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Sailor's Hornpipe — Sheet Music, Tab & Chord Directory

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About Sailor's Hornpipe

Sailor's Hornpipe is a two-part old-time fiddle hornpipe in G major — one for the more experienced, running from D to b and staying in first position on banjo, mandolin and fiddle.

Type
Hornpipe, two parts, each usually played twice
Key
G major · 4/4
Range
D to b · first position
Notes used
C C♯ D E F♯ G A B
Level
One for the more experienced

Sailor's Hornpipe — 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

g f♯ | g G G d C | B d g f♯ g b a g | a A A a g f♯ e d C♯ d e f♯ | g f♯ e d e d C B | C B A G G F♯ E D | E G F♯ A G B A C B G G g f♯ | B G G d C | B d g d B d g d | e C C e d C♯ e a e C♯ e a e | f♯ d d e f♯ | g f♯ e d e d C B | C B A G A G F♯ E D G F♯ A G B A C | B A G F♯ G d C | B A G F♯ G

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Sailor's Hornpipe — tab

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

Sailor's Hornpipe — Tenor banjo tab

G D A E (Irish tuning) · open position

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

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

Sailor's Hornpipe — Mandolin tab

G D A E · open position

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

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

Sailor's Hornpipe — fiddle fingering

G D A E · first position — finger numbers

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

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

Sailor's Hornpipe — Guitar tab

E A D G B E · open position

e|-3-2-|-3---------|-----3-2-3-7-5-3-|-5-----5-3-|
B|-----|-------3-1-|-0-3-------------|-----------|
G|-----|---0-0-----|-----------------|---2-2-----|
D|-----|-----------|-----------------|-----------|
A|-----|-----------|-----------------|-----------|
E|-----|-----------|-----------------|-----------|
e|-2-0-------0-2-|-3-2-0---0-------|-----------------|-----------------|
B|-----3-2-3-----|-------3---3-1-0-|-1-0-------------|-----------0---1-|
G|---------------|-----------------|-----2-0-0-------|---0---2-0---2---|
D|---------------|-----------------|-----------4-2-0-|-2---4-----------|
A|---------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
E|---------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
e|-------3-2-|-----------|-----3-------3---|-0-----0---|
B|-0---------|-0-----3-1-|-0-3---3-0-3---3-|---1-1---3-|
G|---0-0-----|---0-0-----|-----------------|-----------|
D|-----------|-----------|-----------------|-----------|
A|-----------|-----------|-----------------|-----------|
E|-----------|-----------|-----------------|-----------|
e|---0-5-0---0-5-0-|-2-----0-2-|-3-2-0---0-------|-----------------|
B|-2-------2-------|---3-3-----|-------3---3-1-0-|-1-0-------------|
G|-----------------|-----------|-----------------|-----2-0-2-0-----|
D|-----------------|-----------|-----------------|-------------4-2-|
A|-----------------|-----------|-----------------|-----------------|
E|-----------------|-----------|-----------------|-----------------|
e|-----------------|---------------|-----------|
B|-----------0---1-|-0---------3-1-|-0---------|
G|---0---2-0---2---|---2-0---0-----|---2-0---0-|
D|-0---4-----------|-------4-------|-------4---|
A|-----------------|---------------|-----------|
E|-----------------|---------------|-----------|

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

Sailor's Hornpipe — Ukulele tab

G C E A (high G) · open position

A|-10-9-|-10-----5-3-|-2-5-10-9-10-14-12-10-|-12-0-0-12-10-|
E|------|------------|----------------------|--------------|
C|------|------------|----------------------|--------------|
G|------|----0-0-----|----------------------|--------------|
A|-9-7-5-4-5-7-9-|-10-9-7-5-7-5-3-2-|-3-2-0-----------|-------0---2-0-3-|
E|---------------|------------------|-----------2-0---|-0---2-----------|
C|---------------|------------------|---------------2-|-----------------|
G|---------------|------------------|-------0-0-------|---0-----0-------|
A|-2-----10-9-|-2-----5-3-|-2-5-10-5-2-5-10-5-|-7-3-3-7-5-|
E|------------|-----------|-------------------|-----------|
C|------------|-----------|-------------------|-----------|
G|---0-0------|---0-0-----|-------------------|-----------|
A|-4-7-12-7-4-7-12-7-|-9-5-5-7-9-|-10-9-7-5-7-5-3-2-|-3-2-0---0-------|
E|-------------------|-----------|------------------|-------------2-0-|
C|-------------------|-----------|------------------|-----------------|
G|-------------------|-----------|------------------|-------0---0-----|
A|-------0---2-0-3-|-2-0-------5-3-|-2-0-------|
E|-----2-----------|-------2-------|-------2---|
C|-2---------------|---------------|-----------|
G|---0-----0-------|-----0---0-----|-----0---0-|

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

Sailor's Hornpipe chords

G major · 4 chords: G, A, D, C

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

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

Guitar chords for Sailor's Hornpipe

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

GA×D××C×

Ukulele chords for Sailor's Hornpipe

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

GADC

Tenor banjo & mandolin chords for Sailor's Hornpipe

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

GADC

More hornpipes and tunes like it

Sally Growler's HornpipeFisher's HornpipeRickett's HornpipeBlackberry BlossomTurkey in the StrawTemperance ReelBig SciotaFlop-Eared Mule

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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