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Sugar Blues — Sheet Music, Tab & Chord Directory

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About Sugar Blues

Sugar Blues is a blues in C major — intermediate, running from C to d and staying in first position on banjo, mandolin and fiddle.

Type
Blues
Key
C major · 4/4
Range
C to d · first position
Notes used
C D E♭ E G G♯ A B♭ A♯ B
Level
Intermediate

Sugar Blues — sheet music

C 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 A G G | C C B♭ A G A G | B A G G A | B A D G A A♯ B B d d B G | A B A A G A | C B♭ G E♭ | E G E C C C B♭ A G A G | C B♭ G G E E | D E D C | A D D D D D A A A B | C B A G | G♯ A G♯ A A G | C B A E G G♯ A G♯ A A G | C

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Sugar Blues — tab

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

Sugar Blues — Tenor banjo tab

G D A E (Irish tuning) · open position

E|---------|---------------|-----------|-------------|
A|-3-0-----|-3-3-1-0---0---|-2-0-----0-|-2-0-----0-1-|
D|-----5-5-|---------5---5-|-----5-5---|-----0-5-----|
G|---------|---------------|-----------|-------------|
E|-------------|-------------|---------|-----------|
A|-2-2-5-5-2---|-0-2-0-0---0-|-3-1-----|-----------|
D|-----------5-|---------5---|-----5-1-|-2-5-2-----|
G|-------------|-------------|---------|-------5-5-|
E|-------------|-------------|---------|-------|
A|-3-1-0---0---|-3-1---------|---------|-0-----|
D|-------5---5-|-----5-5-2-2-|-0-2-0---|---0-0-|
G|-------------|-------------|-------5-|-------|
E|---------------|---------|-------------|-----------|
A|-------0-0-0-2-|-3-2-0---|---0---0-0---|-3-2-0-----|
D|-0-0-0---------|-------5-|-6---6-----5-|-------2-5-|
G|---------------|---------|-------------|-----------|
E|-------------|---|
A|---0---0-0---|-3-|
D|-6---6-----5-|---|
G|-------------|---|

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

Sugar Blues — Mandolin tab

G D A E · open position

E|---------|---------------|-----------|-------------|
A|-3-0-----|-3-3-1-0---0---|-2-0-----0-|-2-0-----0-1-|
D|-----5-5-|---------5---5-|-----5-5---|-----0-5-----|
G|---------|---------------|-----------|-------------|
E|-------------|-------------|---------|-----------|
A|-2-2-5-5-2---|-0-2-0-0---0-|-3-1-----|-----------|
D|-----------5-|---------5---|-----5-1-|-2-5-2-----|
G|-------------|-------------|---------|-------5-5-|
E|-------------|-------------|---------|-------|
A|-3-1-0---0---|-3-1---------|---------|-0-----|
D|-------5---5-|-----5-5-2-2-|-0-2-0---|---0-0-|
G|-------------|-------------|-------5-|-------|
E|---------------|---------|-------------|-----------|
A|-------0-0-0-2-|-3-2-0---|---0---0-0---|-3-2-0-----|
D|-0-0-0---------|-------5-|-6---6-----5-|-------2-5-|
G|---------------|---------|-------------|-----------|
E|-------------|---|
A|---0---0-0---|-3-|
D|-6---6-----5-|---|
G|-------------|---|

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

Sugar Blues — fiddle fingering

G D A E · first position — finger numbers

E|----------|------------------|-----------|--------------|
A|-L2-0-----|-L2-L2-L1-0---0---|-1-0-----0-|-1-0-----0-L1-|
D|------3-3-|------------3---3-|-----3-3---|-----0-3------|
G|----------|------------------|-----------|--------------|
E|-------------|-------------|------------|-----------|
A|-1-1-3-3-1---|-0-1-0-0---0-|-L2-L1------|-----------|
D|-----------3-|---------3---|-------3-L1-|-1-3-1-----|
G|-------------|-------------|------------|-------3-3-|
E|---------------|---------------|---------|-------|
A|-L2-L1-0---0---|-L2-L1---------|---------|-0-----|
D|---------3---3-|-------3-3-1-1-|-0-1-0---|---0-0-|
G|---------------|---------------|-------3-|-------|
E|---------------|----------|---------------|------------|
A|-------0-0-0-1-|-L2-1-0---|----0----0-0---|-L2-1-0-----|
D|-0-0-0---------|--------3-|-H3---H3-----3-|--------1-3-|
G|---------------|----------|---------------|------------|
E|---------------|----|
A|----0----0-0---|-L2-|
D|-H3---H3-----3-|----|
G|---------------|----|

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

Sugar Blues — Guitar tab

E A D G B E · open position

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

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

Sugar Blues — Ukulele tab

G C E A (high G) · open position

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

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

Sugar Blues chords

C major · 11 chords: C, C7, G7, Dm7, F, A7, Dm, F♯dim, C/G, E7, D7

C
C7
G7
G7
G7
Dm7 G7
C7
C7
C7
C7
C7
F A7 Dm
F F♯dim
C/G E7 A7
D7 G7
C E7 A7
D7 G7
C

One box per bar, in the same order as the sheet music. A faded chord carries on from the bar before. A slash chord like C/G means play C with G as the lowest note.

Guitar chords for Sugar Blues

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

C×C7×G7Dm7××FA7×Dm××F♯dimC/G5××E7D7××

Ukulele chords for Sugar Blues

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

CC7G7Dm7FA7DmF♯dimC/GE7D7

Tenor banjo & mandolin chords for Sugar Blues

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

CC7G7Dm7FA7DmF♯dimC/GE7D7

More bluess and tunes like it

St. Louis BluesMemphis BluesBeale Street BluesAunt Hagar's BluesYellow Dog BluesDallas BluesTishomingo BluesWabash Blues

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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