Sheridan's Chord Charts

The chart below is meant to especially help those just learning to play Cajun guitar. The skill of listening and figuring out chord changes is not required. The chart includes each song in the Nashville Number System as well as the actual name of the chord i.e., a C-chord is indicated by “C”. A number after a letter means the number of bars the chord is played. Thus, C2 means two bars of C.

As per the Number System, a letter in parentheses for a two-step means less than a full bar. For example (C) is a half bar of C. Some examples are Canray’s 2-step and Johnny Can’t Dance. Such structure is what’s known as a “crooked song” and is a particular “delight” of Cajun music (for Sam Broussard’s further explanation here).

The “[ ]” brackets mean a musical phrase and a number thereafter means how many times the phrase is repeated. For each of the Tune and Turn, there is usually a musical phrase that is played twice and then that phrase is repeated; this will become clearer when you play along. Using this chart, one will be able to immediately play along with the song on the indicated CD.

For beginners:
Amazing Slow Downer will enable you to slow down the song as your learning. Also for beginners, when playing two-steps, if it is easier for you to count downbeats rather than measures, double the number after the letters to get the number of downbeats. For example, “C2” is two measures of C having four downbeats. Remember when changing chords to lead with the correct finger (see Guitar Novices)

Two Steps

Song/Artist/Album	Number System	Letter System
Acadian 2-step Ray Abshire Arretepas Musique	[11111151]2 Tune [[1151][1151]]2 Turn	[G6 D G]2 Tune [[G2 D G][G2 D G]]2 Turn
Canray's One Step Canray Fontenot Canray's Hot Sauce	[[1(1)(5)] [1(1)(5)]]	[[C(C)(G)] [G(G)(C)]]
Chere ici chere la bas Keith Frank Masked Band	[[1411] [1451]]2 Tune [111(5)(1)]2 Turn	[[G C G2] [G C D G]]2 Tune [[G3 (D)(G)]2 Turn
Choupique Two-step Nathan Abshire Great Cajun Accordionist	[111111 5 1]2 T&T	[G6 D G]2 T&T
Enterre-moi Pas Balfa Brothers Play Trad. Cajun Music	[11111 55 1]2 T&T	[C5 G2 C]2 T&T
Eunice Two-Step Nonc Allie Young/Ray Landry	[11441151]2 Tune [[11 5(5)(1)][1151]]2 Turn	[G2 C2 G2 D G]2 Tune [[G2 D(D)(G)][G2 D G]]2 Turn
Flammes d’enfer Balfa Brothers Play Trad. Cajun Music	[11111 55 1]2 T&T	[C5 G2 C]2 T&T
High Point 2-Step S. Riley & Mamou Playboys (1st album)	[44 11 55 11]2	[F2 C2 G2 C2]2
Hip et Taiau Nathan Abshire-Great Cajun Accordionist	[44 11 55 11]	[C2 G2 D2 G2]
Joe Pitre a Deux Femme John Delafose Joe Pitre a Deux Femme	1111…..	GGG……
Je tai au Bal Allie Young Bal Chez Belisaire	[11111151]2 Tune [[111 (5)(1)][111 (5)(1)]]2 Turn	[G6 D G]2 Tune [[G3 (D)(G)][G3 (D)(G)]]2 Turn
Johnny can’t Dance BeauSoleil Allons a Lafayette	[111(5)(1)]2 Tune [[1 (5)(1)][1 (5)(1)]]2 Turn	[G3 (D)(G)]2 Tune [[G (D)(G)][G (D)(G)]]2 Turn
Jongle a Moi S. Riley & Mamou Playboys (1st album)	[[1115] [5551]]2 T&T	[[C3 G] [G3 C]]2 T&T
Lacassine Special Balfa Brothers Play Trad. Cajun Music	[111(5)(1)]2 Tune [[1 (5)(1)][1 (5)(1)]]2 Turn	[111(5)(1)]2 Tune [[1 (5)(1)][1 (5)(1)]]2 Turn
Madeline Allie Young Bal Chez Belisaire / Balfa Brothers Play Trad. Cajun Music	[[4111] [4151]]2 T&T	[[C G3] [C G D G]]2 T&T
Mamou two-step Allie Young Bal Chez Belisaire	[[1151] [1151]]2 [[1115] [55(5)1]]2 change key to C	[[G2 D G] [G2 D G]]2 [[C3 G] [G2(G)C]]2 change key to C
Misery 2-step Poullard, Poullard & Garnier	[[115(5)(1)] [115(5)(1)]]2 T&T	[[C2 G(G)(C)][C2 G(G)(C)]]2 T&T
My Old Wagon Ray Abshire For Old Times’ Sake	[[11111 (1)(5)] [5(5)(1)]]2	[[C5(C)(G)] [G(G)(C)]]2
Old Fashioned 2-step Touchet Family	[[1151] [1151]]2	[[G2 D G] [G2 D G]]2
Parlez nous a Boire Balfa Brothers Play Trad. Cajun Music	[[1511] [1511]2 Instrum [[1511] [15(5)11]2 Vocal Vocals to tune & turn	[[C G C2] [C G C2]2 Instrum [[C G C2] [C G(G) C2]2 Vocal Vocals to tune & turn
Perrodin S. Riley & Mamou Playboys Live	[115(5)(1)] T&T change key fiddle break	[C2 G(G)(C)]2 T&T change key fiddle break
Quoi Faire Balfa Brothers Jai Vu Le Loup	[[1511] [1511]]2 T&T	[[1511] [1511]]2 T&T
Port d’en Arriere Menard/Balfa/SavoyUnderGrnOakTree	[1111 44 11 55 15]2	[G4 C2 G2 D2 G D]2
Quoi Faire Balfa Brothers Jai Vu Le Loup	[[1511] [1511]]2 T&T	[[G D G2] [G D G2]]2 T&T
T’es parents S. Riley & Mamou Playboys (1st album)	[[11111551]]2 Tune [1111…..] Turn	[[C5 G2 C]]2 Tune [CCCC…] Turn
T’it galop pour Mamou S. Riley & Mamou Playboys T’it Galop	[11555511]2 T&T	[G2 D4 G2]2 T&T

