About Shenandoah
Shenandoah is a folk song in F major — beginner-friendly, running from C to f and staying in first position on banjo, mandolin and fiddle.
- Type
- Folk song
- Key
- F major · 4/4
- Range
- C to f · first position
- Notes used
- C D E F G A B♭
- Level
- Beginner-friendly
Shenandoah — 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
C | F F F F G A B♭ | d C f e | d C d C A C C | d d d d A C A | G F G | A F A d C F F G | A G | G F
Shenandoah — tab
Tenor banjo · mandolin · fiddle · guitar · ukulele — tap one to open it
Shenandoah — Tenor banjo tab
G D A E (Irish tuning) · open position
E|---|---------------|-----1-0-|---------| A|---|-----------0-1-|-5-3-----|-5-3-5-3-| D|---|-3-3-3-3-5-----|---------|---------| G|-5-|---------------|---------|---------|
E|-------|---------------|-------|---------| A|-0-3-3-|-5-5-5-5-0-3-0-|-------|-0---0-5-| D|-------|---------------|-5-3-5-|---3-----| G|-------|---------------|-------|---------|
E|---------|-----|-----| A|-3-------|-0---|-----| D|---3-3-5-|---5-|-5-3-| G|---------|-----|-----|
Numbers are frets. Tenor banjo sounds an octave below the written notes.
Shenandoah — Mandolin tab
G D A E · open position
E|---|---------------|-----1-0-|---------| A|---|-----------0-1-|-5-3-----|-5-3-5-3-| D|---|-3-3-3-3-5-----|---------|---------| G|-5-|---------------|---------|---------|
E|-------|---------------|-------|---------| A|-0-3-3-|-5-5-5-5-0-3-0-|-------|-0---0-5-| D|-------|---------------|-5-3-5-|---3-----| G|-------|---------------|-------|---------|
E|---------|-----|-----| A|-3-------|-0---|-----| D|---3-3-5-|---5-|-5-3-| G|---------|-----|-----|
Numbers are frets. Same strings as the fiddle, so the same notes fall in the same places.
Shenandoah — fiddle fingering
G D A E · first position — finger numbers
E|---|--------------------|------L1-0-|-----------| A|---|---------------0-L1-|-3-L2------|-3-L2-3-L2-| D|---|-L2-L2-L2-L2-3------|-----------|-----------| G|-3-|--------------------|-----------|-----------|
E|---------|----------------|--------|----------| A|-0-L2-L2-|-3-3-3-3-0-L2-0-|--------|-0----0-3-| D|---------|----------------|-3-L2-3-|---L2-----| G|---------|----------------|--------|----------|
E|------------|-----|------| A|-L2---------|-0---|------| D|----L2-L2-3-|---3-|-3-L2-| G|------------|-----|------|
0 = open string · 1–4 = finger · L = low (half step back), H = high.
Shenandoah — Guitar tab
E A D G B E · open position
e|---|---------------|-----1-0-|---------| B|---|---------------|-3-1-----|-3-1-3-1-| G|---|---------0-2-3-|---------|---------| D|---|-3-3-3-3-------|---------|---------| A|-3-|---------------|---------|---------| E|---|---------------|---------|---------|
e|-------|---------------|-------|---------| B|---1-1-|-3-3-3-3---1---|-------|-------3-| G|-2-----|---------2---2-|-0---0-|-2---2---| D|-------|---------------|---3---|---3-----| A|-------|---------------|-------|---------| E|-------|---------------|-------|---------|
e|---------|-----|-----| B|-1-------|-----|-----| G|-------0-|-2-0-|-0---| D|---3-3---|-----|---3-| A|---------|-----|-----| E|---------|-----|-----|
Numbers are frets; the bottom line is the low E string.
Shenandoah — Ukulele tab
G C E A (high G) · open position
A|---|-----------0-1-|-5-3-8-7-|-5-3-5-3-| E|---|-1-1-1-1-------|---------|---------| C|-0-|---------------|---------|---------| G|---|---------0-----|---------|---------|
A|-0-3-3-|-5-5-5-5-0-3-0-|-------|-0---0-5-| E|-------|---------------|---1---|---1-----| C|-------|---------------|-------|---------| G|-------|---------------|-0---0-|---------|
A|-3-------|-0---|-----| E|---1-1---|-----|---1-| C|---------|-----|-----| G|-------0-|---0-|-0---|
Numbers are frets; the top line is the A string, the bottom line the high G.
Shenandoah chords
F major · 7 chords: F, F7, B♭, Dm, Am, Gm, C
One box per bar, in the same order as the sheet music. A faded chord carries on from the bar before.
Guitar chords for Shenandoah
Strings E A D G B E, low to high · o = open string, × = don't play it
Ukulele chords for Shenandoah
Strings G C E A, low to high · o = open string, × = don't play it
Tenor banjo & mandolin chords for Shenandoah
Strings G D A E, low to high · o = open string, × = don't play it
More folk songs 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.