The Kesh — Banjo & Mandolin Tab, Sheet Music

▶ Learn it in the Melody Trainer See every note of The Kesh on your banjo, fiddle, mandolin, guitar, ukulele or piano — then play along: the music listens and waits for you. Open The Kesh →

About The Kesh

The Kesh is a two-part Irish jig in G major — beginner-friendly, running from F♯ to b and staying in first position on banjo, mandolin and fiddle.

This is one of the first tunes in Beginner Banjo, a free step-by-step tenor banjo course.

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

The Kesh — 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

▶ Play along in the Melody Trainer

The Kesh — tab

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

The Kesh — Tenor banjo tab

G D A E (Irish tuning) · open position

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

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

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

E|-------------|-0-3-0-------|-3-2-3-5-3-5-|-7-3-3-3-|
A|-2-0-2-5-4-5-|-------5-2-5-|-------------|---------|
D|-------------|-------------|-------------|---------|
G|-------------|-------------|-------------|---------|

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

The Kesh — Mandolin tab

G D A E · open position

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

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

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

E|-------------|-0-3-0-------|-3-2-3-5-3-5-|-7-3-3-3-|
A|-2-0-2-5-4-5-|-------5-2-5-|-------------|---------|
D|-------------|-------------|-------------|---------|
G|-------------|-------------|-------------|---------|

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

The Kesh — fiddle fingering

G D A E · first position — finger numbers

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

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

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

E|-------------|-0-L2-0-------|-L2-1-L2-3-L2-3-|-4-L2-L2-L2-|
A|-1-0-1-3-2-3-|--------3-1-3-|----------------|------------|
D|-------------|--------------|----------------|------------|
G|-------------|--------------|----------------|------------|

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

The Kesh — Guitar tab

E A D G B E · open position

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

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

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

e|-------------|-0-3-0-------|-3-2-3-5-3-5-|-7-3-3-3-|
B|-0---0-3-2-3-|-------3-0-3-|-------------|---------|
G|---2---------|-------------|-------------|---------|
D|-------------|-------------|-------------|---------|
A|-------------|-------------|-------------|---------|
E|-------------|-------------|-------------|---------|

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

The Kesh — Ukulele tab

G C E A (high G) · open position

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

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

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

A|-2-0-2-5-4-5-|-7-10-7-5-2-5-|-10-9-10-12-10-12-|-14-10-10-10-|
E|-------------|--------------|------------------|-------------|
C|-------------|--------------|------------------|-------------|
G|-------------|--------------|------------------|-------------|

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

More jigs and tunes like it

Banish Misfortune Out On The Ocean The Swallowtail The Blarney Pilgrim The Lilting Banshee The Cliffs Of Moher The Irish Washerwoman The Blackthorn Stick

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