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The Blackthorn Stick — Sheet Music, Tab & Chord Directory

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About The Blackthorn Stick

The Blackthorn Stick is a two-part Irish jig in G major — beginner-friendly, running from D to a and staying in first position on banjo, mandolin and fiddle.

Type
Jig, two parts, each usually played twice
Key
G major · 6/8
Range
D to a · first position
Notes used
D E F♯ G A B
Level
Beginner-friendly

The Blackthorn Stick — sheet music

G major · 6/8

The notes

Letter names, bar by bar · capitals up to C in the third space, lower case from the D on the 4th line

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

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The Blackthorn Stick — tab

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

The Blackthorn Stick — Tenor banjo tab

G D A E (Irish tuning) · open position

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

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

The Blackthorn Stick — Mandolin tab

G D A E · open position

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

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

The Blackthorn Stick — fiddle fingering

G D A E · first position — finger numbers

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

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

The Blackthorn Stick — Guitar tab

E A D G B E · open position

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

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

The Blackthorn Stick — Ukulele tab

G C E A (high G) · open position

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

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

More jigs and tunes like it

The KeshBanish MisfortuneOut On The OceanThe SwallowtailThe Blarney PilgrimThe Lilting BansheeThe Cliffs Of MoherThe Irish Washerwoman

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

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