Dooley Banjo Tabs
The Dillards
Dooley Banjo Tablature: One Song, Many Styles
Recomended level: Beginner
Dooley was a good ol' man he lived below the mill...The song is a traditional bluegrass tune, but it is also considered to be a string band classic. It will keep your feet tapping and is popular among bluegrass pickers all over the world. It's best to get down basic melody before before tackling other versions. That's the "main point" of the song. All the chord changes, rolling backup, and fancy solos are all based on the melody. It's a need to know for all!
The Melody- Basic is a simplified version of the melody that features a repeating pattern so it can be learned and retained easier. The Melody is a little bit closer to how people sing it, but it is still slightly simplified so that it's not too complex or hard to play. Lyrics are included to show how the words and syllables tie into the notes and rhythms. The Melody - Syllabic is full, complex, and a lot tougher to play. It is almost exactly how Rodney Dillard sang it with his band "The Dillards".
The Two Finger version is very basic and only has a few extra notes added into the melody. As the name implies you'll only use 2 fingers, in regard to your pick hand, to play the tune. If you want a slight step up from that check out the Scruggs - Basic version. It has just a few fill-ins and one roll pattern. It's amazing how much excitement and interest just one banjo roll can add to a tune! This one has some more authentic and interesting licks to check out after you get the basics down. Check out the Rolling Backup to get better at rolling and playing through the chord changes. Scruggs - Basic - Up the Neck uses one continuous roll pattern - the backward roll. There's just a few simple chord shapes you'll use. Take it slow whenever you need to.
The Single String version uses the melody and some basic single string technique to add excitement and interesting. It's not too challenging at slower speeds. Check out the Single String Roadmap to learn more about that banjo picking style and get a few workouts to include in your practice sessions. The Scruggs version features a great roll that sounds awesome and is a really good workout for your thumb. The Backup arrangement has some standard Scruggs fare and features some great walks that help lead the ear from one chord change to another. The Melodic arrangement is pretty flashy and includes a bit of single string style mixed in as well. If you like that melodic sound and are up for a challenge, then this one is for you!
DON'T NEGLECT YOUR BACKUP. The skills you build in learning rolling backup and vamping will help all aspects of your banjo playing. Improving your skills with rolls is crucial to Scruggs style, and anything that helps you refine your timing is good and important. Bad timing is the enemy of good music. So make sure to practice the rolling backup and vamping.
Learn how to play Dooley on Banjo with this selection of tablatures:
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LearnMelody - Basic
- Difficulty
- Key G
- Tempo 60 bpm
- Tuning gDGBD
This melody is simplified. A repeating rhythmic pattern is used to help you learn it more quickly. Practice listening, then practice playing at each practice session.
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Learn
Melody - Syllabic
- Difficulty
- Key G
- Tempo 60 bpm
- Tuning GDGBD
This version of Dooley for the banjo is a very accurate melody. It's close to the way it was sung by Rodney Dillard. He was a member of the group known as the Dillards. They were on...
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LearnSingle String
- Difficulty
- Key G
- Tempo 60 bpm
- Tuning GDGBD
This Single String style arrangement of Dooley for the banjo is a lot of fun. It's not too tough. There's repeating patterns that will make learning a breeze. It sticks close to the...
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LearnTwo Finger
- Difficulty
- Key G
- Tempo 60 bpm
- Tuning gDGBD
Dooley is a classic bluegrass tune that sounds great on the banjo. The Two finger style is a great way to add some classic banjo sounds to a melody without adding too much difficult...
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LearnScruggs - Basic
- Difficulty
- Key G
- Tempo 60 bpm
- Tuning gDGBD
Here's some solid and simple Scruggs style banjo for Dooley. This one stays close to the melody and begins with a few "fill-ins" between melody notes. The highlight is the foggy mou...
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LearnScruggs - Basic - Up the Neck
- Difficulty
- Key G
- Tempo 60 bpm
- Tuning gDGBD
Most of the Scruggs style banjo language is "spoken" within the first 5 frets. However up-the-neck playing is not uncommon and is full of interest and intrigue. It is often much mor...
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LearnScruggs Style
- Difficulty
- Key G
- Tempo 120 bpm
- Tuning gDGBD
Dooley is a fantastic beginner/intermediate tune that helps teach the MTMT roll pattern. The thumb drops down to the second string a lot. This roll sounds great and is really good th...
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LearnRolling Backup
- Difficulty
- Key G
- Tempo 60 bpm
- Tuning gDGBD
Rolling backup is a foundational banjo skill. It combines chords with picking patterns. This version of Dooley is very simple. It starts with a simple "boom-chuck" pattern for the v...
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LearnBackup Style
- Difficulty
- Key G
- Tempo 120 bpm
- Tuning gDGBD
This is a straightforward backup arrangement of Dooley that gives you lots to work with down-the-neck. Swap out licks for cool variation!
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LearnMelodic Style
- Difficulty
- Key G
- Tempo 120 bpm
- Tuning gDGBD
This melodic version of Dooley has lots of long strings of notes and is great for working on your melodic style flow. Practice slow with backing tracks to get it clean.