|---------3-|-0---3-0-----|
G|-----|---------------|---2-2-2---|---2-----2-0-|
D|-----|-0-0-0-2-0-0-0-|-4---------|-------------|
A|-0-2-|---------------|-----------|-------------|
E|-----|---------------|-----------|-------------|
e|---------------|-----------------|-----------|-------------|
B|---------------|-----------------|---------3-|-0---3-0-----|
G|---------------|-----------------|---2-2-2---|---2-----2-0-|
D|-4-4-4-2-0-----|-----0-0-2-0-0-0-|-4---------|-------------|
A|-----------2-0-|-0-2-------------|-----------|-------------|
E|---------------|-----------------|-----------|-------------|
e|-----------|-2-5-5-5-5-5-3-|-2-------------|-7-7-7-7-7-5-|
B|-----------|---------------|---3-3-3-3-3-3-|-------------|
G|-----------|---------------|---------------|-------------|
D|-4-0-2---0-|---------------|---------------|-------------|
A|-------4---|---------------|---------------|-------------|
E|-----------|---------------|---------------|-------------|
e|-3-0-0-0-0-0-0-|-2-5-5-5-5-5-3-|-2-------------|-------------|
B|---------------|---------------|---3-3-3-3---0-|-3---0-3-----|
G|---------------|---------------|-----------2---|---2-----2-0-|
D|---------------|---------------|---------------|-------------|
A|---------------|---------------|---------------|-------------|
E|---------------|---------------|---------------|-------------|
e|-------------|
B|-------------|
G|-------------|
D|-4-0-2---0-0-|
A|-------4-----|
E|-------------|

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

Duck River — Ukulele tab

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

A|-0-2-|-5-5-5-7-5-5-5-|-9-12-12-12-17-|-14-12-17-14-12-10-|
E|-----|---------------|---------------|-------------------|
C|-----|---------------|---------------|-------------------|
G|-----|---------------|---------------|-------------------|
A|-9-9-9-7-5-2-0-|-0-2-5-5-7-5-5-5-|-9-12-12-12-17-|-14-12-17-14-12-10-|
E|---------------|-----------------|---------------|-------------------|
C|---------------|-----------------|---------------|-------------------|
G|---------------|-----------------|---------------|-------------------|
A|-9-5-7-4-5-|-21-24-24-24-24-24-22-|-21-17-17-17-17-17-17-|-26-26-26-26-26-24-|
E|-----------|----------------------|----------------------|-------------------|
C|-----------|----------------------|----------------------|-------------------|
G|-----------|----------------------|----------------------|-------------------|
A|-22-19-19-19-19-19-19-|-21-24-24-24-24-24-22-|-21-17-17-17-17-12-14-|-17-12-14-17-12-10-|
E|----------------------|----------------------|----------------------|-------------------|
C|----------------------|----------------------|----------------------|-------------------|
G|----------------------|----------------------|----------------------|-------------------|
A|-9-5-7-4-5-5-|
E|-------------|
C|-------------|
G|-------------|

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

Duck River chords

D major · 3 chords: D, G, A

pickup
D
D
G
D A
D
D
G
D A D
D
D
G
A
D
D
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 Duck River

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

D××GA×

Ukulele chords for Duck River

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

DGA

Tenor banjo & mandolin chords for Duck River

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

DGA

More reels and tunes like it

Soldier's JoyArkansas TravelerWhiskey Before BreakfastThe Redhaired BoyCumberland GapForked DeerMississippi SawyerSaint Anne's Reel

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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