About The Old Favourite
The Old Favourite is a two-part Irish jig in G major — beginner-friendly, running from G to g and staying in first position on banjo, mandolin and fiddle.
- Type
- Jig, two parts, each usually played twice
- Key
- G major · 6/8
- Range
- G to g · first position
- Notes used
- C D E F♯ G A B
- Level
- Beginner-friendly
The Old Favourite — 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
B B A B | d B A G B | d e d d B | d e d B A B B A B | d B A G B | d e d C B A | G G A A g e f♯ d | e g e d B | d e d d B | d e d B d g e f♯ d | e g e d B | d g e d B A | G G B d d g e d g e | d g e d B A
The Old Favourite — tab
Tenor banjo · mandolin · fiddle · guitar · ukulele — tap one to open it
The Old Favourite — Tenor banjo tab
G D A E (Irish tuning) · open position
E|---------|-----------|---0-------|---0-------| A|-2-2-0-2-|-5-2-0---2-|-5---5-5-2-|-5---5-2-0-| D|---------|-------5---|-----------|-----------| G|---------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
E|---------|-----------|---0---------|---------| A|-2-2-0-2-|-5-2-0---2-|-5---5-3-2-0-|-----0-0-| D|---------|-------5---|-------------|-5-5-----| G|---------|-----------|-------------|---------|
E|-3-0-2---|-0-3-0-----|---0-------|---0-------| A|-------5-|-------5-2-|-5---5-5-2-|-5---5-2-5-| D|---------|-----------|-----------|-----------| G|---------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
E|-3-0-2---|-0-3-0-----|---3-0-------|---------| A|-------5-|-------5-2-|-5-----5-2-0-|-----2-5-| D|---------|-----------|-------------|-5-5-----| G|---------|-----------|-------------|---------|
E|---3-0---3-0-|---3-0-------| A|-5-----5-----|-5-----5-2-0-| D|-------------|-------------| G|-------------|-------------|
Numbers are frets. Tenor banjo sounds an octave below the written notes.
The Old Favourite — Mandolin tab
G D A E · open position
E|---------|-----------|---0-------|---0-------| A|-2-2-0-2-|-5-2-0---2-|-5---5-5-2-|-5---5-2-0-| D|---------|-------5---|-----------|-----------| G|---------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
E|---------|-----------|---0---------|---------| A|-2-2-0-2-|-5-2-0---2-|-5---5-3-2-0-|-----0-0-| D|---------|-------5---|-------------|-5-5-----| G|---------|-----------|-------------|---------|
E|-3-0-2---|-0-3-0-----|---0-------|---0-------| A|-------5-|-------5-2-|-5---5-5-2-|-5---5-2-5-| D|---------|-----------|-----------|-----------| G|---------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
E|-3-0-2---|-0-3-0-----|---3-0-------|---------| A|-------5-|-------5-2-|-5-----5-2-0-|-----2-5-| D|---------|-----------|-------------|-5-5-----| G|---------|-----------|-------------|---------|
E|---3-0---3-0-|---3-0-------| A|-5-----5-----|-5-----5-2-0-| D|-------------|-------------| G|-------------|-------------|
Numbers are frets. Same strings as the fiddle, so the same notes fall in the same places.
The Old Favourite — fiddle fingering
G D A E · first position — finger numbers
E|---------|-----------|---0-------|---0-------| A|-1-1-0-1-|-3-1-0---1-|-3---3-3-1-|-3---3-1-0-| D|---------|-------3---|-----------|-----------| G|---------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
E|---------|-----------|---0----------|---------| A|-1-1-0-1-|-3-1-0---1-|-3---3-L2-1-0-|-----0-0-| D|---------|-------3---|--------------|-3-3-----| G|---------|-----------|--------------|---------|
E|-L2-0-1---|-0-L2-0-----|---0-------|---0-------| A|--------3-|--------3-1-|-3---3-3-1-|-3---3-1-3-| D|----------|------------|-----------|-----------| G|----------|------------|-----------|-----------|
E|-L2-0-1---|-0-L2-0-----|---L2-0-------|---------| A|--------3-|--------3-1-|-3------3-1-0-|-----1-3-| D|----------|------------|--------------|-3-3-----| G|----------|------------|--------------|---------|
E|---L2-0---L2-0-|---L2-0-------| A|-3------3------|-3------3-1-0-| D|---------------|--------------| G|---------------|--------------|
0 = open string · 1–4 = finger · L = low (half step back), H = high.
The Old Favourite — Guitar tab
E A D G B E · open position
e|---------|-----------|---0-------|---0-------| B|-0-0---0-|-3-0-----0-|-3---3-3-0-|-3---3-0---| G|-----2---|-----2-0---|-----------|---------2-| D|---------|-----------|-----------|-----------| A|---------|-----------|-----------|-----------| E|---------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
e|---------|-----------|---0---------|---------| B|-0-0---0-|-3-0-----0-|-3---3-1-0---|---------| G|-----2---|-----2-0---|-----------2-|-0-0-2-2-| D|---------|-----------|-------------|---------| A|---------|-----------|-------------|---------| E|---------|-----------|-------------|---------|
e|-3-0-2---|-0-3-0-----|---0-------|---0-------| B|-------3-|-------3-0-|-3---3-3-0-|-3---3-0-3-| G|---------|-----------|-----------|-----------| D|---------|-----------|-----------|-----------| A|---------|-----------|-----------|-----------| E|---------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
e|-3-0-2---|-0-3-0-----|---3-0-------|---------| B|-------3-|-------3-0-|-3-----3-0---|-----0-3-| G|---------|-----------|-----------2-|-0-0-----| D|---------|-----------|-------------|---------| A|---------|-----------|-------------|---------| E|---------|-----------|-------------|---------|
e|---3-0---3-0-|---3-0-------| B|-3-----3-----|-3-----3-0---| G|-------------|-----------2-| D|-------------|-------------| A|-------------|-------------| E|-------------|-------------|
Numbers are frets; the bottom line is the low E string.
The Old Favourite — Ukulele tab
G C E A (high G) · open position
A|-2-2-0-2-|-5-2-0---2-|-5-7-5-5-2-|-5-7-5-2-0-| E|---------|-----------|-----------|-----------| C|---------|-----------|-----------|-----------| G|---------|-------0---|-----------|-----------|
A|-2-2-0-2-|-5-2-0---2-|-5-7-5-3-2-0-|-----0-0-| E|---------|-----------|-------------|---------| C|---------|-----------|-------------|---------| G|---------|-------0---|-------------|-0-0-----|
A|-10-7-9-5-|-7-10-7-5-2-|-5-7-5-5-2-|-5-7-5-2-5-| E|----------|------------|-----------|-----------| C|----------|------------|-----------|-----------| G|----------|------------|-----------|-----------|
A|-10-7-9-5-|-7-10-7-5-2-|-5-10-7-5-2-0-|-----2-5-| E|----------|------------|--------------|---------| C|----------|------------|--------------|---------| G|----------|------------|--------------|-0-0-----|
A|-5-10-7-5-10-7-|-5-10-7-5-2-0-| 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
This setting is a community transcription from thesession.org. The tune itself is traditional. Tabs and letter names worked out by The Music Arcade.