About The Merry Blacksmith
The Merry Blacksmith is a two-part Irish reel in D major — intermediate, running from D to b and staying in first position on banjo, mandolin and fiddle.
- Type
- Reel, two parts, each usually played twice
- Key
- D major · 4/4
- Range
- D to b · first position
- Notes used
- C♯ D E F♯ G A B
- Level
- Intermediate
The Merry Blacksmith — sheet music
D 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
A B | d d A B A F♯ A | A B d A B A F♯ A | A B d e f♯ d e d B e e d e g f♯ e | d A B A F♯ A | A B d A B A F♯ A | A B d e f♯ d e C♯ d B A F♯ D | f♯ g | a a g f♯ f♯ e | d d A B A F♯ A A B d e f♯ d e d | B e e d e g f♯ g | a b a g f♯ g f♯ e | d C♯ d A B A F♯ A A B d e f♯ d e C♯ | d B A F♯ D
The Merry Blacksmith — tab
Tenor banjo · mandolin · fiddle · guitar · ukulele — tap one to open it
The Merry Blacksmith — Tenor banjo tab
G D A E (Irish tuning) · open position
E|-----|---------------|-----------------|-------0-2---0---| A|-0-2-|-5-5-0-2-0---0-|-0-2-5-0-2-0---0-|-0-2-5-----5---5-| D|-----|-----------4---|-------------4---|-----------------| G|-----|---------------|-----------------|-----------------|
E|---0-0---0-3-2-0-|-------------|-----------------|-------0-2---0---| A|-2-----5---------|-5-0-2-0---0-|-0-2-5-0-2-0---0-|-0-2-5-----5---4-| D|-----------------|---------4---|-------------4---|-----------------| G|-----------------|-------------|-----------------|-----------------|
E|-----------|-2-3-|-5-5-3-2-2-0-|---------------| A|-5-2-0-----|-----|-------------|-5-5-0-2-0---0-| D|-------4-0-|-----|-------------|-----------4---| G|-----------|-----|-------------|---------------|
E|-------0-2---0---|---0-0---0-3-2-3-|-5-7-5-3-2-3-2-0-|-----------------| A|-0-2-5-----5---5-|-2-----5---------|-----------------|-5-4-5-0-2-0---0-| D|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-------------4---| G|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
E|-------0-2---0---|-----------| A|-0-2-5-----5---4-|-5-2-0-----| D|-----------------|-------4-0-| G|-----------------|-----------|
Numbers are frets. Tenor banjo sounds an octave below the written notes.
The Merry Blacksmith — Mandolin tab
G D A E · open position
E|-----|---------------|-----------------|-------0-2---0---| A|-0-2-|-5-5-0-2-0---0-|-0-2-5-0-2-0---0-|-0-2-5-----5---5-| D|-----|-----------4---|-------------4---|-----------------| G|-----|---------------|-----------------|-----------------|
E|---0-0---0-3-2-0-|-------------|-----------------|-------0-2---0---| A|-2-----5---------|-5-0-2-0---0-|-0-2-5-0-2-0---0-|-0-2-5-----5---4-| D|-----------------|---------4---|-------------4---|-----------------| G|-----------------|-------------|-----------------|-----------------|
E|-----------|-2-3-|-5-5-3-2-2-0-|---------------| A|-5-2-0-----|-----|-------------|-5-5-0-2-0---0-| D|-------4-0-|-----|-------------|-----------4---| G|-----------|-----|-------------|---------------|
E|-------0-2---0---|---0-0---0-3-2-3-|-5-7-5-3-2-3-2-0-|-----------------| A|-0-2-5-----5---5-|-2-----5---------|-----------------|-5-4-5-0-2-0---0-| D|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-------------4---| G|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
E|-------0-2---0---|-----------| A|-0-2-5-----5---4-|-5-2-0-----| D|-----------------|-------4-0-| G|-----------------|-----------|
Numbers are frets. Same strings as the fiddle, so the same notes fall in the same places.
