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Scarborough Fair — Sheet Music, Tab & Chord Directory

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About Scarborough Fair

Scarborough Fair is a folk song in C major — beginner-friendly, running from C to d and staying in first position on banjo, mandolin and fiddle.

Type
Folk song
Key
C major · 3/4
Range
C to d · first position
Notes used
C D E F G A B
Level
Beginner-friendly

Scarborough Fair — sheet music

C major · 3/4

The notes

Letter names, bar by bar · capitals up to C in the third space, lower case from the D on the 4th line

D D | A A | E F E | D A C | d C | A B G | A A d | d d | C A | A G F E | D A | G F | E D C D | D

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Scarborough Fair — tab

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

Scarborough Fair — Tenor banjo tab

G D A E (Irish tuning) · open position

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

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

Scarborough Fair — Mandolin tab

G D A E · open position

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

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

Scarborough Fair — fiddle fingering

G D A E · first position — finger numbers

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

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

Scarborough Fair — Guitar tab

E A D G B E · open position

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

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

Scarborough Fair — Ukulele tab

G C E A (high G) · open position

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

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

Scarborough Fair chords

C major · 5 chords: Dm, C, F, G, Em

Dm
Dm
C
Dm
F
Dm
F G
Dm
Dm
Dm
F
F Em Dm
C
Dm
C Dm
C Dm C
Dm
Dm

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

Guitar chords for Scarborough Fair

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

Dm××C×FGEm

Ukulele chords for Scarborough Fair

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

DmCFGEm

Tenor banjo & mandolin chords for Scarborough Fair

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

DmCFGEm

More folk songs and tunes like it

On Top Of Old SmokyThe Camptown RacesThe Yellow Rose Of TexasGreensleevesLondonderry AirOh, My Darling ClementineHome On The RangeRed River Valley

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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