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Soldier's Joy — Sheet Music, Tab & Chord Directory

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About Soldier's Joy

Soldier's Joy is a three-part old-time fiddle reel in D major — intermediate, running from D to b and staying in first position on banjo, mandolin and fiddle.

Type
Reel, three parts, each usually played twice
Key
D major · 4/4
Range
D to b · first position
Notes used
C♯ D E F♯ G A B
Level
Intermediate

Soldier's Joy — 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♯ G | A F♯ D F♯ A F♯ D F♯ | A d d C♯ B | A F♯ D F♯ A F♯ D F♯ G E E F♯ G | A F♯ D F♯ A F♯ D F♯ | A d d d e | f♯ a f♯ d e g e C♯ d f♯ d | d e | f♯ d A d f♯ a g f♯ | e d C♯ d e f♯ g e f♯ d A d f♯ g a f♯ | e d C♯ B A d e | f♯ d A d f♯ a g f♯ | e d C♯ d e f♯ g e f♯ a f♯ d e g e C♯ | d f♯ d | d e | f♯ e f♯ g a b a f♯ e d e f♯ g f♯ e g | f♯ e f♯ g a b a f♯ | e d C♯ B A d e | f♯ e f♯ g a b a f♯ e d e f♯ g f♯ e g | f♯ e d f♯ e d C♯ e | d d d d

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Soldier's Joy — tab

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

Soldier's Joy — Tenor banjo tab

G D A E (Irish tuning) · open position

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

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

Soldier's Joy — Mandolin tab

G D A E · open position

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

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

Soldier's Joy — fiddle fingering

G D A E · first position — finger numbers

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

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

Soldier's Joy — Guitar tab

E A D G B E · open position

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

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

Soldier's Joy — Ukulele tab

G C E A (high G) · open position

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

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

Soldier's Joy chords

D major · 3 chords: D, A, G

pickup
D
D
D
A
D
D
D A
D
D
D
G
D
A
D
G
D A
D
D
D
G
D
A
D
G
D A
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 Soldier's Joy

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

D××A×G

Ukulele chords for Soldier's Joy

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

DAG

Tenor banjo & mandolin chords for Soldier's Joy

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

DAG

More reels and tunes like it

Arkansas TravelerWhiskey Before BreakfastThe Redhaired BoyCumberland GapForked DeerMississippi SawyerSaint Anne's ReelLiberty

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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