The Merry Blacksmith — fiddle fingering
G D A E · first position — finger numbers
E|-----|---------------|-----------------|-------0-1---0---| A|-0-1-|-3-3-0-1-0---0-|-0-1-3-0-1-0---0-|-0-1-3-----3---3-| D|-----|-----------2---|-------------2---|-----------------| G|-----|---------------|-----------------|-----------------|
E|---0-0---0-L2-1-0-|-------------|-----------------|-------0-1---0---| A|-1-----3----------|-3-0-1-0---0-|-0-1-3-0-1-0---0-|-0-1-3-----3---2-| D|------------------|---------2---|-------------2---|-----------------| G|------------------|-------------|-----------------|-----------------|
E|-----------|-1-L2-|-3-3-L2-1-1-0-|---------------| A|-3-1-0-----|------|--------------|-3-3-0-1-0---0-| D|-------2-0-|------|--------------|-----------2---| G|-----------|------|--------------|---------------|
E|-------0-1---0---|---0-0---0-L2-1-L2-|-3-4-3-L2-1-L2-1-0-|-----------------| A|-0-1-3-----3---3-|-1-----3-----------|-------------------|-3-2-3-0-1-0---0-| D|-----------------|-------------------|-------------------|-------------2---| G|-----------------|-------------------|-------------------|-----------------|
E|-------0-1---0---|-----------| A|-0-1-3-----3---2-|-3-1-0-----| D|-----------------|-------2-0-| G|-----------------|-----------|
0 = open string · 1–4 = finger · L = low (half step back), H = high.
The Merry Blacksmith — Guitar tab
E A D G B E · open position
e|-----|---------------|-----------------|-------0-2---0---| B|---0-|-3-3---0-------|---0-3---0-------|---0-3-----3---3-| G|-2---|-----2---2---2-|-2-----2---2---2-|-2---------------| D|-----|-----------4---|-------------4---|-----------------| A|-----|---------------|-----------------|-----------------| E|-----|---------------|-----------------|-----------------|
e|---0-0---0-3-2-0-|-------------|-----------------|-------0-2---0---| B|-0-----3---------|-3---0-------|---0-3---0-------|---0-3-----3---2-| G|-----------------|---2---2---2-|-2-----2---2---2-|-2---------------| D|-----------------|---------4---|-------------4---|-----------------| A|-----------------|-------------|-----------------|-----------------| E|-----------------|-------------|-----------------|-----------------|
e|-----------|-2-3-|-5-5-3-2-2-0-|---------------| B|-3-0-------|-----|-------------|-3-3---0-------| G|-----2-----|-----|-------------|-----2---2---2-| D|-------4-0-|-----|-------------|-----------4---| A|-----------|-----|-------------|---------------| E|-----------|-----|-------------|---------------|
e|-------0-2---0---|---0-0---0-3-2-3-|-5-7-5-3-2-3-2-0-|-----------------| B|---0-3-----3---3-|-0-----3---------|-----------------|-3-2-3---0-------| G|-2---------------|-----------------|-----------------|-------2---2---2-| D|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-------------4---| A|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------| E|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
e|-------0-2---0---|-----------| B|---0-3-----3---2-|-3-0-------| G|-2---------------|-----2-----| D|-----------------|-------4-0-| A|-----------------|-----------| E|-----------------|-----------|
Numbers are frets; the bottom line is the low E string.
The Merry Blacksmith — Ukulele tab
G C E A (high G) · open position
A|-0-2-|-5-5-0-2-0---0-|-0-2-5-0-2-0---0-|-0-2-5-7-9-5-7-5-| E|-----|-----------2---|-------------2---|-----------------| C|-----|---------------|-----------------|-----------------| G|-----|---------------|-----------------|-----------------|
A|-2-7-7-5-7-10-9-7-|-5-0-2-0---0-|-0-2-5-0-2-0---0-|-0-2-5-7-9-5-7-4-| E|------------------|---------2---|-------------2---|-----------------| C|------------------|-------------|-----------------|-----------------| G|------------------|-------------|-----------------|-----------------|
A|-5-2-0-----|-9-10-|-12-12-10-9-9-7-|-5-5-0-2-0---0-| E|-------2---|------|----------------|-----------2---| C|---------2-|------|----------------|---------------| G|-----------|------|----------------|---------------|
A|-0-2-5-7-9-5-7-5-|-2-7-7-5-7-10-9-10-|-12-14-12-10-9-10-9-7-|-5-4-5-0-2-0---0-| E|-----------------|-------------------|----------------------|-------------2---| C|-----------------|-------------------|----------------------|-----------------| G|-----------------|-------------------|----------------------|-----------------|
A|-0-2-5-7-9-5-7-4-|-5-2-0-----| E|-----------------|-------2---| C|-----------------|---------2-| G|-----------------|-----------|
Numbers are frets; the top line is the A string, the bottom line the high G.
More reels and tunes like it
This setting is a community transcription from thesession.org. The tune itself is traditional. Tabs and letter names worked out by The Music Arcade.