About Shall We
Shall We is a spiritual in D major — beginner-friendly, running from D to d and staying in first position on banjo, mandolin and fiddle.
- Type
- Spiritual
- Key
- D major · 4/4
- Range
- D to d · first position
- Notes used
- C♯ D E F♯ G A B
- Level
- Beginner-friendly
Shall We — 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♯ F♯ F♯ E F♯ G | A F♯ | G G G A G F♯ | E A F♯ F♯ F♯ E F♯ G | A F♯ F♯ G | E E F♯ G F♯ E | D B B d C♯ d B | A F♯ F♯ | G F♯ G F♯ G F♯ G E | F♯ A B B B B d C♯ d B | A F♯ F♯ | E E F♯ G F♯ E | D
Shall We — tab
Tenor banjo · mandolin · fiddle · guitar · ukulele — tap one to open it
Shall We — Tenor banjo tab
G D A E (Irish tuning) · open position
E|-------------|-----|-------------|-----| A|-------------|-0---|-------0-----|---0-| D|-4-4-4-2-4-5-|---4-|-5-5-5---5-4-|-2---| G|-------------|-----|-------------|-----|
E|-------------|---------|-------------|---| A|-------------|-0-------|-------------|---| D|-4-4-4-2-4-5-|---4-4-5-|-2-2-4-5-4-2-|-0-| G|-------------|---------|-------------|---|
E|-------------|-------|-----------------|-----| A|-2-2-5-4-5-2-|-0-----|-----------------|---0-| D|-------------|---4-4-|-5-4-5-4-5-4-5-2-|-4---| G|-------------|-------|-----------------|-----|
E|-----------------|-------|-------------|---| A|-2-2-2-2-5-4-5-2-|-0-----|-------------|---| D|-----------------|---4-4-|-2-2-4-5-4-2-|-0-| G|-----------------|-------|-------------|---|
Numbers are frets. Tenor banjo sounds an octave below the written notes.
Shall We — Mandolin tab
G D A E · open position
E|-------------|-----|-------------|-----| A|-------------|-0---|-------0-----|---0-| D|-4-4-4-2-4-5-|---4-|-5-5-5---5-4-|-2---| G|-------------|-----|-------------|-----|
E|-------------|---------|-------------|---| A|-------------|-0-------|-------------|---| D|-4-4-4-2-4-5-|---4-4-5-|-2-2-4-5-4-2-|-0-| G|-------------|---------|-------------|---|
E|-------------|-------|-----------------|-----| A|-2-2-5-4-5-2-|-0-----|-----------------|---0-| D|-------------|---4-4-|-5-4-5-4-5-4-5-2-|-4---| G|-------------|-------|-----------------|-----|
E|-----------------|-------|-------------|---| A|-2-2-2-2-5-4-5-2-|-0-----|-------------|---| D|-----------------|---4-4-|-2-2-4-5-4-2-|-0-| G|-----------------|-------|-------------|---|
Numbers are frets. Same strings as the fiddle, so the same notes fall in the same places.
Shall We — fiddle fingering
G D A E · first position — finger numbers
E|-------------|-----|-------------|-----| A|-------------|-0---|-------0-----|---0-| D|-2-2-2-1-2-3-|---2-|-3-3-3---3-2-|-1---| G|-------------|-----|-------------|-----|
E|-------------|---------|-------------|---| A|-------------|-0-------|-------------|---| D|-2-2-2-1-2-3-|---2-2-3-|-1-1-2-3-2-1-|-0-| G|-------------|---------|-------------|---|
E|-------------|-------|-----------------|-----| A|-1-1-3-2-3-1-|-0-----|-----------------|---0-| D|-------------|---2-2-|-3-2-3-2-3-2-3-1-|-2---| G|-------------|-------|-----------------|-----|
E|-----------------|-------|-------------|---| A|-1-1-1-1-3-2-3-1-|-0-----|-------------|---| D|-----------------|---2-2-|-1-1-2-3-2-1-|-0-| G|-----------------|-------|-------------|---|
0 = open string · 1–4 = finger · L = low (half step back), H = high.
Shall We — Guitar tab
E A D G B E · open position
e|-------------|-----|-------------|-----| B|-------------|-----|-------------|-----| G|-----------0-|-2---|-0-0-0-2-0---|---2-| D|-4-4-4-2-4---|---4-|-----------4-|-2---| A|-------------|-----|-------------|-----| E|-------------|-----|-------------|-----|
e|-------------|---------|-------------|---| B|-------------|---------|-------------|---| G|-----------0-|-2-----0-|-------0-----|---| D|-4-4-4-2-4---|---4-4---|-2-2-4---4-2-|-0-| A|-------------|---------|-------------|---| E|-------------|---------|-------------|---|
e|-------------|-------|-----------------|-----| B|-0-0-3-2-3-0-|-------|-----------------|-----| G|-------------|-2-----|-0---0---0---0---|---2-| D|-------------|---4-4-|---4---4---4---2-|-4---| A|-------------|-------|-----------------|-----| E|-------------|-------|-----------------|-----|
e|-----------------|-------|-------------|---| B|-0-0-0-0-3-2-3-0-|-------|-------------|---| G|-----------------|-2-----|-------0-----|---| D|-----------------|---4-4-|-2-2-4---4-2-|-0-| A|-----------------|-------|-------------|---| E|-----------------|-------|-------------|---|
Numbers are frets; the bottom line is the low E string.
Shall We — Ukulele tab
G C E A (high G) · open position
A|-------------|-0---|-------0-----|---0-| E|-2-2-2-0-2---|---2-|-----------2-|-0---| C|-------------|-----|-------------|-----| G|-----------0-|-----|-0-0-0---0---|-----|
A|-------------|-0-------|-------------|---| E|-2-2-2-0-2---|---2-2---|-0-0-2---2-0-|---| C|-------------|---------|-------------|-2-| G|-----------0-|-------0-|-------0-----|---|
A|-2-2-5-4-5-2-|-0-----|-----------------|---0-| E|-------------|---2-2-|---2---2---2---0-|-2---| C|-------------|-------|-----------------|-----| G|-------------|-------|-0---0---0---0---|-----|
A|-2-2-2-2-5-4-5-2-|-0-----|-------------|---| E|-----------------|---2-2-|-0-0-2---2-0-|---| C|-----------------|-------|-------------|-2-| G|-----------------|-------|-------0-----|---|
Numbers are frets; the top line is the A string, the bottom line the high G.
Shall We chords
D major · 3 chords: D, A7, 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 Shall We
Strings E A D G B E, low to high · o = open string, × = don't play it
Ukulele chords for Shall We
Strings G C E A, low to high · o = open string, × = don't play it
Tenor banjo & mandolin chords for Shall We
Strings G D A E, low to high · o = open string, × = don't play it
More spirituals and tunes like it
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.