About The Tarbolton
The Tarbolton is a two-part Irish reel in E dorian (it uses the notes of D major) — intermediate, running from D to b and staying in first position on banjo, mandolin and fiddle.
- Type
- Reel, two parts, each usually played twice
- Key
- E dorian (the notes of D major) · 4/4
- Range
- D to b · first position
- Notes used
- C C♯ D E F♯ G A B
- Level
- Intermediate
The Tarbolton — sheet music
E dorian (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
D | E e e d e B A | G B A F♯ G F♯ E F♯ | D d d C♯ d A F♯ G B A G F♯ D D F♯ | E e e d e f♯ g e | f♯ e d f♯ e d B A | G A B G F♯ G A C B G A F♯ G E E | g f♯ e f♯ g f♯ e b e | g e b e g f♯ e f♯ | d f♯ d a d f♯ d A B A G F♯ D D F♯ | G G G B G F♯ F♯ F♯ A F♯ | E e e f♯ g f♯ e d | B d B A G F♯ A B G A F♯ G E E
The Tarbolton — tab
Tenor banjo · mandolin · fiddle · guitar · ukulele — tap one to open it
The Tarbolton — Tenor banjo tab
G D A E (Irish tuning) · open position
E|---|---0-0---0-----|-----------------|---------------| A|---|-------5---2-0-|---2-0-----------|---5-5-4-5-0---| D|-0-|-2-------------|-5-----4-5-4-2-4-|-0-----------4-| G|---|---------------|-----------------|---------------|
E|-----------------|---0-0---0-2-3-0-|-2-0---2-0-------|-----------------| A|---2-0-----------|-------5---------|-----5-----5-2-0-|---0-2-------0-3-| D|-5-----5-4-0-0-4-|-2---------------|-----------------|-5-----5-4-5-----| G|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
E|---------------|-3-2-0-2-3-2-0-7-0-|-3-0-7-0-3-2-0-2-|---2---5---2---| A|-2---0---------|-------------------|-----------------|-5---5---5---5-| D|---5---4-5-2-2-|-------------------|-----------------|---------------| G|---------------|-------------------|-----------------|---------------|
E|-----------------|---------------------|---0-0-2-3-2-0---|---------------| A|-0-2-0-----------|-------2---------0---|---------------5-|-2-5-2-0-----0-| D|-------5-4-0-0-4-|-5-5-5---5-4-4-4---4-|-2---------------|---------5-4---| G|-----------------|---------------------|-----------------|---------------|
E|---------------| A|-2---0---------| D|---5---4-5-2-2-| G|---------------|
Numbers are frets. Tenor banjo sounds an octave below the written notes.
The Tarbolton — Mandolin tab
G D A E · open position
E|---|---0-0---0-----|-----------------|---------------| A|---|-------5---2-0-|---2-0-----------|---5-5-4-5-0---| D|-0-|-2-------------|-5-----4-5-4-2-4-|-0-----------4-| G|---|---------------|-----------------|---------------|
E|-----------------|---0-0---0-2-3-0-|-2-0---2-0-------|-----------------| A|---2-0-----------|-------5---------|-----5-----5-2-0-|---0-2-------0-3-| D|-5-----5-4-0-0-4-|-2---------------|-----------------|-5-----5-4-5-----| G|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
E|---------------|-3-2-0-2-3-2-0-7-0-|-3-0-7-0-3-2-0-2-|---2---5---2---| A|-2---0---------|-------------------|-----------------|-5---5---5---5-| D|---5---4-5-2-2-|-------------------|-----------------|---------------| G|---------------|-------------------|-----------------|---------------|
E|-----------------|---------------------|---0-0-2-3-2-0---|---------------| A|-0-2-0-----------|-------2---------0---|---------------5-|-2-5-2-0-----0-| D|-------5-4-0-0-4-|-5-5-5---5-4-4-4---4-|-2---------------|---------5-4---| G|-----------------|---------------------|-----------------|---------------|
E|---------------| A|-2---0---------| D|---5---4-5-2-2-| G|---------------|
Numbers are frets. Same strings as the fiddle, so the same notes fall in the same places.
