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Polly Wolly Doodle — Sheet Music, Tab & Chord Directory

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About Polly Wolly Doodle

Polly Wolly Doodle is a nursery rhyme in F major — beginner-friendly, running from E to C and staying in first position on banjo, mandolin and fiddle.

Type
Nursery rhyme
Key
F major · 4/4
Range
E to C · first position
Notes used
C E F G A B♭
Level
Beginner-friendly

Polly Wolly Doodle — sheet music

F 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 F G | A A F F | A A A A B♭ B♭ A A G E F | G G E E | G G E G | C C C C B♭ B♭ G G F F G | A F G | A F G | A A B♭ A G E F | G G G G E E E E | G G G G E E G | C C C C B♭ B♭ G G F

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Polly Wolly Doodle — tab

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

Polly Wolly Doodle — Tenor banjo tab

G D A E (Irish tuning) · open position

E|-----|-----------|---------|-----------------|
A|-----|-0-0-------|-0-0-----|-0-0-0-0-1-1-0-0-|
D|-3-5-|-----3-3-5-|-----3-3-|-----------------|
G|-----|-----------|---------|-----------------|
E|-------|---------|---------|-----------------|
A|-------|---------|---------|-3-3-3-3-1-1-----|
D|-5-2-3-|-5-5-2-2-|-5-5-2-5-|-------------5-5-|
G|-------|---------|---------|-----------------|
E|-------|-------|-------|---------|
A|-------|-0-----|-0-----|-0-0-1-0-|
D|-3-3-5-|---3-5-|---3-5-|---------|
G|-------|-------|-------|---------|
E|-------|-----------------|---------------|-----------------|
A|-------|-----------------|---------------|-3-3-3-3-1-1-----|
D|-5-2-3-|-5-5-5-5-2-2-2-2-|-5-5-5-5-2-2-5-|-------------5-5-|
G|-------|-----------------|---------------|-----------------|
E|---|
A|---|
D|-3-|
G|---|

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

Polly Wolly Doodle — Mandolin tab

G D A E · open position

E|-----|-----------|---------|-----------------|
A|-----|-0-0-------|-0-0-----|-0-0-0-0-1-1-0-0-|
D|-3-5-|-----3-3-5-|-----3-3-|-----------------|
G|-----|-----------|---------|-----------------|
E|-------|---------|---------|-----------------|
A|-------|---------|---------|-3-3-3-3-1-1-----|
D|-5-2-3-|-5-5-2-2-|-5-5-2-5-|-------------5-5-|
G|-------|---------|---------|-----------------|
E|-------|-------|-------|---------|
A|-------|-0-----|-0-----|-0-0-1-0-|
D|-3-3-5-|---3-5-|---3-5-|---------|
G|-------|-------|-------|---------|
E|-------|-----------------|---------------|-----------------|
A|-------|-----------------|---------------|-3-3-3-3-1-1-----|
D|-5-2-3-|-5-5-5-5-2-2-2-2-|-5-5-5-5-2-2-5-|-------------5-5-|
G|-------|-----------------|---------------|-----------------|
E|---|
A|---|
D|-3-|
G|---|

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

Polly Wolly Doodle — fiddle fingering

G D A E · first position — finger numbers

E|------|-------------|-----------|-------------------|
A|------|-0-0---------|-0-0-------|-0-0-0-0-L1-L1-0-0-|
D|-L2-3-|-----L2-L2-3-|-----L2-L2-|-------------------|
G|------|-------------|-----------|-------------------|
E|--------|---------|---------|-----------------------|
A|--------|---------|---------|-L2-L2-L2-L2-L1-L1-----|
D|-3-1-L2-|-3-3-1-1-|-3-3-1-3-|-------------------3-3-|
G|--------|---------|---------|-----------------------|
E|---------|--------|--------|----------|
A|---------|-0------|-0------|-0-0-L1-0-|
D|-L2-L2-3-|---L2-3-|---L2-3-|----------|
G|---------|--------|--------|----------|
E|--------|-----------------|---------------|-----------------------|
A|--------|-----------------|---------------|-L2-L2-L2-L2-L1-L1-----|
D|-3-1-L2-|-3-3-3-3-1-1-1-1-|-3-3-3-3-1-1-3-|-------------------3-3-|
G|--------|-----------------|---------------|-----------------------|
E|----|
A|----|
D|-L2-|
G|----|

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

Polly Wolly Doodle — Guitar tab

E A D G B E · open position

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

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

Polly Wolly Doodle — Ukulele tab

G C E A (high G) · open position

A|-----|-0-0-------|-0-0-----|-0-0-0-0-1-1-0-0-|
E|-1---|-----1-1---|-----1-1-|-----------------|
C|-----|-----------|---------|-----------------|
G|---0-|---------0-|---------|-----------------|
A|-------|---------|---------|-3-3-3-3-1-1-----|
E|---0-1-|-----0-0-|-----0---|-----------------|
C|-------|---------|---------|-----------------|
G|-0-----|-0-0-----|-0-0---0-|-------------0-0-|
A|-------|-0-----|-0-----|-0-0-1-0-|
E|-1-1---|---1---|---1---|---------|
C|-------|-------|-------|---------|
G|-----0-|-----0-|-----0-|---------|
A|-------|-----------------|---------------|-3-3-3-3-1-1-----|
E|---0-1-|---------0-0-0-0-|---------0-0---|-----------------|
C|-------|-----------------|---------------|-----------------|
G|-0-----|-0-0-0-0---------|-0-0-0-0-----0-|-------------0-0-|
A|---|
E|-1-|
C|---|
G|---|

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

Polly Wolly Doodle chords

F major · 2 chords: F, C7

pickup
F
F
F
C7
C7
C7
C7
F
F
F
F
C7
C7
C7
C7
F

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

Guitar chords for Polly Wolly Doodle

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

FC7×

Ukulele chords for Polly Wolly Doodle

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

FC7

Tenor banjo & mandolin chords for Polly Wolly Doodle

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

FC7

More nursery rhymes and tunes like it

Frère JacquesHere We Go 'Round The Mulberry BushAlouetteTwinkle, Twinkle, Little StarMary Had A Little LambLondon Bridge Is Falling DownRow, Row, Row Your BoatPop Goes The Weasel

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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