Waltzes

Song/Artist/Album	Number System	Letter System
Barres de la Prison S. Riley & Mamou Playboys T’it Galop	[111111511]2 T&T	[C6 G C2]2 T&T
Branche de Murier Pine Leaf Boys La Musique	[[1115] [5551]]2 T&T	[[1115] [5551]]2 T&T
Cher Tit Monde Nathan Abshire-Great Cajun Accordionist	11111111 55 4 5 4 55 4 1	G2 F G F G2 F C
Choupique Waltz Nathan Abshire-Great Cajun Accordionist	[1111 5555 11]2	[C4 G4 C2]2
V De Crimminelle Allie Young Bal Chez Belisaire	[11111 5 11]2 T&T	[G5 D G2]2 T&T
Derniere Fois Charivari I want to Dance with You	[[1141] [1155] [1141] [1511]]2	[[C2 F C] [C2 G2] [C2 F C] [C G C2]]2
En Bas Du Chen Vert Menard/Balfa/SavoyUnderGrnOakTree	[[1111 444 111 555][111 444] [11 51 51]]2	[[C4 F3 C3 G3][C3 F3] [C2 GC GC]]2
Eunice Waltz S. Riley & Mamou Playboys (1st album)	[14 111 5 11]2 T&T	[C F C3 G C2]2 T&T
Grand Bois Balfa Brothers Play Trad. Cajun Music	[[44 11] [15 11]]2/3 Tune [15 11] [15 11]2/3 Turn	[[G2 D2] [D A D2]]2/3 Tune [D A D2] [D A D2]2/3 Turn
Jai Passe Devant Ta Porte La Band Feufollet	[1111 5555 1144 151]2 T&T [1111 5555 1144 151]2 change key to G	C4 G4 C2 F2 C G C]2 T&T [G4 D4 G2 C2 G D G2]2 change key to G
Jolie Blonde Menard/Balfa/SavoyUnderGrnOakTree	[44 11 55 11]2 Tune [45 111 511]2 Turn	[C2 G2 D2 G2]2 Tune [C D G3 D G2]2 Turn
Kaplan Valse Nathan Abshire-Great Cajun Accordionist	[44 11 55 44]2	[F2 C2 G2 C2]2
99-year Waltz Bos Sec & Balfa Toujour	[11 55 45 11]2	[C2 G2 F G C2]2
T’es petit et t’es mignonne Balfa Brothers Play Trad. Cajun Music	[11 44 55 11]2	[G2 C2 D2 G2]2
Viens me Chercher Horace Trahan Ossun Blues	[11 55 45 11]2	[C2 G2 F G C2]2

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