Go Down, Moses — Chords, Tab & Sheet Music

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About Go Down, Moses

Go Down, Moses is a spiritual in B♭ major — beginner-friendly, running from D to d and staying in first position on banjo, mandolin and fiddle.

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

Go Down, Moses — 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

D | B♭ B♭ A A | B♭ B♭ G | D D F♯ F♯ G D | B♭ B♭ A A | B♭ B♭ G | D D F♯ F♯ G | G G | C C | d d C d d C B♭ G G | B♭ G | G F D | D D F♯ F♯ G

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Go Down, Moses — tab

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

Go Down, Moses — Tenor banjo tab

G D A E (Irish tuning) · open position

E|---|---------|-------|---------|
A|---|-1-1-0-0-|-1-1---|---------|
D|-0-|---------|-----5-|-0-0-4-4-|
G|---|---------|-------|---------|

E|-----|---------|-------|---------|
A|-----|-1-1-0-0-|-1-1---|---------|
D|-5-0-|---------|-----5-|-0-0-4-4-|
G|-----|---------|-------|---------|

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

E|-------------|-----|-------|---------|
A|-5-5-3-1-----|-1---|-------|---------|
D|---------5-5-|---5-|-5-3-0-|-0-0-4-4-|
G|-------------|-----|-------|---------|

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

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

Go Down, Moses — Mandolin tab

G D A E · open position

E|---|---------|-------|---------|
A|---|-1-1-0-0-|-1-1---|---------|
D|-0-|---------|-----5-|-0-0-4-4-|
G|---|---------|-------|---------|

E|-----|---------|-------|---------|
A|-----|-1-1-0-0-|-1-1---|---------|
D|-5-0-|---------|-----5-|-0-0-4-4-|
G|-----|---------|-------|---------|

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

E|-------------|-----|-------|---------|
A|-5-5-3-1-----|-1---|-------|---------|
D|---------5-5-|---5-|-5-3-0-|-0-0-4-4-|
G|-------------|-----|-------|---------|

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

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

Go Down, Moses — fiddle fingering

G D A E · first position — finger numbers

E|---|-----------|---------|---------|
A|---|-L1-L1-0-0-|-L1-L1---|---------|
D|-0-|-----------|-------3-|-0-0-2-2-|
G|---|-----------|---------|---------|

E|-----|-----------|---------|---------|
A|-----|-L1-L1-0-0-|-L1-L1---|---------|
D|-3-0-|-----------|-------3-|-0-0-2-2-|
G|-----|-----------|---------|---------|

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

E|---------------|------|--------|---------|
A|-3-3-L2-L1-----|-L1---|--------|---------|
D|-----------3-3-|----3-|-3-L2-0-|-0-0-2-2-|
G|---------------|------|--------|---------|

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

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

Go Down, Moses — Guitar tab

E A D G B E · open position

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

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

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

e|-------------|-----|-------|---------|
B|-3-3-1-------|-----|-------|---------|
G|-------3-0-0-|-3-0-|-0-----|---------|
D|-------------|-----|---3-0-|-0-0-4-4-|
A|-------------|-----|-------|---------|
E|-------------|-----|-------|---------|

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

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

Go Down, Moses — Ukulele tab

G C E A (high G) · open position

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

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

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

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

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

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

Go Down, Moses chords

B♭ major · 11 chords: Gm, D7, Gm/F, C/E, Cm/E♭, Gm/D, D+/C, Gm/B♭, D7/A, Em7♭5, E♭7

pickup

Gm D7

Gm Gm/F

C/E Cm/E♭

Gm/D D+/C

Gm/B♭ D7/A Gm Gm/F

Em7♭5 E♭7

Gm/D

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 Gm/F means play Gm with F as the lowest note.

Guitar chords for Go Down, Moses

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

Ukulele chords for Go Down, Moses

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

Tenor banjo & mandolin chords for Go Down, Moses

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

More spirituals and tunes like it

Swing Low, Sweet Chariot Nobody Knows The Trouble I've Seen Joshua Fit The Battle Of Jericho Deep River Go Tell It On The Mountain Michael, Row The Boat Ashore Amazing Grace Were You There?

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.