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The Redhaired Boy — Sheet Music, Tab & Chord Directory

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About The Redhaired Boy

The Redhaired Boy is a two-part old-time fiddle reel in A mixolydian (it uses the notes of D major) — intermediate, running from E to b and staying in first position on banjo, mandolin and fiddle.

Type
Reel, two parts, each usually played twice
Key
A mixolydian (the notes of D major) · 4/4
Range
E to b · first position
Notes used
C♯ D E F♯ G A B
Level
Intermediate

The Redhaired Boy — sheet music

A mixolydian (the notes of 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 F♯ | E A A B C♯ d | e f♯ e C♯ d C♯ d | e A A B C♯ A B G E F♯ G A G | E A A B C♯ d | e f♯ e C♯ d C♯ d | e a a b a g e d C♯ A A | e f♯ | g f♯ g a g f♯ e f♯ | g f♯ e C♯ d C♯ d e d C♯ B A B C♯ A | B G E F♯ G A G | E A G A C♯ d | e f♯ e C♯ d C♯ d e a a b a g e d | C♯ A A

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The Redhaired Boy — tab

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

The Redhaired Boy — Tenor banjo tab

G D A E (Irish tuning) · open position

E|-----|-------------|-0-2-0---------|-0-----------|
A|-0---|---0-0-2-4-5-|-------4-5-4-5-|---0-0-2-4-0-|
D|---4-|-2-----------|---------------|-------------|
G|-----|-------------|---------------|-------------|
E|---------------|-------------|-0-2-0---------|-0-5-5-7-5-3-0---|
A|-2---------0---|---0-0-2-4-5-|-------4-5-4-5-|---------------5-|
D|---5-2-4-5---5-|-2-----------|---------------|-----------------|
G|---------------|-------------|---------------|-----------------|
E|-------|-0-2-|-3-2-3-5-3-2-0-2-|-3-2-0---------|
A|-4-0-0-|-----|-----------------|-------4-5-4-5-|
D|-------|-----|-----------------|---------------|
G|-------|-----|-----------------|---------------|
E|-0---------------|---------------|-------------|-0-2-0---------|
A|---5-4-2-0-2-4-0-|-2---------0---|---0---0-4-5-|-------4-5-4-5-|
D|-----------------|---5-2-4-5---5-|-2---5-------|---------------|
G|-----------------|---------------|-------------|---------------|
E|-0-5-5-7-5-3-0---|-------|
A|---------------5-|-4-0-0-|
D|-----------------|-------|
G|-----------------|-------|

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

The Redhaired Boy — Mandolin tab

G D A E · open position

E|-----|-------------|-0-2-0---------|-0-----------|
A|-0---|---0-0-2-4-5-|-------4-5-4-5-|---0-0-2-4-0-|
D|---4-|-2-----------|---------------|-------------|
G|-----|-------------|---------------|-------------|
E|---------------|-------------|-0-2-0---------|-0-5-5-7-5-3-0---|
A|-2---------0---|---0-0-2-4-5-|-------4-5-4-5-|---------------5-|
D|---5-2-4-5---5-|-2-----------|---------------|-----------------|
G|---------------|-------------|---------------|-----------------|
E|-------|-0-2-|-3-2-3-5-3-2-0-2-|-3-2-0---------|
A|-4-0-0-|-----|-----------------|-------4-5-4-5-|
D|-------|-----|-----------------|---------------|
G|-------|-----|-----------------|---------------|
E|-0---------------|---------------|-------------|-0-2-0---------|
A|---5-4-2-0-2-4-0-|-2---------0---|---0---0-4-5-|-------4-5-4-5-|
D|-----------------|---5-2-4-5---5-|-2---5-------|---------------|
G|-----------------|---------------|-------------|---------------|
E|-0-5-5-7-5-3-0---|-------|
A|---------------5-|-4-0-0-|
D|-----------------|-------|
G|-----------------|-------|

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

The Redhaired Boy — fiddle fingering

G D A E · first position — finger numbers

E|-----|-------------|-0-1-0---------|-0-----------|
A|-0---|---0-0-1-2-3-|-------2-3-2-3-|---0-0-1-2-0-|
D|---2-|-1-----------|---------------|-------------|
G|-----|-------------|---------------|-------------|
E|---------------|-------------|-0-1-0---------|-0-3-3-4-3-L2-0---|
A|-1---------0---|---0-0-1-2-3-|-------2-3-2-3-|----------------3-|
D|---3-1-2-3---3-|-1-----------|---------------|------------------|
G|---------------|-------------|---------------|------------------|
E|-------|-0-1-|-L2-1-L2-3-L2-1-0-1-|-L2-1-0---------|
A|-2-0-0-|-----|--------------------|--------2-3-2-3-|
D|-------|-----|--------------------|----------------|
G|-------|-----|--------------------|----------------|
E|-0---------------|---------------|-------------|-0-1-0---------|
A|---3-2-1-0-1-2-0-|-1---------0---|---0---0-2-3-|-------2-3-2-3-|
D|-----------------|---3-1-2-3---3-|-1---3-------|---------------|
G|-----------------|---------------|-------------|---------------|
E|-0-3-3-4-3-L2-0---|-------|
A|----------------3-|-2-0-0-|
D|------------------|-------|
G|------------------|-------|

