Click here to jump straight to the TAB.
“Take Me Out to the Ball Game” is one of the three most well-known songs in the United States, alongside “The Star-Spangled Banner” and “Happy Birthday.” Most folks these days probably assume that the song was written specifically for the 7th inning stretch at baseball games, but it’s actually just the chorus of a full song (of the same name) that was released in 1908, written by Vaudeville performer Jack Norworth and songwriter Albert Von Tilzer.
In the full song, the verses tell the story of Katie Casey, a young woman who is obsessed with baseball. The chorus is meant to be Katie herself speaking, first asking her beau to take her to the ball park and later trying to cheer up her friends during a stressful game.
Harry Caray, legendary play-by-play announcer for Major League Baseball, is credited with the tradition of singing the song during the 7th inning stretch. He began doing it during his broadcasts for the White Sox in the 70s and then continued it with the Cubs in the 80s.
“Take Me Out to the Ball Game” Playing Tips
The melody of “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” is straightforward. It wouldn’t work very well as a song sung by a stadium’s worth of people if it wasn’t. It’s in 3/4 time, and it sort of plods along with lots of half notes and dotted half notes, generally played at a slow tempo so that the crowd can keep up.
The charm of the song for me (and the challenge for beginners trying to learn it) is in the chords. There are seven different chords to worry about with this one, including a number of “7” chords that might be new to you. A 7th chord, more properly called a “dominant 7th,” is a major chord that includes the flatted 7th degree of the scale.
Here’s the notes of an A major chord, the 1st, 3rd, and 5th notes of the A major scale:
A B C# D E F# G#
You make the chord an A7 by including the 7th note of the scale and lowering it by a half step:
A B C# D E F# G
Why flat the 7th? There’s a somewhat complex music theory explanation behind it, but for now, just know that adding a flatted 7th is a great way to add some tension to a chord (and to an arrangement as a whole). You’ll find them all over in pop, rock, and blues songs, though their use dates back to Renaissance composers in the the 15th and 16th centuries.
Click the link or the ‘Download’ button below to see the sheet music if your browser doesn’t display the embedded PDF.
Don’t have a low G uke (or looking for an alternative to the low G arrangement and that E7 chord)? Not a problem. I’ve included a standard (high G) TAB for this song as well. Find the link at the bottom on the post. Happy picking!
“Take Me Out to the Ball Game” Low G Sheet Music Download
“Take Me Out to the Ball Game” High G Sheet Music Download
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