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The Camptown Races — Sheet Music, Tab & Chord Directory

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About The Camptown Races

The Camptown Races is a folk song in C major — beginner-friendly, running from C to C and staying in first position on banjo, mandolin and fiddle.

Type
Folk song
Key
C major · 4/4
Range
C to C · first position
Notes used
C D E F G A
Level
Beginner-friendly

The Camptown Races — 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

E | G G E G | A G E | E D E D E | G G E G | A G E | D D E D C | C C E G | C | A A C A G E | G G E E G G | A G E E | D E F E D D C

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The Camptown Races — tab

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

The Camptown Races — Tenor banjo tab

G D A E (Irish tuning) · open position

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

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

The Camptown Races — Mandolin tab

G D A E · open position

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

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

The Camptown Races — fiddle fingering

G D A E · first position — finger numbers

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

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

The Camptown Races — Guitar tab

E A D G B E · open position

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

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

The Camptown Races — Ukulele tab

G C E A (high G) · open position

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

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

The Camptown Races chords

C major · 3 chords: C, G7, F

pickup
C
C
G7
G7
C
C
G7
C
C
C
F
C
C
C
G7
C

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

Guitar chords for The Camptown Races

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

C×G7F

Ukulele chords for The Camptown Races

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

CG7F

Tenor banjo & mandolin chords for The Camptown Races

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

CG7F

More folk songs and tunes like it

On Top Of Old SmokyThe Yellow Rose Of TexasScarborough FairGreensleevesLondonderry AirOh, My Darling ClementineHome On The RangeRed River Valley

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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