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Swing Low, Sweet Chariot — Sheet Music, Tab & Chord Directory

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About Swing Low, Sweet Chariot

Swing Low, Sweet Chariot is a spiritual in A♭ major — beginner-friendly, running from E♭ to f and staying in first position on banjo, mandolin and fiddle.

Type
Spiritual
Key
A♭ major · 4/4
Range
E♭ to f · first position
Notes used
C E♭ F A♭ B♭
Level
Beginner-friendly

Swing Low, Sweet Chariot — 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

C A♭ C | A♭ A♭ F E♭ | A♭ A♭ A♭ A♭ C e♭ e♭ | e♭ f e♭ C e♭ | A♭ A♭ F E♭ | A♭ A♭ A♭ A♭ C C B♭ | A♭ C e♭ A♭ F A♭ A♭ | A♭ A♭ A♭ F E♭ | A♭ A♭ A♭ A♭ C e♭ e♭ | e♭ e♭ f e♭ C C A♭ | A♭ A♭ A♭ A♭ F E♭ | A♭ A♭ A♭ A♭ C C B♭ | A♭

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Swing Low, Sweet Chariot — tab

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

Swing Low, Sweet Chariot — Tenor banjo tab

G D A E (Irish tuning) · open position

E|-------|---------|---------------|---|
A|-3---3-|---------|---------3-6-6-|-6-|
D|---6---|-6-6-3-1-|-6-6-6-6-------|---|
G|-------|---------|---------------|---|
E|-1-------|---------|---------------|-----|
A|---6-3-6-|---------|---------3-3-1-|---3-|
D|---------|-6-6-3-1-|-6-6-6-6-------|-6---|
G|---------|---------|---------------|-----|
E|-----------|-----------|---------------|-----|
A|-6---------|-----------|---------3-6-6-|-6-6-|
D|---6-3-6-6-|-6-6-6-3-1-|-6-6-6-6-------|-----|
G|-----------|-----------|---------------|-----|
E|-1---------|-------------|---------------|---|
A|---6-3-3---|-------------|---------3-3-1-|---|
D|---------6-|-6-6-6-6-3-1-|-6-6-6-6-------|-6-|
G|-----------|-------------|---------------|---|

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

Swing Low, Sweet Chariot — Mandolin tab

G D A E · open position

E|-------|---------|---------------|---|
A|-3---3-|---------|---------3-6-6-|-6-|
D|---6---|-6-6-3-1-|-6-6-6-6-------|---|
G|-------|---------|---------------|---|
E|-1-------|---------|---------------|-----|
A|---6-3-6-|---------|---------3-3-1-|---3-|
D|---------|-6-6-3-1-|-6-6-6-6-------|-6---|
G|---------|---------|---------------|-----|
E|-----------|-----------|---------------|-----|
A|-6---------|-----------|---------3-6-6-|-6-6-|
D|---6-3-6-6-|-6-6-6-3-1-|-6-6-6-6-------|-----|
G|-----------|-----------|---------------|-----|
E|-1---------|-------------|---------------|---|
A|---6-3-3---|-------------|---------3-3-1-|---|
D|---------6-|-6-6-6-6-3-1-|-6-6-6-6-------|-6-|
G|-----------|-------------|---------------|---|

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

Swing Low, Sweet Chariot — fiddle fingering

G D A E · first position — finger numbers

E|----------|-------------|----------------------|----|
A|-L2----L2-|-------------|-------------L2-H3-H3-|-H3-|
D|----H3----|-H3-H3-L2-L1-|-H3-H3-H3-H3----------|----|
G|----------|-------------|----------------------|----|
E|-L1----------|-------------|----------------------|-------|
A|----H3-L2-H3-|-------------|-------------L2-L2-L1-|----L2-|
D|-------------|-H3-H3-L2-L1-|-H3-H3-H3-H3----------|-H3----|
G|-------------|-------------|----------------------|-------|
E|----------------|----------------|----------------------|-------|
A|-H3-------------|----------------|-------------L2-H3-H3-|-H3-H3-|
D|----H3-L2-H3-H3-|-H3-H3-H3-L2-L1-|-H3-H3-H3-H3----------|-------|
G|----------------|----------------|----------------------|-------|
E|-L1-------------|-------------------|----------------------|----|
A|----H3-L2-L2----|-------------------|-------------L2-L2-L1-|----|
D|-------------H3-|-H3-H3-H3-H3-L2-L1-|-H3-H3-H3-H3----------|-H3-|
G|----------------|-------------------|----------------------|----|

