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Speed The Plough — Sheet Music, Tab & Chord Directory

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About Speed The Plough

Speed The Plough is a two-part old-time fiddle reel in A major — intermediate, running from E to a and staying in first position on banjo, mandolin and fiddle.

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

Speed The Plough — sheet music

A 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

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

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Speed The Plough — tab

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

Speed The Plough — Tenor banjo tab

G D A E (Irish tuning) · open position

E|---|---------0-2-0---|-0-5-0---0-2-0---|---2-------0-----|
A|---|-0-2-4-5-------4-|-------4-------4-|-5---5-2-4---4-0-|
D|-2-|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
G|---|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
E|-----------------|---------0-2-0---|-0-5-4-5-2-5-0---|---0-------------|
A|---2-2-0---2-2-4-|-0-2-4-5-------4-|---------------4-|-5---4-5-2-4-0-2-|
D|-4-------6-------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
G|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
E|-------------|-----------0-2-4-|-5-5-4-5-----0-|-5---4---2---0---|
A|---0---2-0-0-|---0---2-0-------|---------0-4---|---0---0---0---0-|
D|-4---6-------|-4---6-----------|---------------|-----------------|
G|-------------|-----------------|---------------|-----------------|
E|---2-------0-----|---------------0-|-------0---2---0---|-2-4-5-2-0-------|
A|-5---5-2-4---4-0-|---2-2-0---2-2---|-4-2-0---0---0---0-|-----------4-0-4-|
D|-----------------|-4-------6-------|-------------------|-----------------|
G|-----------------|-----------------|-------------------|-----------------|
E|---0-------------|-----------0-2-4-|---------------|
A|-5---4-5-2-4-0-2-|---0---2-0-------|---0---2-0-0---|
D|-----------------|-4---6-----------|-4---6-------2-|
G|-----------------|-----------------|---------------|

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

Speed The Plough — Mandolin tab

G D A E · open position

E|---|---------0-2-0---|-0-5-0---0-2-0---|---2-------0-----|
A|---|-0-2-4-5-------4-|-------4-------4-|-5---5-2-4---4-0-|
D|-2-|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
G|---|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
E|-----------------|---------0-2-0---|-0-5-4-5-2-5-0---|---0-------------|
A|---2-2-0---2-2-4-|-0-2-4-5-------4-|---------------4-|-5---4-5-2-4-0-2-|
D|-4-------6-------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
G|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
E|-------------|-----------0-2-4-|-5-5-4-5-----0-|-5---4---2---0---|
A|---0---2-0-0-|---0---2-0-------|---------0-4---|---0---0---0---0-|
D|-4---6-------|-4---6-----------|---------------|-----------------|
G|-------------|-----------------|---------------|-----------------|
E|---2-------0-----|---------------0-|-------0---2---0---|-2-4-5-2-0-------|
A|-5---5-2-4---4-0-|---2-2-0---2-2---|-4-2-0---0---0---0-|-----------4-0-4-|
D|-----------------|-4-------6-------|-------------------|-----------------|
G|-----------------|-----------------|-------------------|-----------------|
E|---0-------------|-----------0-2-4-|---------------|
A|-5---4-5-2-4-0-2-|---0---2-0-------|---0---2-0-0---|
D|-----------------|-4---6-----------|-4---6-------2-|
G|-----------------|-----------------|---------------|

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

Speed The Plough — fiddle fingering

G D A E · first position — finger numbers

E|---|---------0-1-0---|-0-3-0---0-1-0---|---1-------0-----|
A|---|-0-1-2-3-------2-|-------2-------2-|-3---3-1-2---2-0-|
D|-1-|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
G|---|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
E|------------------|---------0-1-0---|-0-3-2-3-1-3-0---|---0-------------|
A|---1-1-0----1-1-2-|-0-1-2-3-------2-|---------------2-|-3---2-3-1-2-0-1-|
D|-2-------H3-------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
G|------------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
E|--------------|------------0-1-2-|-3-3-2-3-----0-|-3---2---1---0---|
A|---0----1-0-0-|---0----1-0-------|---------0-2---|---0---0---0---0-|
D|-2---H3-------|-2---H3-----------|---------------|-----------------|
G|--------------|------------------|---------------|-----------------|
E|---1-------0-----|----------------0-|-------0---1---0---|-1-2-3-1-0-------|
A|-3---3-1-2---2-0-|---1-1-0----1-1---|-2-1-0---0---0---0-|-----------2-0-2-|
D|-----------------|-2-------H3-------|-------------------|-----------------|
G|-----------------|------------------|-------------------|-----------------|
E|---0-------------|------------0-1-2-|----------------|
A|-3---2-3-1-2-0-1-|---0----1-0-------|---0----1-0-0---|
D|-----------------|-2---H3-----------|-2---H3-------1-|
G|-----------------|------------------|----------------|

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

Speed The Plough — Guitar tab

E A D G B E · open position

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

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

Speed The Plough — Ukulele tab

G C E A (high G) · open position

A|---|-0-2-4-5-7-9-7-4-|-7-12-7-4-7-9-7-4-|-5-9-5-2-4-7-4-0-|
E|-0-|-----------------|------------------|-----------------|
C|---|-----------------|------------------|-----------------|
G|---|-----------------|------------------|-----------------|
A|---2-2-0---2-2-4-|-0-2-4-5-7-9-7-4-|-7-12-11-12-9-12-7-4-|-5-7-4-5-2-4-0-2-|
E|-2---------------|-----------------|---------------------|-----------------|
C|-----------------|-----------------|---------------------|-----------------|
G|---------1-------|-----------------|---------------------|-----------------|
A|---0---2-0-0-|---0---2-0-7-9-11-|-12-12-11-12-0-4-7-|-12-0-11-0-9-0-7-0-|
E|-2-----------|-2----------------|-------------------|-------------------|
C|-------------|------------------|-------------------|-------------------|
G|-----1-------|-----1------------|-------------------|-------------------|
A|-5-9-5-2-4-7-4-0-|---2-2-0---2-2-7-|-4-2-0-7-0-9-0-7-0-|-9-11-12-9-7-4-0-4-|
E|-----------------|-2---------------|-------------------|-------------------|
C|-----------------|-----------------|-------------------|-------------------|
G|-----------------|---------1-------|-------------------|-------------------|
A|-5-7-4-5-2-4-0-2-|---0---2-0-7-9-11-|---0---2-0-0---|
E|-----------------|-2----------------|-2-----------0-|
C|-----------------|------------------|---------------|
G|-----------------|-----1------------|-----1---------|

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

Speed The Plough chords

A major · 4 chords: A, D, Bm, E

pickup
A
A
D A
Bm E
A
A
D A
Bm E A
Bm E A
A
A
D A
Bm E
A
A
D A
Bm E A
Bm E A

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

Guitar chords for Speed The Plough

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

A×D××Bm×E

Ukulele chords for Speed The Plough

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

ADBmE

Tenor banjo & mandolin chords for Speed The Plough

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

ADBmE

More reels and tunes like it

Old Joe ClarkThe Devil's DreamBill CheathamSally GoodinCherokee ShuffleJune AppleBuffalo GalsGrey Eagle

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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