About Go Tell Aunt Rhody
Go Tell Aunt Rhody is a nursery rhyme in D major — beginner-friendly, running from D to A and staying in first position on banjo, mandolin and fiddle.
- Type
- Nursery rhyme
- Key
- D major · 2/4
- Range
- D to A · first position
- Notes used
- D E F♯ G A
- Level
- Beginner-friendly
Go Tell Aunt Rhody — sheet music
D major · 2/4
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 D | E E G | F♯ E D A A G | F♯ D D | E G F♯ E | D
Go Tell Aunt Rhody — tab
Tenor banjo · mandolin · fiddle · guitar · ukulele — tap one to open it
Go Tell Aunt Rhody — Tenor banjo tab
G D A E (Irish tuning) · open position
E|-------|-----|-------|-------| A|-------|-----|-------|-------| D|-4-4-2-|-0-0-|-2-2-5-|-4-2-0-| G|-------|-----|-------|-------|
E|-------|-------|---------|---| A|-0-0---|-------|---------|---| D|-----5-|-4-0-0-|-2-5-4-2-|-0-| G|-------|-------|---------|---|
Numbers are frets. Tenor banjo sounds an octave below the written notes.
Go Tell Aunt Rhody — Mandolin tab
G D A E · open position
E|-------|-----|-------|-------| A|-------|-----|-------|-------| D|-4-4-2-|-0-0-|-2-2-5-|-4-2-0-| G|-------|-----|-------|-------|
E|-------|-------|---------|---| A|-0-0---|-------|---------|---| D|-----5-|-4-0-0-|-2-5-4-2-|-0-| G|-------|-------|---------|---|
Numbers are frets. Same strings as the fiddle, so the same notes fall in the same places.
Go Tell Aunt Rhody — fiddle fingering
G D A E · first position — finger numbers
E|-------|-----|-------|-------| A|-------|-----|-------|-------| D|-2-2-1-|-0-0-|-1-1-3-|-2-1-0-| G|-------|-----|-------|-------|
E|-------|-------|---------|---| A|-0-0---|-------|---------|---| D|-----3-|-2-0-0-|-1-3-2-1-|-0-| G|-------|-------|---------|---|
0 = open string · 1–4 = finger · L = low (half step back), H = high.
Go Tell Aunt Rhody — Guitar tab
E A D G B E · open position
e|-------|-----|-------|-------| B|-------|-----|-------|-------| G|-------|-----|-----0-|-------| D|-4-4-2-|-0-0-|-2-2---|-4-2-0-| A|-------|-----|-------|-------| E|-------|-----|-------|-------|
e|-------|-------|---------|---| B|-------|-------|---------|---| G|-2-2-0-|-------|---0-----|---| D|-------|-4-0-0-|-2---4-2-|-0-| A|-------|-------|---------|---| E|-------|-------|---------|---|
Numbers are frets; the bottom line is the low E string.
Go Tell Aunt Rhody — Ukulele tab
G C E A (high G) · open position
A|-------|-----|-------|-------| E|-2-2-0-|-----|-0-0---|-2-0---| C|-------|-2-2-|-------|-----2-| G|-------|-----|-----0-|-------|
A|-0-0---|-------|---------|---| E|-------|-2-----|-0---2-0-|---| C|-------|---2-2-|---------|-2-| G|-----0-|-------|---0-----|---|
Numbers are frets; the top line is the A string, the bottom line the high G.
Go Tell Aunt Rhody chords
D major · 2 chords: D, A7
One box per bar, in the same order as the sheet music. A faded chord carries on from the bar before.
Guitar chords for Go Tell Aunt Rhody
Strings E A D G B E, low to high · o = open string, × = don't play it
Ukulele chords for Go Tell Aunt Rhody
Strings G C E A, low to high · o = open string, × = don't play it
Tenor banjo & mandolin chords for Go Tell Aunt Rhody
Strings G D A E, low to high · o = open string, × = don't play it
More nursery rhymes 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.