About Yellow Dog Blues
Yellow Dog Blues is a blues in D major — intermediate, running from D to d and staying in first position on banjo, mandolin and fiddle.
- Type
- Blues
- Key
- D major · 4/4
- Range
- D to d · first position
- Notes used
- D E E♯ F F♯ G G♯ A♭ A A♯ B
- Level
- Intermediate
Yellow Dog Blues — 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 d d | d d d | A♯ B d B E♯ F♯ A | A A d d d | d d d | A♯ B d B G | D D A♯ | B B B B | G♯ F♯ E | A A A♭ G | F♯ F♯ | G G♯ | A B d d B A F♯ F E | D E F F E | D E F F D | D A E E E | E♯ F♯ E♯ F♯ D | D
Yellow Dog Blues — tab
Tenor banjo · mandolin · fiddle · guitar · ukulele — tap one to open it
Yellow Dog Blues — Tenor banjo tab
G D A E (Irish tuning) · open position
E|-------|-------|---------------|---| A|-5-5-5-|-5-5-5-|-1-2-5-2-----0-|-0-| D|-------|-------|---------3-4---|---| G|-------|-------|---------------|---|
E|---------|-------|-----------|---| A|-0-5-5-5-|-5-5-5-|-1-2-5-2---|---| D|---------|-------|---------5-|-0-| G|---------|-------|-----------|---|
E|-----|---------|-------|---| A|---1-|-2-2-2-2-|-------|-0-| D|-0---|---------|-6-4-2-|---| G|-----|---------|-------|---|
E|-------|-----|-----|-------------| A|-0-----|-----|-----|-0-2-5-5-2-0-| D|---6-5-|-4-4-|-5-6-|-------------| G|-------|-----|-----|-------------|
E|-------|-----------|-----------|---| A|-------|-----------|-----------|---| D|-4-3-2-|-0-2-3-3-2-|-0-2-3-3-0-|-0-| G|-------|-----------|-----------|---|
E|---------|-----------|---| A|-0-------|-----------|---| D|---2-2-2-|-3-4-3-4-0-|-0-| G|---------|-----------|---|
Numbers are frets. Tenor banjo sounds an octave below the written notes.
Yellow Dog Blues — Mandolin tab
G D A E · open position
E|-------|-------|---------------|---| A|-5-5-5-|-5-5-5-|-1-2-5-2-----0-|-0-| D|-------|-------|---------3-4---|---| G|-------|-------|---------------|---|
E|---------|-------|-----------|---| A|-0-5-5-5-|-5-5-5-|-1-2-5-2---|---| D|---------|-------|---------5-|-0-| G|---------|-------|-----------|---|
E|-----|---------|-------|---| A|---1-|-2-2-2-2-|-------|-0-| D|-0---|---------|-6-4-2-|---| G|-----|---------|-------|---|
E|-------|-----|-----|-------------| A|-0-----|-----|-----|-0-2-5-5-2-0-| D|---6-5-|-4-4-|-5-6-|-------------| G|-------|-----|-----|-------------|
E|-------|-----------|-----------|---| A|-------|-----------|-----------|---| D|-4-3-2-|-0-2-3-3-2-|-0-2-3-3-0-|-0-| G|-------|-----------|-----------|---|
E|---------|-----------|---| A|-0-------|-----------|---| D|---2-2-2-|-3-4-3-4-0-|-0-| G|---------|-----------|---|
Numbers are frets. Same strings as the fiddle, so the same notes fall in the same places.
