The Rambling Pitchfork — Banjo & Mandolin Tab, Sheet Music

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About The Rambling Pitchfork

The Rambling Pitchfork is a two-part Irish jig in D major — beginner-friendly, running from D to a and staying in first position on banjo, mandolin and fiddle.

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

The Rambling Pitchfork — sheet music

D 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

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The Rambling Pitchfork — tab

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

The Rambling Pitchfork — Tenor banjo tab

G D A E (Irish tuning) · open position

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

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

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

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

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

The Rambling Pitchfork — Mandolin tab

G D A E · open position

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

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

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

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

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

The Rambling Pitchfork — fiddle fingering

G D A E · first position — finger numbers

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

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

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

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

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

The Rambling Pitchfork — Guitar tab

E A D G B E · open position

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

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

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

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

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

The Rambling Pitchfork — Ukulele tab

G C E A (high G) · open position

A|-----0-----|-5-----0-----|-----0-2-4-|-5-7-5-4-0---|
E|-2-2---2-2-|---2-2---2-2-|-----------|-------------|
C|-----------|-------------|-----------|-------------|
G|-----------|-------------|-0-0-------|-----------0-|

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

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

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

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

More jigs and tunes like it

Morrison's The Connaughtman's Rambles The Lark In The Morning Calliope House Tripping Up The Stairs My Darling Asleep The Rolling Waves Haste To The Wedding

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