Buffalo Gals
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Another simple banjo song beginners can play with ease
A great old folk song from the late 1800s with a catchy melody and the easiest chord sequence ever! This song is great to jam with other people, you will hear it played in Bluegrass and Old-Time jam sessions. Bruce Springsteen did this song as part of the Seeger sessions.
Song Lyrics
Buffalo Gals, won’t you come out tonight,
Come out tonight, come out tonight.
Buffalo Gals, won’t you come out tonight
And dance by the light of the moon.
As I was walking down the street,
Down the street, down the street,
A pretty little gal I chanced to meet,
Oh, she was fair to see.
I stopped her and we had a talk,
Had a talk, had a talk,
Her feet took up the whole sidewalk
And left no room for me.
I asked her if she’d have a dance,
Have a dance, have a dance,
I thought that I might have a chance
To shake a foot with her.
I danced with a gal with a hole in her stockin’,
And her heel kept a-knockin’, and her toes kept a-rockin’
I danced with a gal with a hole in her stockin’
And we danced by the light of the moon.
Buffalo Gals, won’t you come out tonight,
Come out tonight, come out tonight.
Buffalo Gals, won’t you come out tonight
And dance by the light of the moon.
Buffalo Gals Tablature
To play this melody, you will be playing on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd strings of the five string banjo tuned to G major standard tuning. The right hand fingering is straightforward, you are not playing any rolls yet, so you can use whichever of the three picking fingers (Middle, Index, Thumb) you feel most comfortable with.
Although you could use the same finger over and over, it’s a good idea to get used to using all three fingers – play the 1st string with the Middle, and choose between the Thumb and the Index for the 2nd and 3rd strings.
You will need to fret all three strings at some point during the song, the left hand fingering positions are given on the diagram. You will be fretting the 1st and 3rd strings on the 2nd fret, and the 2nd string on the 1st fret.
GET THIS SONG & MORE IN MY STRUCTURED LEARNING PROGRAMS
EXCLUSIVELY AVAILABLE IN THE BANJO ACADEMY
You can get this song in my Banjo Academy program. Each full song within these learning programs includes slow-motion, close ups, and I'll break it down for you so you learn the music basics, which, if applied give you the keys to the banjo one song at a time.
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