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

The Redhaired Boy — Guitar tab

E A D G B E · open position

e|-----|-------------|-0-2-0---------|-0-----------|
B|-----|-------0-2-3-|-------2-3-2-3-|-------0-2---|
G|-2---|---2-2-------|---------------|---2-2-----2-|
D|---4-|-2-----------|---------------|-------------|
A|-----|-------------|---------------|-------------|
E|-----|-------------|---------------|-------------|
e|---------------|-------------|-0-2-0---------|-0-5-5-7-5-3-0---|
B|-0-------------|-------0-2-3-|-------2-3-2-3-|---------------3-|
G|---0-----0-2-0-|---2-2-------|---------------|-----------------|
D|-----2-4-------|-2-----------|---------------|-----------------|
A|---------------|-------------|---------------|-----------------|
E|---------------|-------------|---------------|-----------------|
e|-------|-0-2-|-3-2-3-5-3-2-0-2-|-3-2-0---------|
B|-2-----|-----|-----------------|-------2-3-2-3-|
G|---2-2-|-----|-----------------|---------------|
D|-------|-----|-----------------|---------------|
A|-------|-----|-----------------|---------------|
E|-------|-----|-----------------|---------------|
e|-0---------------|---------------|-------------|-0-2-0---------|
B|---3-2-0---0-2---|-0-------------|---------2-3-|-------2-3-2-3-|
G|---------2-----2-|---0-----0-2-0-|---2-0-2-----|---------------|
D|-----------------|-----2-4-------|-2-----------|---------------|
A|-----------------|---------------|-------------|---------------|
E|-----------------|---------------|-------------|---------------|
e|-0-5-5-7-5-3-0---|-------|
B|---------------3-|-2-----|
G|-----------------|---2-2-|
D|-----------------|-------|
A|-----------------|-------|
E|-----------------|-------|

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

The Redhaired Boy — Ukulele tab

G C E A (high G) · open position

A|-0---|---0-0-2-4-5-|-7-9-7-4-5-4-5-|-7-0-0-2-4-0-|
E|---2-|-0-----------|---------------|-------------|
C|-----|-------------|---------------|-------------|
G|-----|-------------|---------------|-------------|
A|-2---------0---|---0-0-2-4-5-|-7-9-7-4-5-4-5-|-7-12-12-14-12-10-7-5-|
E|-----0-2-------|-0-----------|---------------|----------------------|
C|---------------|-------------|---------------|----------------------|
G|---0-----0---0-|-------------|---------------|----------------------|
A|-4-0-0-|-7-9-|-10-9-10-12-10-9-7-9-|-10-9-7-4-5-4-5-|
E|-------|-----|---------------------|----------------|
C|-------|-----|---------------------|----------------|
G|-------|-----|---------------------|----------------|
A|-7-5-4-2-0-2-4-0-|-2---------0---|---0---0-4-5-|-7-9-7-4-5-4-5-|
E|-----------------|-----0-2-------|-0-----------|---------------|
C|-----------------|---------------|-------------|---------------|
G|-----------------|---0-----0---0-|-----0-------|---------------|
A|-7-12-12-14-12-10-7-5-|-4-0-0-|
E|----------------------|-------|
C|----------------------|-------|
G|----------------------|-------|

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

The Redhaired Boy chords

A mixolydian (the notes of D major) · 4 chords: A, D, G, E

pickup
A
A D
A
G
A
A D
A E
A
A
G
G D
A
G
A
A D
A E
A

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 Redhaired Boy

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

A×D××GE

Ukulele chords for The Redhaired Boy

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

ADGE

Tenor banjo & mandolin chords for The Redhaired Boy

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

ADGE

More reels and tunes like it

Soldier's JoyArkansas TravelerWhiskey Before BreakfastCumberland GapForked DeerMississippi SawyerSaint Anne's ReelLiberty

This traditional setting comes from Jim’s Roots & Blues. The tune itself is traditional. Tabs and letter names worked out by The Music Arcade.

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