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Whiskey Before Breakfast — Sheet Music, Tab & Chord Directory

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About Whiskey Before Breakfast

Whiskey Before Breakfast is a two-part old-time fiddle reel in D major — intermediate, running from D to g and staying in first position on banjo, mandolin and fiddle.

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

Whiskey Before Breakfast — sheet music

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

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Whiskey Before Breakfast — tab

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

Whiskey Before Breakfast — Tenor banjo tab

G D A E (Irish tuning) · open position

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

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

Whiskey Before Breakfast — Mandolin tab

G D A E · open position

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

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

Whiskey Before Breakfast — fiddle fingering

G D A E · first position — finger numbers

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

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

Whiskey Before Breakfast — Guitar tab

E A D G B E · open position

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

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

Whiskey Before Breakfast — Ukulele tab

G C E A (high G) · open position

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

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

Whiskey Before Breakfast chords

D major · 4 chords: D, G, A, Em

D
D
G D
A
D
D
G D
A D
D
D
Em
A
D A
G D
G D
A D

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

Guitar chords for Whiskey Before Breakfast

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

D××GA×Em

Ukulele chords for Whiskey Before Breakfast

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

DGAEm

Tenor banjo & mandolin chords for Whiskey Before Breakfast

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

DGAEm

More reels and tunes like it

Soldier's JoyArkansas TravelerThe Redhaired BoyCumberland 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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