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I Wish I Could Shimmy Like — Sheet Music, Tab & Chord Directory

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About I Wish I Could Shimmy Like

I Wish I Could Shimmy Like is a trad jazz tune in E♭ major — intermediate, running from E♭ to e♭ and staying in first position on banjo, mandolin and fiddle.

Type
Jazz tune, each usually played twice
Key
E♭ major · 4/4
Range
E♭ to e♭ · first position
Notes used
C D♭ D E♭ F G♭ F♯ G A♭ B♭ B C♭
Level
Intermediate

I Wish I Could Shimmy Like — sheet music

E♭ 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

B♭ | F F G B♭ B♭ B♭ A♭ F | G G♭ F F B♭ | B♭ B♭ C B♭ e♭ d♭ B♭ G E♭ E♭ | B C B C C B | C B C C | B♭ C B♭ C B♭ C B♭ C C♭ B♭ B♭ | F G B♭ B♭ A♭ F | G G♭ F F | B♭ B♭ C B♭ e♭ d♭ B♭ G B♭ G E♭ E♭ | C B C d d C d | e♭ d C B♭ B♭ G F♯ G | A♭ B♭ A♭ B♭ G F E♭ B♭ | E♭ d C | G♭ E♭ G♭ E♭ G♭ F E♭ | E♭

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I Wish I Could Shimmy Like — tab

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

I Wish I Could Shimmy Like — Tenor banjo tab

G D A E (Irish tuning) · open position

E|---|-----------------|-----------|-------------|
A|-1-|-------1-1-1-----|---------1-|-1-1-3-1-6-4-|
D|---|-3-3-5-------6-3-|-5-4-3-3---|-------------|
G|---|-----------------|-----------|-------------|
E|---------|-------------|---------|---------------|
A|-1-------|-2-3-2-3-3-2-|-3-2-3-3-|-1-3-1-3-1-3-1-|
D|---5-1-1-|-------------|---------|---------------|
G|---------|-------------|---------|---------------|
E|---------|-------------|---------|-----------------|
A|-3-2-1-1-|-----1-1-----|---------|-1-1-3-1-6-4-1---|
D|---------|-3-5-----6-3-|-5-4-3-3-|---------------5-|
G|---------|-------------|---------|-----------------|
E|---------|---------------|-----------------|-------------|
A|-1-------|-3-2-3-5-5-3-5-|-6-5-3-1-1-------|---1---1-----|
D|---5-1-1-|---------------|-----------5-4-5-|-6---6---5-3-|
G|---------|---------------|-----------------|-------------|
E|-----|-------|---------------|---|
A|---1-|---5-3-|---------------|---|
D|-1---|-1-----|-4-1-4-1-4-3-1-|-1-|
G|-----|-------|---------------|---|

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

I Wish I Could Shimmy Like — Mandolin tab

G D A E · open position

E|---|-----------------|-----------|-------------|
A|-1-|-------1-1-1-----|---------1-|-1-1-3-1-6-4-|
D|---|-3-3-5-------6-3-|-5-4-3-3---|-------------|
G|---|-----------------|-----------|-------------|
E|---------|-------------|---------|---------------|
A|-1-------|-2-3-2-3-3-2-|-3-2-3-3-|-1-3-1-3-1-3-1-|
D|---5-1-1-|-------------|---------|---------------|
G|---------|-------------|---------|---------------|
E|---------|-------------|---------|-----------------|
A|-3-2-1-1-|-----1-1-----|---------|-1-1-3-1-6-4-1---|
D|---------|-3-5-----6-3-|-5-4-3-3-|---------------5-|
G|---------|-------------|---------|-----------------|
E|---------|---------------|-----------------|-------------|
A|-1-------|-3-2-3-5-5-3-5-|-6-5-3-1-1-------|---1---1-----|
D|---5-1-1-|---------------|-----------5-4-5-|-6---6---5-3-|
G|---------|---------------|-----------------|-------------|
E|-----|-------|---------------|---|
A|---1-|---5-3-|---------------|---|
D|-1---|-1-----|-4-1-4-1-4-3-1-|-1-|
G|-----|-------|---------------|---|

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

I Wish I Could Shimmy Like — fiddle fingering

G D A E · first position — finger numbers

E|----|------------------------|--------------|------------------|
A|-L1-|---------L1-L1-L1-------|-----------L1-|-L1-L1-L2-L1-H3-2-|
D|----|-L2-L2-3----------H3-L2-|-3-2-L2-L2----|------------------|
G|----|------------------------|--------------|------------------|
E|------------|----------------|------------|----------------------|
A|-L1---------|-1-L2-1-L2-L2-1-|-L2-1-L2-L2-|-L1-L2-L1-L2-L1-L2-L1-|
D|----3-L1-L1-|----------------|------------|----------------------|
G|------------|----------------|------------|----------------------|
E|------------|------------------|-----------|-----------------------|
A|-L2-1-L1-L1-|------L1-L1-------|-----------|-L1-L1-L2-L1-H3-2-L1---|
D|------------|-L2-3-------H3-L2-|-3-2-L2-L2-|---------------------3-|
G|------------|------------------|-----------|-----------------------|
E|------------|------------------|---------------------|------------------|
A|-L1---------|-L2-1-L2-3-3-L2-3-|-H3-3-L2-L1-L1-------|----L1----L1------|
D|----3-L1-L1-|------------------|---------------3-2-3-|-H3----H3----3-L2-|
G|------------|------------------|---------------------|------------------|
E|-------|---------|-------------------|----|
A|----L1-|----3-L2-|-------------------|----|
D|-L1----|-L1------|-2-L1-2-L1-2-L2-L1-|-L1-|
G|-------|---------|-------------------|----|

