(The Original) Second Line — Banjo & Mandolin Tab, Chords

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About (The Original) Second Line

(The Original) Second Line is a trad jazz tune in B♭ major — beginner-friendly, running from B♭, to B♭ and staying in first position on banjo, mandolin and fiddle.

Type: Jazz tune, each usually played twice
Key: B♭ major · 4/4
Range: B♭, to B♭ · first position
Notes used: C C♯ D E♭ F G B♭
Level: Beginner-friendly

(The Original) Second Line — sheet music

B♭ 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

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(The Original) Second Line — tab

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

(The Original) Second Line — Tenor banjo tab

G D A E (Irish tuning) · open position

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

E|-------|-------------|-------|-----------|
A|-----1-|-----1-1-1-1-|-------|-----------|
D|-1-5---|-1-5---------|---0-3-|---0-3-3-3-|
G|-------|-------------|-3-----|-3---------|

E|-------------|---------|-----------|---------|
A|-------------|---------|-----------|-1-------|
D|-3-3-3-3-3-3-|-3-1-0---|-----0-3-5-|---3-3-3-|
G|-------------|-------5-|-3-6-------|---------|

E|-------|-----|-----|---------|
A|-1-----|-1-1-|-1-1-|-1-1-1-1-|
D|---3-5-|-----|-----|---------|
G|-------|-----|-----|---------|

E|-----|---------|---------|---------|
A|-1-1-|-1-1-1-1-|-1-1-1-1-|-1-1-1-1-|
D|-----|---------|---------|---------|
G|-----|---------|---------|---------|

E|---------|
A|-1-1-1-1-|
D|---------|
G|---------|

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

(The Original) Second Line — Mandolin tab

G D A E · open position

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

E|-------|-------------|-------|-----------|
A|-----1-|-----1-1-1-1-|-------|-----------|
D|-1-5---|-1-5---------|---0-3-|---0-3-3-3-|
G|-------|-------------|-3-----|-3---------|

E|-------------|---------|-----------|---------|
A|-------------|---------|-----------|-1-------|
D|-3-3-3-3-3-3-|-3-1-0---|-----0-3-5-|---3-3-3-|
G|-------------|-------5-|-3-6-------|---------|

E|-------|-----|-----|---------|
A|-1-----|-1-1-|-1-1-|-1-1-1-1-|
D|---3-5-|-----|-----|---------|
G|-------|-----|-----|---------|

E|-----|---------|---------|---------|
A|-1-1-|-1-1-1-1-|-1-1-1-1-|-1-1-1-1-|
D|-----|---------|---------|---------|
G|-----|---------|---------|---------|

E|---------|
A|-1-1-1-1-|
D|---------|
G|---------|

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

(The Original) Second Line — fiddle fingering

G D A E · first position — finger numbers

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

E|---------|------------------|---------|---------------|
A|------L1-|------L1-L1-L1-L1-|---------|---------------|
D|-L1-3----|-L1-3-------------|----0-L2-|----0-L2-L2-L2-|
G|---------|------------------|-L2------|-L2------------|

E|-------------------|-----------|--------------|-------------|
A|-------------------|-----------|--------------|-L1----------|
D|-L2-L2-L2-L2-L2-L2-|-L2-L1-0---|-------0-L2-3-|----L2-L2-L2-|
G|-------------------|---------3-|-L2-H3--------|-------------|

E|---------|-------|-------|-------------|
A|-L1------|-L1-L1-|-L1-L1-|-L1-L1-L1-L1-|
D|----L2-3-|-------|-------|-------------|
G|---------|-------|-------|-------------|

E|-------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
A|-L1-L1-|-L1-L1-L1-L1-|-L1-L1-L1-L1-|-L1-L1-L1-L1-|
D|-------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
G|-------|-------------|-------------|-------------|

E|-------------|
A|-L1-L1-L1-L1-|
D|-------------|
G|-------------|

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

(The Original) Second Line — Guitar tab

E A D G B E · open position

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

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

e|-------------|---------|-----------|---------|
B|-------------|---------|-----------|---------|
G|-------------|---------|---------0-|-3-------|
D|-3-3-3-3-3-3-|-3-1-0---|-----0-3---|---3-3-3-|
A|-------------|-------3-|-1-4-------|---------|
E|-------------|---------|-----------|---------|

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

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

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

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

(The Original) Second Line — Ukulele tab

G C E A (high G) · open position · played an octave up, as the tune dips below the lowest string

A|-1-5-8-|-1-5-8-8-8-8-|-1-5-8-|-1-5-8-8-8-8-|
E|-------|-------------|-------|-------------|
C|-------|-------------|-------|-------------|
G|-------|-------------|-------|-------------|

A|-6-10-13-|-6-10-13-13-13-13-|-1-5-8-|-1-5-8-8-8-|
E|---------|------------------|-------|-----------|
C|---------|------------------|-------|-----------|
G|---------|------------------|-------|-----------|

A|-8-8-8-8-8-8-|-8-6-5-3-|-1-4-5-8-10-|-13-8-8-8-|
E|-------------|---------|------------|----------|
C|-------------|---------|------------|----------|
G|-------------|---------|------------|----------|

A|-13-8-10-|-13-13-|-13-13-|-13-13-13-13-|
E|---------|-------|-------|-------------|
C|---------|-------|-------|-------------|
G|---------|-------|-------|-------------|

A|-13-13-|-13-13-13-13-|-13-13-13-13-|-13-13-13-13-|
E|-------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
C|-------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
G|-------|-------------|-------------|-------------|

A|-13-13-13-13-|
E|-------------|
C|-------------|
G|-------------|

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

(The Original) Second Line chords

B♭ major · 3 chords: B♭, E♭7, F7

B♭

E♭7

E♭7

B♭

E♭7

B♭

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 Original) Second Line

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

Ukulele chords for (The Original) Second Line

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

Tenor banjo & mandolin chords for (The Original) Second Line

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

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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.