How to Play Tom Dooley on the 12 Hole Ocarina

About Tom Dooley

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Behind the easy, swinging chorus of Tom Dooley sits a true crime from Reconstruction-era North Carolina. The name in the song is a mountain pronunciation of Dula, the real man at the center of the case, and the ballad carried his story in oral tradition long before records did.

Look at the tab and you will notice it never uses E or B. The melody gets by on just five notes, C, D, F, G and A, a pentatonic set that gives it that plain, old-time sound. On the 12-hole ocarina all five sit low in the middle of the range, so you will not touch the sub-holes or the thumb holes. With only 26 notes and the words under them, it is quick to learn.

Tom Dooley Ocarina Tab

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Spot a mistake in this tab? Let me know.