About Tin Roof Blues
Tin Roof Blues is a blues in B♭ major — intermediate, running from B♭, to d♭ and staying in first position on banjo, mandolin and fiddle.
- Type
- Blues, each usually played twice
- Key
- B♭ major · 4/4
- Range
- B♭, to d♭ · first position
- Notes used
- C D♭ D E♭ E F♭ F G A♭ A B♭
- Level
- Intermediate
Tin Roof Blues — 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
E | F F♭ E♭ D F F♭ E♭ D | F B♭, D D | F F♭ E♭ D F F♭ E♭ D F B♭, D D | B♭ A A♭ G B♭ A A♭ G | B♭ E♭ G G | F F♭ E♭ D F F♭ E♭ D F B♭, G G G G | G | F F G B♭ d♭ C B♭ | B♭ E | B♭
Tin Roof Blues — tab
Tenor banjo · mandolin · fiddle · guitar · ukulele — tap one to open it
Tin Roof Blues — Tenor banjo tab
G D A E (Irish tuning) · open position
E|---|-----------------|---------|-----------------| A|---|-----------------|---------|-----------------| D|-2-|-3-2-1-0-3-2-1-0-|-3---0-0-|-3-2-1-0-3-2-1-0-| G|---|-----------------|---3-----|-----------------|
E|---------|-----------------|---------|-----------------| A|---------|-1-0-----1-0-----|-1-------|-----------------| D|-3---0-0-|-----6-5-----6-5-|---1-5-5-|-3-2-1-0-3-2-1-0-| G|---3-----|-----------------|---------|-----------------|
E|-------------|---|---------------|---| A|-------------|---|-------1-4-3-1-|-1-| D|-3---5-5-5-5-|-5-|-3-3-5---------|---| G|---3---------|---|---------------|---|
E|---|---| A|---|-1-| D|-2-|---| G|---|---|
Numbers are frets. Tenor banjo sounds an octave below the written notes.
Tin Roof Blues — Mandolin tab
G D A E · open position
E|---|-----------------|---------|-----------------| A|---|-----------------|---------|-----------------| D|-2-|-3-2-1-0-3-2-1-0-|-3---0-0-|-3-2-1-0-3-2-1-0-| G|---|-----------------|---3-----|-----------------|
E|---------|-----------------|---------|-----------------| A|---------|-1-0-----1-0-----|-1-------|-----------------| D|-3---0-0-|-----6-5-----6-5-|---1-5-5-|-3-2-1-0-3-2-1-0-| G|---3-----|-----------------|---------|-----------------|
E|-------------|---|---------------|---| A|-------------|---|-------1-4-3-1-|-1-| D|-3---5-5-5-5-|-5-|-3-3-5---------|---| G|---3---------|---|---------------|---|
E|---|---| A|---|-1-| D|-2-|---| G|---|---|
Numbers are frets. Same strings as the fiddle, so the same notes fall in the same places.
Tin Roof Blues — fiddle fingering
G D A E · first position — finger numbers
E|---|---------------------|-----------|---------------------| A|---|---------------------|-----------|---------------------| D|-1-|-L2-1-L1-0-L2-1-L1-0-|-L2----0-0-|-L2-1-L1-0-L2-1-L1-0-| G|---|---------------------|----L2-----|---------------------|
E|-----------|---------------------|-----------|---------------------| A|-----------|-L1-0------L1-0------|-L1--------|---------------------| D|-L2----0-0-|------H3-3------H3-3-|----L1-3-3-|-L2-1-L1-0-L2-1-L1-0-| G|----L2-----|---------------------|-----------|---------------------|
E|---------------|---|--------------------|----| A|---------------|---|---------L1-2-L2-L1-|-L1-| D|-L2----3-3-3-3-|-3-|-L2-L2-3------------|----| G|----L2---------|---|--------------------|----|
E|---|----| A|---|-L1-| D|-1-|----| G|---|----|
0 = open string · 1–4 = finger · L = low (half step back), H = high.
Tin Roof Blues — Guitar tab
E A D G B E · open position
e|---|-----------------|---------|-----------------| B|---|-----------------|---------|-----------------| G|---|-----------------|---------|-----------------| D|-2-|-3-2-1-0-3-2-1-0-|-3---0-0-|-3-2-1-0-3-2-1-0-| A|---|-----------------|---1-----|-----------------| E|---|-----------------|---------|-----------------|
e|---------|-----------------|---------|-----------------| B|---------|-----------------|---------|-----------------| G|---------|-3-2-1-0-3-2-1-0-|-3---0-0-|-----------------| D|-3---0-0-|-----------------|---1-----|-3-2-1-0-3-2-1-0-| A|---1-----|-----------------|---------|-----------------| E|---------|-----------------|---------|-----------------|
e|-------------|---|---------------|---| B|-------------|---|---------2-1---|---| G|-----0-0-0-0-|-0-|-----0-3-----3-|-3-| D|-3-----------|---|-3-3-----------|---| A|---1---------|---|---------------|---| E|-------------|---|---------------|---|
e|---|---| B|---|---| G|---|-3-| D|-2-|---| A|---|---| E|---|---|
Numbers are frets; the bottom line is the low E string.
Tin Roof Blues — Ukulele tab
G C E A (high G) · open position · played an octave up, as the tune dips below the lowest string
A|-7-|-8-7-6-5-8-7-6-5-|-8-1-5-5-|-8-7-6-5-8-7-6-5-| E|---|-----------------|---------|-----------------| C|---|-----------------|---------|-----------------| G|---|-----------------|---------|-----------------|
A|-8-1-5-5-|-13-12-11-10-13-12-11-10-|-13-6-10-10-|-8-7-6-5-8-7-6-5-| E|---------|-------------------------|------------|-----------------| C|---------|-------------------------|------------|-----------------| G|---------|-------------------------|------------|-----------------|
A|-8-1-10-10-10-10-|-10-|-8-8-10-13-16-15-13-|-13-| E|-----------------|----|--------------------|----| C|-----------------|----|--------------------|----| G|-----------------|----|--------------------|----|
A|-7-|-13-| E|---|----| C|---|----| G|---|----|
Numbers are frets; the top line is the A string, the bottom line the high G.
Tin Roof Blues chords
B♭ major · 6 chords: B♭, B♭7, E♭, G7, C7, F7
One box per bar, in the same order as the sheet music. A faded chord carries on from the bar before.
Guitar chords for Tin Roof Blues
Strings E A D G B E, low to high · o = open string, × = don't play it
Ukulele chords for Tin Roof Blues
Strings G C E A, low to high · o = open string, × = don't play it
Tenor banjo & mandolin chords for Tin Roof Blues
Strings G D A E, low to high · o = open string, × = don't play it
More bluess and tunes like it
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.