Home on the Range

Cowboy tune
First published in 1876
Words by the American otolaryngologist Brewster Higley

First lines in the song:
Oh, give me a home where the buffalo roam,
Where the deer and the antelope play,
Where seldom is heard a discouraging word
And the skies are not cloudy all day.

Download

Home on the Range guitar tab and notes (pdf)

tabs tabs & notes

Listen

Home on the Range instrumental guitar (mp3)

Home on the Range - guitar tab, notes, chords and lyrics

“Home on the Range” is a well-known cowboy tune and the state song of Kansas since 1947. The lyrics is written by Brewster Higley under the title “My Western Home” and with slightly different text than the “Home on the Range” version. The music is written by the violinist Daniel Kelly.

The music transcriptions of the song with tabs and notes are available for download as PDFs. It's free for personal use only.

Home on the Range (full accompaniment)

"Home on the Range" for guitar with full accompaniment. Free download in pdf-file and audio.

Home on the Range guitar accompaniment

Home on the Range (only melody)

"Home on the Range" tablature notation for guitar. This is a shortened version (full versions for only melody and with accompaniment can be downloaded as pdf).

Home on the Range tabs

Tips on how to learn this song

The melody involves several open strings and can be played in open position (meaning its span frets 1-4 besides open strings). It will be easier for you, if you analyze the structure. Notice, for example, that the bars 1-4 is identical with bars 9-12.

Lyrics and chords

Home on the Range chords in the key of G
Verse 1:
Oh, (G)give me a home where the (C)buffalo (Am)roam
Where the (G)deer and the antelope (D7)play;
Where (G)seldom is heard a dis(C)couraging (Am)word,
And the (G)sky is not (D7)cloudy all (G)day.

Chorus:
(G)Home, (D7)home on the (G)range,
Where the (Em)deer and the antelope (D)play;
Where (G)seldom is heard a dis(C)couraging (Am)word
And the (G)skies are not (D7)cloudy all (G)day.

One tips to learn the song is spotting that it starts and ends with the I chord (G) whereas the V(7) chord (D or D7) create tension in the middle of both the verse and the chorus. The chorus includes the same text as the chorus but, in the second line, alternates the chord changes.

The lyrics above presents are shortened version of the song. There are possibilities to change to key by using a capo. These are the keys that the song would transpose in depending on which fret the capo is put:

Key, time, tuning and tempo

Information about "Home on the Range" considering musical key, time signature, tuning and bpm.

Key signature music symbol

Key

The (tab) version of Home on the Range is played in the key of G.

Time signature music symbol

Time signature

The song is played in 3/4 tempo (counted one, two, three for each measure).

Tuning overview

Tuning

The song is normally played in standard tuning (EADGBE).

BPM symbol and numbers

Tempo (BPM)

The tempo in beats per minute is 120 for the presented version.