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Red River Valley — Sheet Music, Tab & Chord Directory

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About Red River Valley

Red River Valley is a folk song in D major — beginner-friendly, running from A, to A and staying in first position on banjo, mandolin and fiddle.

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

Red River Valley — 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

A, D | F♯ F♯ F♯ | F♯ E F♯ | E D A, D | F♯ D F♯ | A G F♯ | E A G | F♯ F♯ E | D E F♯ | A G G B, B♭, | A, C♯ D | E F♯ E | D

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Red River Valley — tab

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

Red River Valley — Tenor banjo tab

G D A E (Irish tuning) · open position

E|-----|-------|-------|-----|
A|-----|-------|-------|-----|
D|---0-|-4-4-4-|-4-2-4-|-2-0-|
G|-2---|-------|-------|-----|
E|-----|-------|-------|---|
A|-----|-------|-0-----|---|
D|---0-|-4-0-4-|---5-4-|-2-|
G|-2---|-------|-------|---|
E|-----|-------|-------|-----|
A|-0---|-------|-------|-0---|
D|---5-|-4-4-2-|-0-2-4-|---5-|
G|-----|-------|-------|-----|
E|-------|-------|-------|---|
A|-------|-------|-------|---|
D|-5-----|-----0-|-2-4-2-|-0-|
G|---4-3-|-2-6---|-------|---|

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

Red River Valley — Mandolin tab

G D A E · open position

E|-----|-------|-------|-----|
A|-----|-------|-------|-----|
D|---0-|-4-4-4-|-4-2-4-|-2-0-|
G|-2---|-------|-------|-----|
E|-----|-------|-------|---|
A|-----|-------|-0-----|---|
D|---0-|-4-0-4-|---5-4-|-2-|
G|-2---|-------|-------|---|
E|-----|-------|-------|-----|
A|-0---|-------|-------|-0---|
D|---5-|-4-4-2-|-0-2-4-|---5-|
G|-----|-------|-------|-----|
E|-------|-------|-------|---|
A|-------|-------|-------|---|
D|-5-----|-----0-|-2-4-2-|-0-|
G|---4-3-|-2-6---|-------|---|

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

Red River Valley — fiddle fingering

G D A E · first position — finger numbers

E|-----|-------|-------|-----|
A|-----|-------|-------|-----|
D|---0-|-2-2-2-|-2-1-2-|-1-0-|
G|-1---|-------|-------|-----|
E|-----|-------|-------|---|
A|-----|-------|-0-----|---|
D|---0-|-2-0-2-|---3-2-|-1-|
G|-1---|-------|-------|---|
E|-----|-------|-------|-----|
A|-0---|-------|-------|-0---|
D|---3-|-2-2-1-|-0-1-2-|---3-|
G|-----|-------|-------|-----|
E|--------|--------|-------|---|
A|--------|--------|-------|---|
D|-3------|------0-|-1-2-1-|-0-|
G|---2-L2-|-1-H3---|-------|---|

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

Red River Valley — Guitar tab

E A D G B E · open position

e|-----|-------|-------|-----|
B|-----|-------|-------|-----|
G|-----|-------|-------|-----|
D|---0-|-4-4-4-|-4-2-4-|-2-0-|
A|-0---|-------|-------|-----|
E|-----|-------|-------|-----|
e|-----|-------|-------|---|
B|-----|-------|-------|---|
G|-----|-------|-2-0---|---|
D|---0-|-4-0-4-|-----4-|-2-|
A|-0---|-------|-------|---|
E|-----|-------|-------|---|
e|-----|-------|-------|-----|
B|-----|-------|-------|-----|
G|-2-0-|-------|-------|-2-0-|
D|-----|-4-4-2-|-0-2-4-|-----|
A|-----|-------|-------|-----|
E|-----|-------|-------|-----|
e|-------|-------|-------|---|
B|-------|-------|-------|---|
G|-0-----|-------|-------|---|
D|-------|-----0-|-2-4-2-|-0-|
A|---2-1-|-0-4---|-------|---|
E|-------|-------|-------|---|

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

Red River Valley — Ukulele tab

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

A|-0-5-|-9-9-9-|-9-7-9-|-7-5-|
E|-----|-------|-------|-----|
C|-----|-------|-------|-----|
G|-----|-------|-------|-----|
A|-0-5-|-9-5-9-|-12-10-9-|-7-|
E|-----|-------|---------|---|
C|-----|-------|---------|---|
G|-----|-------|---------|---|
A|-12-10-|-9-9-7-|-5-7-9-|-12-10-|
E|-------|-------|-------|-------|
C|-------|-------|-------|-------|
G|-------|-------|-------|-------|
A|-10-2-1-|-0-4-5-|-7-9-7-|-5-|
E|--------|-------|-------|---|
C|--------|-------|-------|---|
G|--------|-------|-------|---|

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

Red River Valley chords

D major · 5 chords: D, A7, D7, G, G♯dim

pickup
D
D
D
D
D
D
A7
A7
D
D7
G
G G♯dim
A7
A7
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 Red River Valley

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

D××A7×D7××GG♯dim××

Ukulele chords for Red River Valley

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

DA7D7GG♯dim

Tenor banjo & mandolin chords for Red River Valley

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

DA7D7GG♯dim

More folk songs and tunes like it

Old Folks At HomeBeautiful 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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