How to Play Tom Dooley on the 6 Hole Ocarina

About Tom Dooley

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Tom Dooley is an Appalachian murder ballad drawn from a real case: Tom Dula, a North Carolina man hanged in 1868 for the killing of Laura Foster. Mountain singers kept his story alive for decades, and in 1958 the Kingston Trio’s recording turned the old ballad into a national hit that helped set off the folk revival.

The tune is compact and steady, a good match for a 6-hole ocarina beginner. It stays within a sixth from C to A, uses no sharps or flats, and repeats its opening line, so it settles into the hand quickly.

Tom Dooley Ocarina Tab

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