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Old Folks At Home — Sheet Music, Tab & Chord Directory

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About Old Folks At Home

Old Folks At Home is a folk song in D major — beginner-friendly, running from D to e and staying in first position on banjo, mandolin and fiddle.

Type
Folk song
Key
D major · 4/4
Range
D to e · first position
Notes used
C♯ D E F♯ G A B
Level
Beginner-friendly

Old Folks At Home — 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♯ E D F♯ E | D d B d | A F♯ D | E F♯ E D F♯ E | D d B d | A F♯ D E E | D F♯ E D F♯ E | D d B d | A F♯ D | E F♯ E D F♯ E | D d B d | A F♯ D E E E | D C♯ d e A | A B A d | d B G B | A F♯ E D F♯ E | D d B d | A F♯ D E E E | D

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Old Folks At Home — tab

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

Old Folks At Home — Tenor banjo tab

G D A E (Irish tuning) · open position

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

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

Old Folks At Home — Mandolin tab

G D A E · open position

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

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

Old Folks At Home — fiddle fingering

G D A E · first position — finger numbers

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

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

Old Folks At Home — Guitar tab

E A D G B E · open position

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

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

Old Folks At Home — Ukulele tab

G C E A (high G) · open position

A|-----------|---5-2-5-|-0-----|---|
E|-2-0---2-0-|---------|---2---|-0-|
C|-----2-----|-2-------|-----2-|---|
G|-----------|---------|-------|---|
A|-----------|---5-2-5-|-0---------|---|
E|-2-0---2-0-|---------|---2---0-0-|---|
C|-----2-----|-2-------|-----2-----|-2-|
G|-----------|---------|-----------|---|
A|-----------|---5-2-5-|-0-----|---|
E|-2-0---2-0-|---------|---2---|-0-|
C|-----2-----|-2-------|-----2-|---|
G|-----------|---------|-------|---|
A|-----------|---5-2-5-|-0-----------|---|
E|-2-0---2-0-|---------|---2---0-0-0-|---|
C|-----2-----|-2-------|-----2-------|-2-|
G|-----------|---------|-------------|---|
A|-4-5-7-0-|-0-2-0-5-|-5-2---2-|-0-|
E|---------|---------|---------|---|
C|---------|---------|---------|---|
G|---------|---------|-----0---|---|
A|-----------|---5-2-5-|-0-----------|---|
E|-2-0---2-0-|---------|---2---0-0-0-|---|
C|-----2-----|-2-------|-----2-------|-2-|
G|-----------|---------|-------------|---|

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

Old Folks At Home chords

D major · 6 chords: D, G, A7, Em, D7, D/A

D
D G
D
A7
D
D G
D Em A7
D
D
D G
D
A7
D
D G
D Em A7
D
A7
D D7
G
D A7
D
G
D/A Em A7
D

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 D/A means play D with A as the lowest note.

Guitar chords for Old Folks At Home

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

D××GA7×EmD7××D/A×

Ukulele chords for Old Folks At Home

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

DGA7EmD7D/A

Tenor banjo & mandolin chords for Old Folks At Home

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

DGA7EmD7D/A

More folk songs and tunes like it

Red River ValleyBeautiful DreamerOh, My Darling ClementineOn Top Of Old SmokyHome On The RangeShenandoahDown In The ValleyMy Bonnie Lies Over The Ocean

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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