Where to find free Irish sheet music and tab
Choose a tune type, open a setting and select your instrument. TradTab’s jig, reel and hornpipe libraries include notation, tab, audio and a print control, with source details beside each setting.
By TradTabPublished
- Start here
- Jigs, reels or hornpipes
- Available formats
- Notation, instrument tab and ABC
- Practice tools
- Playback and speed control
- Before sharing
- Check the setting’s source and reuse terms
Choose the tune type you want
Open one of the collections below, or search the whole tune library by title. A jig is commonly in 6/8, a reel in 4/4 or cut time, and a hornpipe commonly in 4/4. Listen to the setting as well as checking the time signature.
| Tune type | Open the collection | First practice task |
|---|---|---|
| Jigs | Irish jig sheet music and tab | Hear two groups of three in a 6/8 bar. |
| Reels | Irish reel sheet music and tab | Listen for the repeating phrase before speeding up. |
| Hornpipes | Irish hornpipe sheet music and tab | Notice the rhythm and the phrase endings. |
| Slip jigs | Irish slip jig sheet music and tab | Count three groups of three in a 9/8 bar. |
Open a setting and choose your instrument
A title can have several settings. Open a tune card and check its collection and tune number. Use the instrument selector for tenor banjo, mandolin or another supported instrument before reading the tab.
Notation shows pitches and rhythm. Tab shows strings and frets for the selected tuning. If you are starting on banjo, the tab-reading lesson explains the numbers with a playable example.
Listen, slow down and print
Press Play to hear the written setting. Lower Speed to hear a phrase more slowly at the same pitch. This is generated playback of the notation, so a musician’s recording can give you additional phrasing and ornament detail.
Use the tune page’s Print control for a paper copy or your browser’s Save as PDF. Check the print preview after selecting the instrument. For a practical listening routine, follow learning a tune by ear.
Compare the source before copying a setting
TradTab’s library includes historical O’Neill and Kerr collections and approved player contributions. Keep the source label with a setting you share. Another player may know a different version of the same tune.
For original editions and further archives, use the public-domain collections guide. Check the terms attached to any modern scan, transcription or recording; the age of a tune does not establish the reuse rights of every version.
Questions
Yes. Open a setting, choose your instrument and use Print. Check the preview before printing or saving a PDF.
Tunes circulate in different settings. Compare the melody and source details, then choose the version you want to learn.
Keep reading
Read the guideHow to slow an Irish tune down and learn it by ear
Listen to the whole tune, lower the playback speed and work on one short phrase. Sing it, find it on your instrument, then connect it to the next phrase before increasing the speed.
Read the guideWhere to find public-domain Irish tune collections
Start with O’Neill’s Music of Ireland (1903), The Dance Music of Ireland (1907), and P. W. Joyce’s Old Irish Folk Music and Songs (1909). Use the original edition to identify a setting, then check the terms of the scan or transcription you want to use.
Read the guidePractise Irish reels on tenor banjo: a short routine
Choose one reel, work on the phrase that catches you out and finish by playing it from memory. Come back to that same phrase next time before increasing the speed.