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Mississippi Sawyer — Sheet Music, Tab & Chord Directory

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About Mississippi Sawyer

Mississippi Sawyer is a two-part old-time fiddle reel in D major — beginner-friendly, running from A to b and staying in first position on banjo, mandolin and fiddle.

Type
Reel, two parts, each usually played twice
Key
D major · 4/4
Range
A to b · first position
Notes used
C♯ D E F♯ G A B
Level
Beginner-friendly

Mississippi Sawyer — sheet music

D 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

f♯ g | a a f♯ a a f♯ | a f♯ a b a | g e f♯ g e f♯ g f♯ g a g | f♯ f♯ g f♯ e d C♯ | d e f♯ g a e f♯ | g f♯ e d C♯ A B C♯ d f♯ d f♯ g | d d e d f♯ e | d f♯ e d f♯ e | d e f♯ g a e C♯ A C♯ | A B C♯ d e f♯ e C♯ | d f♯ e d f♯ e | d e f♯ g a e f♯ g f♯ e d C♯ A B C♯ | d f♯ d f♯ e | d f♯ d

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Mississippi Sawyer — tab

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

Mississippi Sawyer — Tenor banjo tab

G D A E (Irish tuning) · open position

E|-2-3-|-5-5-2-5-5-2-|-5-2-5-7-5-|-3-0-2-3-0-2-|
A|-----|-------------|-----------|-------------|
D|-----|-------------|-----------|-------------|
G|-----|-------------|-----------|-------------|
E|-3-2-3-5-3-|-2-2-3-2-0-----|---0-2-3-5-0-2-|-3-2-0-----------|
A|-----------|-----------5-4-|-5-------------|-------5-4-0-2-4-|
D|-----------|---------------|---------------|-----------------|
G|-----------|---------------|---------------|-----------------|
E|---2---2-3-|-----0---2-0-|---2-0---2-0-|---0-2-3-5-|
A|-5---5-----|-5-5---5-----|-5-----5-----|-5---------|
D|-----------|-------------|-------------|-----------|
G|-----------|-------------|-------------|-----------|
E|-0-------|---------0-2-0---|---2-0---2-0-|---0-2-3-5-0-2-|
A|---4-0-4-|-0-2-4-5-------4-|-5-----5-----|-5-------------|
D|---------|-----------------|-------------|---------------|
G|---------|-----------------|-------------|---------------|
E|-3-2-0-----------|---2---2-0-|---2---|
A|-------5-4-0-2-4-|-5---5-----|-5---5-|
D|-----------------|-----------|-------|
G|-----------------|-----------|-------|

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

Mississippi Sawyer — Mandolin tab

G D A E · open position

E|-2-3-|-5-5-2-5-5-2-|-5-2-5-7-5-|-3-0-2-3-0-2-|
A|-----|-------------|-----------|-------------|
D|-----|-------------|-----------|-------------|
G|-----|-------------|-----------|-------------|
E|-3-2-3-5-3-|-2-2-3-2-0-----|---0-2-3-5-0-2-|-3-2-0-----------|
A|-----------|-----------5-4-|-5-------------|-------5-4-0-2-4-|
D|-----------|---------------|---------------|-----------------|
G|-----------|---------------|---------------|-----------------|
E|---2---2-3-|-----0---2-0-|---2-0---2-0-|---0-2-3-5-|
A|-5---5-----|-5-5---5-----|-5-----5-----|-5---------|
D|-----------|-------------|-------------|-----------|
G|-----------|-------------|-------------|-----------|
E|-0-------|---------0-2-0---|---2-0---2-0-|---0-2-3-5-0-2-|
A|---4-0-4-|-0-2-4-5-------4-|-5-----5-----|-5-------------|
D|---------|-----------------|-------------|---------------|
G|---------|-----------------|-------------|---------------|
E|-3-2-0-----------|---2---2-0-|---2---|
A|-------5-4-0-2-4-|-5---5-----|-5---5-|
D|-----------------|-----------|-------|
G|-----------------|-----------|-------|

