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Turkey in the Straw — Sheet Music, Tab & Chord Directory

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About Turkey in the Straw

Turkey in the Straw is a two-part old-time fiddle reel in G major — intermediate, running from B, to g and staying in first position on banjo, mandolin and fiddle.

Type
Reel, two parts, each usually played twice
Key
G major · 4/4
Range
B, to g · first position
Notes used
C D E F♯ G A B
Level
Intermediate

Turkey in the Straw — sheet music

G 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

B A | G F♯ G A G D B, C | D E D B, D G A | B B B A G A B A A B A | G F♯ G A G D B, C | D E D B, D G A | B d e d B G A B G A F♯ G | G A | B d B d d | B d B d C e C e e | C e C e e f♯ | g g d d | B d B A G A B d e d B G A | B G A F♯ G

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Turkey in the Straw — tab

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

Turkey in the Straw — Tenor banjo tab

G D A E (Irish tuning) · open position

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

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

Turkey in the Straw — Mandolin tab

G D A E · open position

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

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

Turkey in the Straw — fiddle fingering

G D A E · first position — finger numbers

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

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

Turkey in the Straw — Guitar tab

E A D G B E · open position

e|-----|-----------------|---------------|-------------|
B|-0---|-----------------|---------------|-0-0-0-------|
G|---2-|-0---0-2-0-------|-----------0-2-|-------2-0-2-|
D|-----|---4-------0-----|-0-2-0---0-----|-------------|
A|-----|-------------2-3-|-------2-------|-------------|
E|-----|-----------------|---------------|-------------|
e|-----------|-----------------|---------------|-----0---------|
B|-0-----0---|-----------------|---------------|-0-3---3-0-----|
G|---2-2---2-|-0---0-2-0-------|-----------0-2-|-----------0-2-|
D|-----------|---4-------0-----|-0-2-0---0-----|---------------|
A|-----------|-------------2-3-|-------2-------|---------------|
E|-----------|-----------------|---------------|---------------|
e|-----------|-----|-----------|---------|
B|-0---------|-----|-0-3-0-3-3-|-0-3-0-3-|
G|---0-2---0-|-0-2-|-----------|---------|
D|-------4---|-----|-----------|---------|
A|-----------|-----|-----------|---------|
E|-----------|-----|-----------|---------|
e|---0---0-0-|---0---0-0-2-|-3-3-----|-------------|
B|-1---1-----|-1---1-------|-----3-3-|-0-3-0-------|
G|-----------|-------------|---------|-------2-0-2-|
D|-----------|-------------|---------|-------------|
A|-----------|-------------|---------|-------------|
E|-----------|-------------|---------|-------------|
e|-----0---------|-----------|
B|-0-3---3-0-----|-0---------|
G|-----------0-2-|---0-2---0-|
D|---------------|-------4---|
A|---------------|-----------|
E|---------------|-----------|

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

Turkey in the Straw — Ukulele tab

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

A|-14-12-|-10-9-10-12-10-5-2-3-|-5-7-5-2-5-10-12-|-14-14-14-12-10-12-|
E|-------|---------------------|-----------------|-------------------|
C|-------|---------------------|-----------------|-------------------|
G|-------|---------------------|-----------------|-------------------|
A|-14-12-12-14-12-|-10-9-10-12-10-5-2-3-|-5-7-5-2-5-10-12-|-14-17-19-17-14-10-12-|
E|----------------|---------------------|-----------------|----------------------|
C|----------------|---------------------|-----------------|----------------------|
G|----------------|---------------------|-----------------|----------------------|
A|-14-10-12-9-10-|-10-12-|-14-17-14-17-17-|-14-17-14-17-|
E|---------------|-------|----------------|-------------|
C|---------------|-------|----------------|-------------|
G|---------------|-------|----------------|-------------|
A|-15-19-15-19-19-|-15-19-15-19-19-21-|-22-22-17-17-|-14-17-14-12-10-12-|
E|----------------|-------------------|-------------|-------------------|
C|----------------|-------------------|-------------|-------------------|
G|----------------|-------------------|-------------|-------------------|
A|-14-17-19-17-14-10-12-|-14-10-12-9-10-|
E|----------------------|---------------|
C|----------------------|---------------|
G|----------------------|---------------|

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

Turkey in the Straw chords

G major · 3 chords: G, D, C

pickup
G
G
G
D
G
G
G
D G
G
G
G
C
C
G
G D
G
D G

One box per bar, in the same order as the sheet music. A faded chord carries on from the bar before.

Guitar chords for Turkey in the Straw

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

GD××C×

Ukulele chords for Turkey in the Straw

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

GDC

Tenor banjo & mandolin chords for Turkey in the Straw

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

GDC

More reels and tunes like it

Blackberry BlossomTemperance ReelBig SciotaFlop-Eared MuleKaty HillStoney PointSquirrel HuntersGeorgia Boys

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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