The Tarbolton — fiddle fingering
G D A E · first position — finger numbers
E|---|---0-0---0-----|-----------------|---------------| A|---|-------3---1-0-|---1-0-----------|---3-3-2-3-0---| D|-0-|-1-------------|-3-----2-3-2-1-2-|-0-----------2-| G|---|---------------|-----------------|---------------|
E|-----------------|---0-0---0-1-L2-0-|-1-0---1-0-------|------------------| A|---1-0-----------|-------3----------|-----3-----3-1-0-|---0-1-------0-L2-| D|-3-----3-2-0-0-2-|-1----------------|-----------------|-3-----3-2-3------| G|-----------------|------------------|-----------------|------------------|
E|---------------|-L2-1-0-1-L2-1-0-4-0-|-L2-0-4-0-L2-1-0-1-|---1---3---1---| A|-1---0---------|---------------------|-------------------|-3---3---3---3-| D|---3---2-3-1-1-|---------------------|-------------------|---------------| G|---------------|---------------------|-------------------|---------------|
E|-----------------|---------------------|---0-0-1-L2-1-0---|---------------| A|-0-1-0-----------|-------1---------0---|----------------3-|-1-3-1-0-----0-| D|-------3-2-0-0-2-|-3-3-3---3-2-2-2---2-|-1----------------|---------3-2---| G|-----------------|---------------------|------------------|---------------|
E|---------------| A|-1---0---------| D|---3---2-3-1-1-| G|---------------|
0 = open string · 1–4 = finger · L = low (half step back), H = high.
The Tarbolton — Guitar tab
E A D G B E · open position
e|---|---0-0---0-----|-----------------|---------------| B|---|-------3---0---|---0-------------|---3-3-2-3-----| G|---|-------------2-|-0---2---0-------|-----------2---| D|-0-|-2-------------|-------4---4-2-4-|-0-----------4-| A|---|---------------|-----------------|---------------| E|---|---------------|-----------------|---------------|
e|-----------------|---0-0---0-2-3-0-|-2-0---2-0-------|-----------------| B|---0-------------|-------3---------|-----3-----3-0---|-----0---------1-| G|-0---2-0---------|-----------------|---------------2-|-0-2---0---0-2---| D|---------4-0-0-4-|-2---------------|-----------------|---------4-------| A|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------| E|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
e|---------------|-3-2-0-2-3-2-0-7-0-|-3-0-7-0-3-2-0-2-|---2---5---2---| B|-0-------------|-------------------|-----------------|-3---3---3---3-| G|---0-2---0-----|-------------------|-----------------|---------------| D|-------4---2-2-|-------------------|-----------------|---------------| A|---------------|-------------------|-----------------|---------------| E|---------------|-------------------|-----------------|---------------|
e|-----------------|---------------------|---0-0-2-3-2-0---|---------------| B|---0-------------|-------0-------------|---------------3-|-0-3-0---------| G|-2---2-0---------|-0-0-0---0-------2---|-----------------|-------2-0---2-| D|---------4-0-0-4-|-----------4-4-4---4-|-2---------------|-----------4---| A|-----------------|---------------------|-----------------|---------------| E|-----------------|---------------------|-----------------|---------------|
e|---------------| B|-0-------------| G|---0-2---0-----| D|-------4---2-2-| A|---------------| E|---------------|
Numbers are frets; the bottom line is the low E string.
The Tarbolton — Ukulele tab
G C E A (high G) · open position
A|---|---7-7-5-7-2-0-|---2-0-----------|---5-5-4-5-0---| E|---|-0-------------|-------2---2-0-2-|-------------2-| C|-2-|---------------|-----------------|-2-------------| G|---|---------------|-0-------0-------|---------------|
A|---2-0-----------|---7-7-5-7-9-10-7-|-9-7-5-9-7-5-2-0-|---0-2-------0-3-| E|---------2-----2-|-0----------------|-----------------|---------2-------| C|-----------2-2---|------------------|-----------------|-----------------| G|-0-----0---------|------------------|-----------------|-0-----0---0-----|
A|-2---0---------|-10-9-7-9-10-9-7-14-7-|-10-7-14-7-10-9-7-9-|-5-9-5-12-5-9-5-| E|-------2---0-0-|----------------------|--------------------|----------------| C|---------------|----------------------|--------------------|----------------| G|---0-----0-----|----------------------|--------------------|----------------|
A|-0-2-0-----------|-------2---------0---|---7-7-9-10-9-7-5-|-2-5-2-0-----0-| E|---------2-----2-|-----------2-2-2---2-|-0----------------|-----------2---| C|-----------2-2---|---------------------|------------------|---------------| G|-------0---------|-0-0-0---0-----------|------------------|---------0-----|
A|-2---0---------| E|-------2---0-0-| C|---------------| G|---0-----0-----|
Numbers are frets; the top line is the A string, the bottom line the high G.
More reels 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.