Yellow Dog Blues — fiddle fingering
G D A E · first position — finger numbers
E|-------|-------|-----------------|---| A|-3-3-3-|-3-3-3-|-L1-1-3-1------0-|-0-| D|-------|-------|----------L2-2---|---| G|-------|-------|-----------------|---|
E|---------|-------|------------|---| A|-0-3-3-3-|-3-3-3-|-L1-1-3-1---|---| D|---------|-------|----------3-|-0-| G|---------|-------|------------|---|
E|------|---------|--------|---| A|---L1-|-1-1-1-1-|--------|-0-| D|-0----|---------|-H3-2-1-|---| G|------|---------|--------|---|
E|--------|-----|------|-------------| A|-0------|-----|------|-0-1-3-3-1-0-| D|---H3-3-|-2-2-|-3-H3-|-------------| G|--------|-----|------|-------------|
E|--------|-------------|-------------|---| A|--------|-------------|-------------|---| D|-2-L2-1-|-0-1-L2-L2-1-|-0-1-L2-L2-0-|-0-| G|--------|-------------|-------------|---|
E|---------|-------------|---| A|-0-------|-------------|---| D|---1-1-1-|-L2-2-L2-2-0-|-0-| G|---------|-------------|---|
0 = open string · 1–4 = finger · L = low (half step back), H = high.
Yellow Dog Blues — Guitar tab
E A D G B E · open position
e|-------|-------|---------------|---| B|-3-3-3-|-3-3-3-|---0-3-0-------|---| G|-------|-------|-3-----------2-|-2-| D|-------|-------|---------3-4---|---| A|-------|-------|---------------|---| E|-------|-------|---------------|---|
e|---------|-------|-----------|---| B|---3-3-3-|-3-3-3-|---0-3-0---|---| G|-2-------|-------|-3-------0-|---| D|---------|-------|-----------|-0-| A|---------|-------|-----------|---| E|---------|-------|-----------|---|
e|-----|---------|-------|---| B|-----|-0-0-0-0-|-------|---| G|---3-|---------|-1-----|-2-| D|-0---|---------|---4-2-|---| A|-----|---------|-------|---| E|-----|---------|-------|---|
e|-------|-----|-----|-------------| B|-------|-----|-----|---0-3-3-0---| G|-2-1-0-|-----|-0-1-|-2---------2-| D|-------|-4-4-|-----|-------------| A|-------|-----|-----|-------------| E|-------|-----|-----|-------------|
e|-------|-----------|-----------|---| B|-------|-----------|-----------|---| G|-------|-----------|-----------|---| D|-4-3-2-|-0-2-3-3-2-|-0-2-3-3-0-|-0-| A|-------|-----------|-----------|---| E|-------|-----------|-----------|---|
e|---------|-----------|---| B|---------|-----------|---| G|-2-------|-----------|---| D|---2-2-2-|-3-4-3-4-0-|-0-| A|---------|-----------|---| E|---------|-----------|---|
Numbers are frets; the bottom line is the low E string.
Yellow Dog Blues — Ukulele tab
G C E A (high G) · open position
A|-5-5-5-|-5-5-5-|-1-2-5-2-----0-|-0-| E|-------|-------|---------1-2---|---| C|-------|-------|---------------|---| G|-------|-------|---------------|---|
A|-0-5-5-5-|-5-5-5-|-1-2-5-2---|---| E|---------|-------|-----------|---| C|---------|-------|-----------|-2-| G|---------|-------|---------0-|---|
A|---1-|-2-2-2-2-|-------|-0-| E|-----|---------|---2-0-|---| C|-2---|---------|-------|---| G|-----|---------|-1-----|---|
A|-0-----|-----|-----|-0-2-5-5-2-0-| E|-------|-2-2-|-----|-------------| C|-------|-----|-----|-------------| G|---1-0-|-----|-0-1-|-------------|
A|-------|-----------|-----------|---| E|-2-1-0-|---0-1-1-0-|---0-1-1---|---| C|-------|-2---------|-2-------2-|-2-| G|-------|-----------|-----------|---|
A|-0-------|-----------|---| E|---0-0-0-|-1-2-1-2---|---| C|---------|---------2-|-2-| G|---------|-----------|---|
Numbers are frets; the top line is the A string, the bottom line the high G.
Yellow Dog Blues chords
D major · 9 chords: D, G, D7, E7, A, A7, G/D, B♭7/D, G7
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 G/D means play G with D as the lowest note.
Guitar chords for Yellow Dog Blues
Strings E A D G B E, low to high · o = open string, × = don't play it
Ukulele chords for Yellow Dog Blues
Strings G C E A, low to high · o = open string, × = don't play it
Tenor banjo & mandolin chords for Yellow Dog 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.