The Banshee — Banjo & Mandolin Tab, Sheet Music

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About The Banshee

The Banshee is a two-part Irish reel in G major — intermediate, running from D to a and staying in first position on banjo, mandolin and fiddle.

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

The Banshee — sheet music

G 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

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The Banshee — tab

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

The Banshee — Tenor banjo tab

G D A E (Irish tuning) · open position

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

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

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

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

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

The Banshee — Mandolin tab

G D A E · open position

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

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

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

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

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

The Banshee — fiddle fingering

G D A E · first position — finger numbers

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

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

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

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

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

The Banshee — Guitar tab

E A D G B E · open position

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

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

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

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

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

The Banshee — Ukulele tab

G C E A (high G) · open position

A|---------------|-0---0-2-5-2-5-|-7-10-7-5-2-0---0-|-2-0-------------|
E|-------0---0---|---------------|------------------|-------0-0-----0-|
C|-----2---2-----|---------------|------------------|-----------2-2---|
G|-0-0---------0-|---0-----------|--------------0---|-----0-----------|

A|---------------|-0---0-2-5-2-5-|-7-10-7-5-2-0---0-|-2-0-----------|
E|-------0---0---|---------------|------------------|-------0-0-----|
C|-----2---2-----|---------------|------------------|-----------2-2-|
G|-0-0---------0-|---0-----------|--------------0---|-----0---------|

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

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

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

More reels and tunes like it

The Gravel Walks The Sally Gardens The Star Of Munster The Congress Miss McLeod's The Humours Of Tulla The Foxhunters The Dunmore Lasses

This setting is a community transcription from thesession.org. The tune itself is traditional. Tabs and letter names worked out by The Music Arcade.