Oh, Didn't He Ramble — Banjo & Mandolin Tab, Chords

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About Oh, Didn't He Ramble

Oh, Didn't He Ramble is a trad jazz tune in G major — beginner-friendly, running from B, to d and staying in first position on banjo, mandolin and fiddle.

Type: Jazz tune, each usually played twice
Key: G major · 4/4
Range: B, to d · first position
Notes used: D E G A B
Level: Beginner-friendly

Oh, Didn't He Ramble — sheet music

G 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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Oh, Didn't He Ramble — tab

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

Oh, Didn't He Ramble — Tenor banjo tab

G D A E (Irish tuning) · open position

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

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

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

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

Oh, Didn't He Ramble — Mandolin tab

G D A E · open position

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

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

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

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

Oh, Didn't He Ramble — fiddle fingering

G D A E · first position — finger numbers

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

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

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

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

Oh, Didn't He Ramble — Guitar tab

E A D G B E · open position

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

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

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

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

Oh, Didn't He Ramble — Ukulele tab

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

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

A|-5-7-10-|-14-12-14-10-14-|-17-17-14-10-7-10-12-14-|-10-5-5-7-2-|
E|--------|----------------|------------------------|------------|
C|--------|----------------|------------------------|------------|
G|--------|----------------|------------------------|------------|

A|-10-|
E|----|
C|----|
G|----|

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

Oh, Didn't He Ramble chords

G major · 3 chords: G, D7, Am7

G D7

G Am7 D7

G D7

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

Guitar chords for Oh, Didn't He Ramble

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

Ukulele chords for Oh, Didn't He Ramble

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

Tenor banjo & mandolin chords for Oh, Didn't He Ramble

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

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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.