set dance · Key of D
The blackbird
O’Neill 1907 no. 985
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Irish tenor banjo tab
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ABC notation source
X:985 T:The blackbird C:anon. O:Ireland B:Francis O'Neill: "The Dance Music of Ireland" (1907) no. 985 R:Long dance, set dance M:2/4 L:1/8 K:D (d=c)|B2d2|=c2B2|ABAG|AB=cA|dcde|dcAF|GAGF|D2(DE)|F2(FG)| A2(fe)|dcde dcAF|GAGF|D2D2|D2::(de)|f2d2|f2g2|abag|fgaf|g2(gf)|gbaf| gagf|d2(de)|fede|f2g2|abag|fgaf|gagf|d2d2|defg|abag|fgaf|gage| f2(ed)|c2(AB)|c2(de)|defg|"^1)"a3 z|A3G|FGAB|=c3e|d^cAF|GAGF|D2D2|D2:|
FAQ
Questions about The blackbird
The blackbird is in D, in 2/4 time. The D major scale gives you every note it uses.
Easy. 97% of the notes fall in first position, between the open string and the fifth fret, and the highest fret used is 7.
It is a set dance, written in 2/4.
Yes. Copy the ABC below into the ABC transposer, move the transpose control by semitone, and the notation and tab are redrawn together in the new key. Handy if a singer wants it lower or the tune sits awkwardly on the neck.
Yes. Tenor banjo, mandolin and octave mandola are all tuned GDAE, so the tab above is identical for all three. A bouzouki tuned GDAD needs the top string adjusting, which the converter handles.