1 and 5 Chords: G and D, C and G, etc.
Popular Bluegrass Songs
- Handsome Molly
- Shady Grove
- John Henry
- Little Birdie
- Hot Corn Cold Corn
- Reuben’s Train/Train 45
- Bringing in the Georgia Mail
- Fire Ball Mail
- Jimmie Brown the Newsboy
- I’ll Go Steppin’ Too
- Katy Daley
- You Are My Flower
- On My Mind
- Get In Line Brother
- Will You Be Lonesome Too
- Somehow Tonight
- My Home’s Across the Blue Ridge Mountains
- I’m Going Back to Old Kentucky
- Working on a Building
- Wild Bill Jones
- Pretty Polly
- Stay All Night
- Ashes of Love
- Driving Nails in My Coffin
- Pretty Fair Maid in the Garden
- Darling Corey
- Buffalo Gals
- Where the Soul Never Dies
- What Would You Give in Exchange for Your Soul
- Mansions for Me
- Poison Love
Other Bluegrass
- Sharecropper’s Son
- Standing in the Need of Prayer
- Lonely Tombs
- Old Gospel Ship
- There’s No Hiding Place Down Here
- See That My Grave Is Kept Green (or Clean)
- Hear Jerusalem Moan
- Who’s That Knocking At My Door
- I’ll Be There
- Don’t Lie to Me
- Walking in My Sleep
- It’s Too Late to Walk the Floor
- Kentucky Girl
- I Just Think I’ll Go Away
- I’m Gonna Love You Like There’s No Tomorrow
- It Ain’t Gonna Rain No More
- It’s Goodbye and So Long to You
- I Might Take You Back Again
- Mountain Folk
- Keep Your Lamp Trimmed and Burning
- Hold to God’s Unchanging Hands
- The Old Crossroads
Favorite Folks Songs
- Tom Dooley
- Puttin’ On The Style
- He’s Got The Whole World In His Hands
- Boll Weevil
- Skip To My Lou
- Shortning Bread
- Go Tell Aunt Rhody
- Down In The Valley
- Clementine
- Buffalo Gals
Favorite Country Songs
- Take Me Back to Tulsa
- Jambalaya
- Pistol Packin’ Mama
- Honky Tonkin’
- Waltz Across Texas
- I Love You a Thousand Ways
- Crazy Heart
1 and 4 Chords: G and C, D and G, etc.
- Things in Life
- Walls of Time
- Be Proud of the Gray in Your Hair
- Going Up on the Mountain
- Great High Mountain
- Ho Honey Ho
- These Blues Have Got Me
- Get on Your Knees and Pray
1 Minor and 7 Chords: Em and D, Am and G, etc.
- What Should We Do with the Drunken Sailor
- Sinner Man
- Shady Grove (minor key version)
- Wade In the Water
- Walking Boss
These songs are most often done with two chords, though some versions may have more.
Please suggest additional songs to Pete at pete@drbanjo.com
Develop your ear skills:
- Try guessing where the changes happen. With a choice of just two chords, see which sounds better — and use it!
- Start on the 1 chord (that’s the key you’re in). The other chord in most songs is the 5. Such as G to D, or D to A. Experiment!
- Check your guesswork with a songbook or knowledgeable musician. That’s how it’s done.