La Paloma is a popular Spanish song in the Habanera style. It was written by Spaniard Sebastian Iradier in 1861, after a visit to Cuba. Iradier did not live long enough to learn how popular his song would become. Today it is known internationally as one of the most recorded songs of all time.
This arrangement, for ukulele and guitar respectively, creates a classic Spanish sound by harmonizing the melody in 3rds.
After You’ve Gone is a jazz standard that has been recorded by everyone from Louis Armstrong to Phil Collins. It was written in 1918 by Turner Layton with lyrics by Henry Creamer. The song is tabbed for guitar, tenor banjo, mandolin and ukulele. Each arrangement includes a solo break that uses the technique of targeting the 3rd of the chords, (which is explained in the worksheet below).
Download the EZ guitar tab to After You’ve Gone
Download the advanced guitar tab to After You’ve Gone
Download the tenor banjo tab to After You’ve Gone
Download the mandolin tab to After You’ve Gone
The words to this old gospel song were penned by Johnson Oatman, Jr. (1856-1922), who wrote the lyrics for around 5,000 hymns and gospel songs. Oatman pastored a small congregation in New Jersey while making his living in the retail and insurance industries. The melody to The Hallelujah Side was composed by J. Howard Entwisle (1866-1901).
Here are two arrangements of the melody for guitar and mandolin. Each arrangement features the basic melody followed by a break that stays close to the original.
We like playing monkey tunes at our monthly Ukulele Club. Here are the Uke chords for Aba Daba Honeymoon.
Red Wing is a happy little tune popular at jam sessions. It was written in 1907 by Kerry Mills, who took inspiration for the melody from Robert Schumann’s piano miniature The Happy Farmer. Mills’ bright little melody tempers the sad lyrics, written by Thurland Chattaway, which tell of a young Indian maiden pining at the loss of her true love who died in battle. Woody Guthrie later used the melody for his 1940 song Union Maid.
Dix Bruce has arranged the tune in C major in his Parking Lot Picker’s Songbook series. (We’ve got copies at the store.) But many people like playing it in G. So here are some arrangements in G major for a variety of string band instruments.
Download the banjo tab for Red Wing
Download the guitar tab for Red Wing
Blues licks work in just about any genre. (Chaney categorically denies getting into trouble for slipping them into a Bach prelude during a classical guitar recital.) Here are some cool patterns using the G Blues scale, AKA the G Minor Pentatonic scale.
The Water Is Wide was popularized by Bob Dylan and later James Taylor. Here is an instrumental arrangement for guitar presented in two different keys, (for those who also want to sing it and may need Capo options). You can play these arrangements fingerstyle or flatpicked, either way works.
Here is a relatively easy arrangement of the theme from Beethoven’s Für Elise.
Download the tab for Für Elise
O Holy Night is such a lovely classic Christmas offering. And what better setting for this sublime piece than banjo? Yeah, right. But, if you’ve ever heard Tyler play the banjo, you know it can be done with grace and beauty. Here is a version of O Holy Night that Tyler voiced for his instrument of choice.
Download the tenor banjo tab for O Holy Night
And just for fun, or foolishness, Joe threw in his arrangement for classical guitar.
And for New Years Eve: Here is Auld Lang Syne in leadsheet form, tabbed for guitar, mandolin, ukulele, & tenor banjo.
Download the guitar tab for Auld Lang Syne
Download the mandolin tab for Auld Lang Syne
