'Way Down Yonder — Banjo & Mandolin Tab, Chords

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About 'Way Down Yonder

'Way Down Yonder is a trad jazz tune in F major — beginner-friendly, running from D to d and staying in first position on banjo, mandolin and fiddle.

Type: Jazz tune
Key: F major · 4/4
Range: D to d · first position
Notes used: C D♭ D E♭ E F G A B
Level: Beginner-friendly

'Way Down Yonder — sheet music

F 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

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'Way Down Yonder — tab

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

'Way Down Yonder — Tenor banjo tab

G D A E (Irish tuning) · open position

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

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

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

E|---------|-----------|-----------|---|
A|-------0-|-3-0-------|-------0---|---|
D|-1-3-5---|-----5-3-5-|-5-5-3---3-|-5-|
G|---------|-----------|-----------|---|

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

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

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

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

'Way Down Yonder — Mandolin tab

G D A E · open position

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

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

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

E|---------|-----------|-----------|---|
A|-------0-|-3-0-------|-------0---|---|
D|-1-3-5---|-----5-3-5-|-5-5-3---3-|-5-|
G|---------|-----------|-----------|---|

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

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

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

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

'Way Down Yonder — fiddle fingering

G D A E · first position — finger numbers

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

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

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

E|-----------|-------------|-------------|---|
A|---------0-|-L2-0--------|--------0----|---|
D|-L1-L2-3---|------3-L2-3-|-3-3-L2---L2-|-3-|
G|-----------|-------------|-------------|---|

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

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

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

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

'Way Down Yonder — Guitar tab

E A D G B E · open position

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

'Way Down Yonder — Ukulele tab

G C E A (high G) · open position

A|-3-3-3-3-0-3-|-0-0-0-0-|-----------|---------|
E|-------------|---------|---0---0---|-0-0-0-0-|
C|-------------|---------|-----------|---------|
G|-------------|---------|-0---0---0-|---------|

A|---------0-|-3-3-|-5-5-5-0-|-0-|
E|---0-1-----|-----|---------|---|
C|-2---------|-----|---------|---|
G|-------0---|-----|---------|---|

A|-3-3-3-3-0-3-|-0-0-0-0-|-----------|---------|
E|-------------|---------|---0---0---|-0-0-0-0-|
C|-------------|---------|-----------|---------|
G|-------------|---------|-0---0---0-|---------|

A|-------0-|-3-0-------|-------0---|---|
E|---1-----|-------1---|-----1---1-|---|
C|-3-------|-----------|-----------|---|
G|-----0---|-----0---0-|-0-0-------|-0-|

A|---0-2-3-|-5-2-0---3-|-3-3-3-5-0-|-3-|
E|---------|-----------|-----------|---|
C|---------|-----------|-----------|---|
G|-0-------|-------0---|-----------|---|

A|-3-3-3-3-0-3-|-5-5-5-5-|-3-3-3-3-0-3-|-4-|
E|-------------|---------|-------------|---|
C|-------------|---------|-------------|---|
G|-------------|---------|-------------|---|

A|-3-3-3-3-5-0-|-3-0-|---|
E|-------------|-----|-1-|
C|-------------|-----|---|
G|-------------|-----|---|

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

'Way Down Yonder chords

F major · 8 chords: C7, F, F7, B♭, G7, Bm7♭5, F/C, D♭7

B♭

Bm7♭5

F/C

D♭7

One box per bar, in the same order as the sheet music. A faded chord carries on from the bar before. A slash chord like F/C means play F with C as the lowest note.

Guitar chords for 'Way Down Yonder

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

Ukulele chords for 'Way Down Yonder

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

Tenor banjo & mandolin chords for 'Way Down Yonder

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

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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.