Londonderry Air — Chords, Tab & Sheet Music

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About Londonderry Air

Londonderry Air is a folk song in C major — beginner-friendly, running from A, to e and staying in first position on banjo, mandolin and fiddle.

Type: Folk song, each usually played twice
Key: C major · 4/4
Range: A, to e · first position
Notes used: C D E F G A B
Level: Beginner-friendly

Londonderry Air — 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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Londonderry Air — tab

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

Londonderry Air — Tenor banjo tab

G D A E (Irish tuning) · open position

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

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

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

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

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

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

Londonderry Air — Mandolin tab

G D A E · open position

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

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

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

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

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

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

Londonderry Air — fiddle fingering

G D A E · first position — finger numbers

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

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

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

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

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

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

Londonderry Air — Guitar tab

E A D G B E · open position

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

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

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

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

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

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

Londonderry Air — Ukulele tab

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

A|-2-3-5-|-7-5-7-12-10-7-|-5-3-0-0-3-7-8-|-10-12-10-7-3-7-|
E|-------|---------------|---------------|----------------|
C|-------|---------------|---------------|----------------|
G|-------|---------------|---------------|----------------|

A|-5-5-2-3-5-|-7-5-7-12-10-7-|-5-3-0-0-2-3-5-|-7-8-7-5-3-5-|
E|-----------|---------------|---------------|-------------|
C|-----------|---------------|---------------|-------------|
G|-----------|---------------|---------------|-------------|

A|-3-10-12-14-|-15-14-14-12-10-12-|-10-7-3-3-10-12-14-|-15-14-14-12-10-7-|
E|------------|-------------------|-------------------|------------------|
C|------------|-------------------|-------------------|------------------|
G|------------|-------------------|-------------------|------------------|

A|-5-5-10-10-10-|-19-17-17-15-12-15-|-10-7-3-3-2-3-5-|-7-12-10-7-5-3-0-2-|
E|--------------|-------------------|----------------|-------------------|
C|--------------|-------------------|----------------|-------------------|
G|--------------|-------------------|----------------|-------------------|

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

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

Londonderry Air chords

C major · 15 chords: C, C7, F, Fm, Em7, Am7, D7, Dm7, G7, C/E, Am, Am/G, F♯dim, C/G, Fm/A♭

pickup

C C7

F Fm

Em7 Am7 D7

Dm7 G7

C C7

F Fm

Am7 Dm7 G7

C G7

C F

C/E C

Am Am/G F Em7

D7 G7

C7 F F♯dim

C/G Am Fm/A♭

C/G Am7 Dm7 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/E means play C with E as the lowest note.

Guitar chords for Londonderry Air

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

Ukulele chords for Londonderry Air

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

Tenor banjo & mandolin chords for Londonderry Air

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

More folk songs and tunes like it

On Top Of Old Smoky The Camptown Races The Yellow Rose Of Texas Scarborough Fair Greensleeves Oh, My Darling Clementine Home On The Range Red River Valley

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.