Traditional songs with tabs, notes & chords

Chords, lyrics, tablature and standard notation for traditional songs. Presented with images, pdf:s and sounds alongside playing instructions and song facts.

Categories & alternative tunings

Choose from instruments:
Guitar | Flute | Ukulele

Traditional songs for guitar and other instruments

Traditional songs (often abbreviated trad. on sheet music) have often lived across generations and in various versions. Traditional songs have often an older source but without a known originator. What is known is often a melody and to that old melody a never lyrics have been written. Thereafter can the song bed published and sometimes it become famous enough to established place in the collective conscience of music and culture.

Several genres such as hymns, folk ballads, spirituals, patriotic songs and Christmas carols are associated with traditional songs. Some examples are “Amazing Grace” (hymn), “Oh My Darling, Clementine” (folk ballad), “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” (spiritual), “My Country, 'Tis of Thee” (patriotic song) and “Jingle Bells” (carol).

The other thing that distinguishes traditional songs is that they are public domain, thus not protected by copyright (although arrangements of traditional songs are subject to copyright, which means the arrangements published cannot be republished without permission).

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All songs

Tabs, notes, melody, chords and lyrics for a collection of tradtional songs for guitar.

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Beginner songs

A collection of traditional songs chosen for beginners on guitar and other instruments.

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Christmas songs

A collection of Christmas carols from around the world.

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Children's songs

A collection of popular Children's songs with tabs, notes, chords and lyrics.

Categories & alternative tunings

Choose from genres and categories:
Spiritual songs | Christian hymns | Folk songs | Funeral hymns | National anthems

Songs available in alternate tunings:
Drop D tuning | Open G tuning

List of songs

A list of all traditional songs on this site so far (click on a table header to filter a column):

Title Instrument Category Chords & lyrics
Amazing Grace Guitar Hymn Yes
Jingle Bells Guitar, Flute Christmas Yes
Oh My Darling, Clementine Guitar, Flute, Ukulele Folk ballad Yes
500 Miles Guitar, Ukulele Folk Yes
The House of the Rising Sun Guitar Folk Yes
Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star Guitar, Flute Children Yes
Scarborough Fair Guitar Folk ballad No
When the Saints Go Marching In Guitar Spiritual Yes
Will the Circle Be Unbroken? Guitar Hymn Yes
Deck the Halls Guitar, Flute Christmas Yes
God Save the Queen Guitar National anthem No
Angels We Have Heard on High Guitar, Flute Christmas Yes
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing Guitar Christmas Yes
The Star-Spangled Banner Guitar, Flute National anthem Yes
America (My Country, 'Tis of Thee) Guitar Patriotic song Yes
Yankee Doodle Guitar, Flute, Ukelele Traditional song Yes
O Tannenbaum Guitar Christmas Yes
Danny Boy (Londonderry Air) Guitar, Flute Traditional song Yes
Auld Lang Syne Guitar, Flute, Ukelele Traditional song Yes
Beautiful Dreamer Guitar Traditional song Yes
La Marseillaise Guitar, Flute National anthem No
Michael Row the Boat Ashore Guitar Spiritual Yes
Flow Gently, Sweet Afton Guitar Traditional song Yes
Old Black Joe Guitar Spiritual Yes
Red Wing Guitar Bluesgrass No
Silent Night Guitar, Flute Christmas Yes
Banks of the Ohio Guitar, Flute Folk ballad Yes
God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen Guitar Christmas Yes
St. James Infirmary Blues Guitar Blues song Yes
Au clair de la lune Guitar, Flute Folk song Yes
Home on the Range Guitar Traditional song Yes
Shenandoah Guitar Folk song Yes
Morning Has Broken Guitar Hymn Yes
Aura Lee Guitar, Ukelele Traditional song Yes
Oh, Susanna Guitar, Flute, Ukelele Minstrel song Yes
We Shall Overcome Guitar Hymn Yes
The Irish Rover Guitar Folk song No
O Come All Ye Faithful Guitar Christmas Yes
The Little Drummer Boy Guitar Christmas No
London Bridge is Falling Down Guitar, Flute Nursery rhyme Yes
All Through the Night Guitar, Flute Hymn Yes
We Wish You a Merry Christmas Guitar Christmas Yes
Happy Birthday to You Guitar Nursery rhyme Yes
For He's a Jolly Good Fellow Guitar, Flute Nursery rhyme Yes
Skip to My Lou Guitar, Flute Dance song Yes
Swing Low, Sweet Chariot Guitar, Flute Spiritual Yes
Go Tell It on the Mountain Guitar, Flute Spiritual Yes
Es ist ein Ros entsprungen Guitar, Flute Christmas No
Coventry Carol Guitar Christmas Yes
Ned of the Hill Guitar Folk ballad No
Dumbarton's Drums Guitar Traditional song No
Bonnie George Campbell Guitar Traditional song No

More songs will be added, stay tuned.

Explanation of tablature

Songs are often transcribed with tablatures (tabs). The most important symbols are illustrated and explained in the reference guide that can be open/downloaded as an image or PDF.

Download Explanation of symbols in tablature as image

Download Explanation of symbols in tablature as PDF

Minityre:

Thumbnail of tablature scheme