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

I Wish I Could Shimmy Like — Guitar tab

E A D G B E · open position

e|---|-----------------|-----------|-------------|
B|---|-----------------|-----------|-----1---4-2-|
G|-3-|-----0-3-3-3-1---|-0-------3-|-3-3---3-----|
D|---|-3-3-----------3-|---4-3-3---|-------------|
A|---|-----------------|-----------|-------------|
E|---|-----------------|-----------|-------------|
e|---------|-------------|---------|---------------|
B|---------|-0-1-0-1-1-0-|-1-0-1-1-|---1---1---1---|
G|-3-0-----|-------------|---------|-3---3---3---3-|
D|-----1-1-|-------------|---------|---------------|
A|---------|-------------|---------|---------------|
E|---------|-------------|---------|---------------|
e|---------|-------------|---------|-----------------|
B|-1-0-----|-------------|---------|-----1---4-2-----|
G|-----3-3-|---0-3-3-1---|-0-------|-3-3---3-----3-0-|
D|---------|-3---------3-|---4-3-3-|-----------------|
A|---------|-------------|---------|-----------------|
E|---------|-------------|---------|-----------------|
e|---------|---------------|-----------------|-------------|
B|---------|-1-0-1-3-3-1-3-|-4-3-1-----------|-------------|
G|-3-0-----|---------------|-------3-3-0---0-|-1-3-1-3-0---|
D|-----1-1-|---------------|-------------4---|-----------3-|
A|---------|---------------|-----------------|-------------|
E|---------|---------------|-----------------|-------------|
e|-----|-------|---------------|---|
B|-----|---3-1-|---------------|---|
G|---3-|-------|---------------|---|
D|-1---|-1-----|-4-1-4-1-4-3-1-|-1-|
A|-----|-------|---------------|---|
E|-----|-------|---------------|---|

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

I Wish I Could Shimmy Like — Ukulele tab

G C E A (high G) · open position

A|-1-|-------1-1-1-----|---------1-|-1-1-3-1-6-4-|
E|---|-1-1-----------1-|---2-1-1---|-------------|
C|---|-----------------|-----------|-------------|
G|---|-----0-------1---|-0---------|-------------|
A|-1-------|-2-3-2-3-3-2-|-3-2-3-3-|-1-3-1-3-1-3-1-|
E|---------|-------------|---------|---------------|
C|-----3-3-|-------------|---------|---------------|
G|---0-----|-------------|---------|---------------|
A|-3-2-1-1-|-----1-1-----|---------|-1-1-3-1-6-4-1---|
E|---------|-1---------1-|---2-1-1-|-----------------|
C|---------|-------------|---------|-----------------|
G|---------|---0-----1---|-0-------|---------------0-|
A|-1-------|-3-2-3-5-5-3-5-|-6-5-3-1-1-------|---1---1-----|
E|---------|---------------|-------------2---|-----------1-|
C|-----3-3-|---------------|-----------------|-------------|
G|---0-----|---------------|-----------0---0-|-1---1---0---|
A|---1-|---5-3-|---------------|---|
E|-----|-------|-2---2---2-1---|---|
C|-3---|-3-----|---3---3-----3-|-3-|
G|-----|-------|---------------|---|

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

I Wish I Could Shimmy Like chords

E♭ major · 13 chords: B♭7, Cm6, B7, E♭, E♭7, A♭, Adim, E♭/B♭, C7, Fm7, Fm7♭5, Edim, G7

pickup
B♭7
Cm6 B7 B♭7
E♭ E♭7
E♭7
B♭7
B♭7
E♭
E♭
B♭7
Cm6 B7 B♭7
E♭ E♭7
E♭7
A♭ Adim
E♭/B♭ C7
Fm7 Fm7♭5 B♭7
E♭ Edim B♭7
E♭ G7 C7
B7 B♭7
E♭

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 E♭/B♭ means play E♭ with B♭ as the lowest note.

Guitar chords for I Wish I Could Shimmy Like

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

B♭7×Cm6×B7×E♭6×E♭7××A♭4Adim×E♭/B♭×C7×Fm7Fm7♭5EdimG7

Ukulele chords for I Wish I Could Shimmy Like

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

B♭7Cm6B7E♭E♭7A♭AdimE♭/B♭C7Fm7Fm7♭5EdimG7

Tenor banjo & mandolin chords for I Wish I Could Shimmy Like

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

B♭7Cm6B7E♭E♭7A♭AdimE♭/B♭C7Fm7Fm7♭5EdimG7

More jazz tunes and tunes like it

Shim-me-sha-wabbleWhisperingSomebody Stole My GalCareless LoveFrankie And JohnnyMake Me A Pallet On The FloorSt. James InfirmaryNobody Knows You

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.

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