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

Swing Low, Sweet Chariot — Guitar tab

E A D G B E · open position

e|-------|---------|---------------|---|
B|-1---1-|---------|---------1-4-4-|-4-|
G|---1---|-1-1-----|-1-1-1-1-------|---|
D|-------|-----3-1-|---------------|---|
A|-------|---------|---------------|---|
E|-------|---------|---------------|---|
e|-1-------|---------|---------------|-----|
B|---4-1-4-|---------|---------1-1---|---1-|
G|---------|-1-1-----|-1-1-1-1-----3-|-1---|
D|---------|-----3-1-|---------------|-----|
A|---------|---------|---------------|-----|
E|---------|---------|---------------|-----|
e|-----------|-----------|---------------|-----|
B|-4---------|-----------|---------1-4-4-|-4-4-|
G|---1---1-1-|-1-1-1-----|-1-1-1-1-------|-----|
D|-----3-----|-------3-1-|---------------|-----|
A|-----------|-----------|---------------|-----|
E|-----------|-----------|---------------|-----|
e|-1---------|-------------|---------------|---|
B|---4-1-1---|-------------|---------1-1---|---|
G|---------1-|-1-1-1-1-----|-1-1-1-1-----3-|-1-|
D|-----------|---------3-1-|---------------|---|
A|-----------|-------------|---------------|---|
E|-----------|-------------|---------------|---|

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

Swing Low, Sweet Chariot — Ukulele tab

G C E A (high G) · open position

A|-3---3-|---------|---------3-6-6-|-6-|
E|-------|-----1---|---------------|---|
C|-------|-------3-|---------------|---|
G|---1---|-1-1-----|-1-1-1-1-------|---|
A|-8-6-3-6-|---------|---------3-3-1-|---3-|
E|---------|-----1---|---------------|-----|
C|---------|-------3-|---------------|-----|
G|---------|-1-1-----|-1-1-1-1-------|-1---|
A|-6---------|-----------|---------3-6-6-|-6-6-|
E|-----1-----|-------1---|---------------|-----|
C|-----------|---------3-|---------------|-----|
G|---1---1-1-|-1-1-1-----|-1-1-1-1-------|-----|
A|-8-6-3-3---|-------------|---------3-3-1-|---|
E|-----------|---------1---|---------------|---|
C|-----------|-----------3-|---------------|---|
G|---------1-|-1-1-1-1-----|-1-1-1-1-------|-1-|

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

Swing Low, Sweet Chariot chords

A♭ major · 11 chords: A♭, D♭, B♭m7, E♭7, B♭9, D♭7, Fm, A♭/E♭, Cm, B♭7, E♭7♭9

A♭
D♭ A♭
A♭
B♭m7 E♭7
A♭
D♭ A♭
B♭m7 E♭7
A♭
A♭ B♭9
D♭7 E♭7
Fm A♭/E♭
Cm E♭7
A♭ Fm
B♭m7 E♭7
A♭/E♭ B♭7 E♭7♭9
A♭

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 A♭/E♭ means play A♭ with E♭ as the lowest note.

Guitar chords for Swing Low, Sweet Chariot

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

A♭4D♭4×B♭m7×E♭7××B♭9×D♭7×FmA♭/E♭××Cm3×B♭7×E♭7♭9××

Ukulele chords for Swing Low, Sweet Chariot

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

A♭D♭B♭m7E♭7B♭9D♭7FmA♭/E♭CmB♭7E♭7♭9

Tenor banjo & mandolin chords for Swing Low, Sweet Chariot

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

A♭D♭B♭m7E♭7B♭9D♭7FmA♭/E♭CmB♭7E♭7♭9

More spirituals and tunes like it

Go Down, MosesNobody Knows The Trouble I've SeenJoshua Fit The Battle Of JerichoDeep RiverGo Tell It On The MountainMichael, Row The Boat AshoreAmazing GraceWere You There?

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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