Frankie And Johnny — Banjo & Mandolin Tab, Chords

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About Frankie And Johnny

Frankie And Johnny is a trad jazz tune in C major — beginner-friendly, running from C to d and staying in first position on banjo, mandolin and fiddle.

Type: Jazz tune
Key: C major · 4/4
Range: C to d · first position
Notes used: C D E♭ E F G A B
Level: Beginner-friendly

Frankie And Johnny — sheet music

C 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

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Frankie And Johnny — tab

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

Frankie And Johnny — Tenor banjo tab

G D A E (Irish tuning) · open position

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

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

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

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

Frankie And Johnny — Mandolin tab

G D A E · open position

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

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

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

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

Frankie And Johnny — fiddle fingering

G D A E · first position — finger numbers

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

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

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

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

Frankie And Johnny — Guitar tab

E A D G B E · open position

e|---------------|-------|---------------|-----|
B|---------------|-------|---------------|-----|
G|-----0-2-2-0-2-|-------|-----0-2-0-----|-----|
D|---2-----------|-------|---2-------2---|-----|
A|-3-------------|-3-3-3-|-3-----------3-|-3-3-|
E|---------------|-------|---------------|-----|

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

e|---|-----------|---|---|
B|---|-----------|---|---|
G|---|-2-2-2-2-0-|---|---|
D|-0-|-----------|---|---|
A|---|-----------|-3-|-3-|
E|---|-----------|---|---|

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

Frankie And Johnny — Ukulele tab

G C E A (high G) · open position

A|-------0-0---0-|-------|-------0-------|-----|
E|---0-----------|-------|---0-------0---|-----|
C|-0-------------|-0-0-0-|-0-----------0-|-0-0-|
G|-----0-----0---|-------|-----0---0-----|-----|

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

A|---|-0-0-0-0---|---|---|
E|---|-----------|---|---|
C|-2-|-----------|-0-|-0-|
G|---|---------0-|---|---|

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

Frankie And Johnny chords

C major · 13 chords: C, G7♯5, C7, F, F♯dim, C/G, A7, D7, G7, C7/B♭, Adim, Fm6, A♭7

C G7♯5

C C7

F F♯dim

C/G A7

C C7/B♭ Adim Fm6

C/G A♭7 G7

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 C/G means play C with G as the lowest note.

Guitar chords for Frankie And Johnny

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

Ukulele chords for Frankie And Johnny

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

Tenor banjo & mandolin chords for Frankie And Johnny

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

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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.