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

Mississippi Sawyer — fiddle fingering

G D A E · first position — finger numbers

E|-1-L2-|-3-3-1-3-3-1-|-3-1-3-4-3-|-L2-0-1-L2-0-1-|
A|------|-------------|-----------|---------------|
D|------|-------------|-----------|---------------|
G|------|-------------|-----------|---------------|
E|-L2-1-L2-3-L2-|-1-1-L2-1-0-----|---0-1-L2-3-0-1-|-L2-1-0-----------|
A|--------------|------------3-2-|-3--------------|--------3-2-0-1-2-|
D|--------------|----------------|----------------|------------------|
G|--------------|----------------|----------------|------------------|
E|---1---1-L2-|-----0---1-0-|---1-0---1-0-|---0-1-L2-3-|
A|-3---3------|-3-3---3-----|-3-----3-----|-3----------|
D|------------|-------------|-------------|------------|
G|------------|-------------|-------------|------------|
E|-0-------|---------0-1-0---|---1-0---1-0-|---0-1-L2-3-0-1-|
A|---2-0-2-|-0-1-2-3-------2-|-3-----3-----|-3--------------|
D|---------|-----------------|-------------|----------------|
G|---------|-----------------|-------------|----------------|
E|-L2-1-0-----------|---1---1-0-|---1---|
A|--------3-2-0-1-2-|-3---3-----|-3---3-|
D|------------------|-----------|-------|
G|------------------|-----------|-------|

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

Mississippi Sawyer — Guitar tab

E A D G B E · open position

e|-2-3-|-5-5-2-5-5-2-|-5-2-5-7-5-|-3-0-2-3-0-2-|
B|-----|-------------|-----------|-------------|
G|-----|-------------|-----------|-------------|
D|-----|-------------|-----------|-------------|
A|-----|-------------|-----------|-------------|
E|-----|-------------|-----------|-------------|
e|-3-2-3-5-3-|-2-2-3-2-0-----|---0-2-3-5-0-2-|-3-2-0-----------|
B|-----------|-----------3-2-|-3-------------|-------3-2---0-2-|
G|-----------|---------------|---------------|-----------2-----|
D|-----------|---------------|---------------|-----------------|
A|-----------|---------------|---------------|-----------------|
E|-----------|---------------|---------------|-----------------|
e|---2---2-3-|-----0---2-0-|---2-0---2-0-|---0-2-3-5-|
B|-3---3-----|-3-3---3-----|-3-----3-----|-3---------|
G|-----------|-------------|-------------|-----------|
D|-----------|-------------|-------------|-----------|
A|-----------|-------------|-------------|-----------|
E|-----------|-------------|-------------|-----------|
e|-0-------|---------0-2-0---|---2-0---2-0-|---0-2-3-5-0-2-|
B|---2---2-|---0-2-3-------2-|-3-----3-----|-3-------------|
G|-----2---|-2---------------|-------------|---------------|
D|---------|-----------------|-------------|---------------|
A|---------|-----------------|-------------|---------------|
E|---------|-----------------|-------------|---------------|
e|-3-2-0-----------|---2---2-0-|---2---|
B|-------3-2---0-2-|-3---3-----|-3---3-|
G|-----------2-----|-----------|-------|
D|-----------------|-----------|-------|
A|-----------------|-----------|-------|
E|-----------------|-----------|-------|

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

Mississippi Sawyer — Ukulele tab

G C E A (high G) · open position

A|-9-10-|-12-12-9-12-12-9-|-12-9-12-14-12-|-10-7-9-10-7-9-|
E|------|-----------------|---------------|---------------|
C|------|-----------------|---------------|---------------|
G|------|-----------------|---------------|---------------|
A|-10-9-10-12-10-|-9-9-10-9-7-5-4-|-5-7-9-10-12-7-9-|-10-9-7-5-4-0-2-4-|
E|---------------|----------------|-----------------|------------------|
C|---------------|----------------|-----------------|------------------|
G|---------------|----------------|-----------------|------------------|
A|-5-9-5-9-10-|-5-5-7-5-9-7-|-5-9-7-5-9-7-|-5-7-9-10-12-|
E|------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
C|------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
G|------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
A|-7-4-0-4-|-0-2-4-5-7-9-7-4-|-5-9-7-5-9-7-|-5-7-9-10-12-7-9-|
E|---------|-----------------|-------------|-----------------|
C|---------|-----------------|-------------|-----------------|
G|---------|-----------------|-------------|-----------------|
A|-10-9-7-5-4-0-2-4-|-5-9-5-9-7-|-5-9-5-|
E|------------------|-----------|-------|
C|------------------|-----------|-------|
G|------------------|-----------|-------|

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

Mississippi Sawyer chords

D major · 3 chords: D, G, A

pickup
D
D
G
G
D
D
A
D
D
D
D
A
A
D
D
A
D
D

One box per bar, in the same order as the sheet music. A faded chord carries on from the bar before.

Guitar chords for Mississippi Sawyer

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

D××GA×

Ukulele chords for Mississippi Sawyer

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

DGA

Tenor banjo & mandolin chords for Mississippi Sawyer

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

DGA

More reels and tunes like it

Soldier's JoyArkansas TravelerWhiskey Before BreakfastThe Redhaired BoyCumberland GapForked DeerSaint Anne's ReelLiberty

This traditional setting comes from Jim’s Roots & Blues. The tune itself is traditional. Tabs and letter names worked out by The Music Arcade.

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