About The Minstrel Boy
The Minstrel Boy is a two-part Irish march in G major — beginner-friendly, running from D to g and staying in first position on banjo, mandolin and fiddle.
- Type
- March, two parts
- Key
- G major · 4/4
- Range
- D to g · first position
- Notes used
- C D E F♯ G A B
- Level
- Beginner-friendly
The Minstrel Boy — 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
D | G A C B A G | B d g f♯ g | e d B C d B A G D | G A C B A G | B d g f♯ g | e d B C d B A G G | g f♯ e f♯ g | f♯ e d e | e B B e e f♯ g g | G A C B A G | B d g f♯ g | e d B C d B A G
The Minstrel Boy — tab
Tenor banjo · mandolin · fiddle · guitar · ukulele — tap one to open it
The Minstrel Boy — Tenor banjo tab
G D A E (Irish tuning) · open position
E|---|-------------|-----3-2-3-|-0-----------| A|---|---0-3-2-0---|-2-5-------|---5-2-3-5-2-| D|-0-|-5---------5-|-----------|-------------| G|---|-------------|-----------|-------------|
E|-------|-------------|-----3-2-3-|-0-----------| A|-0-----|---0-3-2-0---|-2-5-------|---5-2-3-5-2-| D|---5-0-|-5---------5-|-----------|-------------| G|-------|-------------|-----------|-------------|
E|-------|-3-2-0-2-3-|-2-0---0-|-0-----0-| A|-0-----|-----------|-----5---|---2-2---| D|---5-5-|-----------|---------|---------| G|-------|-----------|---------|---------|
E|-0-2-3-3-|-------------|-----3-2-3-|-0-----------| A|---------|---0-3-2-0---|-2-5-------|---5-2-3-5-2-| D|---------|-5---------5-|-----------|-------------| G|---------|-------------|-----------|-------------|
E|-----| A|-0---| D|---5-| G|-----|
Numbers are frets. Tenor banjo sounds an octave below the written notes.
The Minstrel Boy — Mandolin tab
G D A E · open position
E|---|-------------|-----3-2-3-|-0-----------| A|---|---0-3-2-0---|-2-5-------|---5-2-3-5-2-| D|-0-|-5---------5-|-----------|-------------| G|---|-------------|-----------|-------------|
E|-------|-------------|-----3-2-3-|-0-----------| A|-0-----|---0-3-2-0---|-2-5-------|---5-2-3-5-2-| D|---5-0-|-5---------5-|-----------|-------------| G|-------|-------------|-----------|-------------|
E|-------|-3-2-0-2-3-|-2-0---0-|-0-----0-| A|-0-----|-----------|-----5---|---2-2---| D|---5-5-|-----------|---------|---------| G|-------|-----------|---------|---------|
E|-0-2-3-3-|-------------|-----3-2-3-|-0-----------| A|---------|---0-3-2-0---|-2-5-------|---5-2-3-5-2-| D|---------|-5---------5-|-----------|-------------| G|---------|-------------|-----------|-------------|
E|-----| A|-0---| D|---5-| G|-----|
Numbers are frets. Same strings as the fiddle, so the same notes fall in the same places.
The Minstrel Boy — fiddle fingering
G D A E · first position — finger numbers
E|---|--------------|-----L2-1-L2-|-0------------| A|---|---0-L2-1-0---|-1-3---------|---3-1-L2-3-1-| D|-0-|-3----------3-|-------------|--------------| G|---|--------------|-------------|--------------|
E|-------|--------------|-----L2-1-L2-|-0------------| A|-0-----|---0-L2-1-0---|-1-3---------|---3-1-L2-3-1-| D|---3-0-|-3----------3-|-------------|--------------| G|-------|--------------|-------------|--------------|
E|-------|-L2-1-0-1-L2-|-1-0---0-|-0-----0-| A|-0-----|-------------|-----3---|---1-1---| D|---3-3-|-------------|---------|---------| G|-------|-------------|---------|---------|
E|-0-1-L2-L2-|--------------|-----L2-1-L2-|-0------------| A|-----------|---0-L2-1-0---|-1-3---------|---3-1-L2-3-1-| D|-----------|-3----------3-|-------------|--------------| G|-----------|--------------|-------------|--------------|
E|-----| A|-0---| D|---3-| G|-----|
0 = open string · 1–4 = finger · L = low (half step back), H = high.
The Minstrel Boy — Guitar tab
E A D G B E · open position
e|---|-------------|-----3-2-3-|-0-----------| B|---|-----1-0-----|-0-3-------|---3-0-1-3-0-| G|---|-0-2-----2-0-|-----------|-------------| D|-0-|-------------|-----------|-------------| A|---|-------------|-----------|-------------| E|---|-------------|-----------|-------------|
e|-------|-------------|-----3-2-3-|-0-----------| B|-------|-----1-0-----|-0-3-------|---3-0-1-3-0-| G|-2-0---|-0-2-----2-0-|-----------|-------------| D|-----0-|-------------|-----------|-------------| A|-------|-------------|-----------|-------------| E|-------|-------------|-----------|-------------|
e|-------|-3-2-0-2-3-|-2-0---0-|-0-----0-| B|-------|-----------|-----3---|---0-0---| G|-2-0-0-|-----------|---------|---------| D|-------|-----------|---------|---------| A|-------|-----------|---------|---------| E|-------|-----------|---------|---------|
e|-0-2-3-3-|-------------|-----3-2-3-|-0-----------| B|---------|-----1-0-----|-0-3-------|---3-0-1-3-0-| G|---------|-0-2-----2-0-|-----------|-------------| D|---------|-------------|-----------|-------------| A|---------|-------------|-----------|-------------| E|---------|-------------|-----------|-------------|
e|-----| B|-----| G|-2-0-| D|-----| A|-----| E|-----|
Numbers are frets; the bottom line is the low E string.
The Minstrel Boy — Ukulele tab
G C E A (high G) · open position
A|---|---0-3-2-0---|-2-5-10-9-10-|-7-5-2-3-5-2-| E|---|-------------|-------------|-------------| C|-2-|-------------|-------------|-------------| G|---|-0---------0-|-------------|-------------|
A|-0-----|---0-3-2-0---|-2-5-10-9-10-|-7-5-2-3-5-2-| E|-------|-------------|-------------|-------------| C|-----2-|-------------|-------------|-------------| G|---0---|-0---------0-|-------------|-------------|
A|-0-----|-10-9-7-9-10-|-9-7-5-7-|-7-2-2-7-| E|-------|-------------|---------|---------| C|-------|-------------|---------|---------| G|---0-0-|-------------|---------|---------|
A|-7-9-10-10-|---0-3-2-0---|-2-5-10-9-10-|-7-5-2-3-5-2-| E|-----------|-------------|-------------|-------------| C|-----------|-------------|-------------|-------------| G|-----------|-0---------0-|-------------|-------------|
A|-0---| E|-----| C|-----| G|---0-|
Numbers are frets; the top line is the A string, the bottom line the high G.
More marchs 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.