Help with Come Back to Sorrento please.

**Lou Giordano** · Sep-10-2010, 9:19am

I am a total green as grass noobie (3 days) on mandolin. I want to find a tab for Come Back to Sorrento. It was my Grandfather's favorite. I would like to learn it in memory of him. I realize I will have a lot of work to do, but I want to go ahead with it.

Thanks

**brunello97** · Sep-10-2010, 7:05pm

Nice choice for a first song. It is a great melody and I still love to play it. Do you read standard notation, Lou? If so, I might direct you to Sheri Mignano's collection 'Mandolin Melodies' which has Torna a Surriento as well as many other Italian favorites that no doubt your grandfather would have enjoyed. One of the best collections out there. You can get it (along with a lot of interesting information on Italian-American mandolin tradition) from Sheri's website:

http://www.zighibaci.com/

Even though the song is widely available, I don't feel comfortable passing along copies of her material with her permission. Other versions should arrive on the thread here shortly no doubt. I do have a version in Tablature (which I find kind of annoying but sometimes useful) that I can send you if you like.

The song is quite straightforward and easy to play. It was one of the first tunes I learned on the accordion, actually. Always good to learn things by ear. I am a bit lazy so I learned to read music.

Glad to hear you are picking up the mandolin!

Mick

**Lou Giordano** · Sep-10-2010, 8:12pm

Originally Posted by brunello97

Nice choice for a first song. It is a great melody and I still love to play it. Do you read standard notation, Lou? If so, I might direct you to Sheri Mignano's collection 'Mandolin Melodies' which has Torna a Surriento as well as many other Italian favorites that no doubt your grandfather would have enjoyed. One of the best collections out there. You can get it (along with a lot of interesting information on Italian-American mandolin tradition) from Sheri's website:

http://www.zighibaci.com/

Even though the song is widely available, I don't feel comfortable passing along copies of her material with her permission. Other versions should arrive on the thread here shortly no doubt. I do have a version in Tablature (which I find kind of annoying but sometimes useful) that I can send you if you like.

The song is quite straightforward and easy to play. It was one of the first tunes I learned on the accordion, actually. Always good to learn things by ear. I am a bit lazy so I learned to read music.

Glad to hear you are picking up the mandolin!

Mick

Hey Thanks Mick,

I wish I could read standard notation. I guess if I applied myself I could figure out how to play an easy song in a few days. That collection sounds great I will check out Sheri's website.

It would be great if you could share that tab so I could get started. I think the hardest part will be the tremolo.

I found a tab of Tarrantella that I am having fun with for now. I really want to learn Sorrento first.

**brunello97** · Sep-11-2010, 7:52am

Lou, you also might consider checking out the TEF (Table Edit File) system which has a huge number of available songs for playing through it. You can download a free 'player' version or a more complex editing and composition tool. TEF files play through the system and you can speed up or slow down the playback in order to learn difficult passages. Torna a Sorrento is available as a TEF file from the Mandozine site, I believe.

Attached is a version of the song in TAB. Honestly, I find it more confusing than standard notation but to each his own. Have fun! Lots of information on the MC for helping develop tremelo. A search should turn up a lot of discussion.

Mick

**jeverson** · Sep-17-2020, 10:49am

I am looking for it too.

**Jim Garber** · Sep-17-2020, 9:00pm

Originally Posted by jeverson

I am looking for it too.

Look above—post #4

**David Surette** · Sep-18-2020, 10:43pm

Just wanted to mention that if you wanted it in standard notation and tab, it is in my "French & Italian Tunes for mandolin & fiddle" book; there's also companion audio available. That is a lovely and evocative tune! https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/c...lin-and-Fiddle

**Gus & Sophie** · Sep-19-2020, 9:08am

HAL Leonard Vol. 7 Italian Classic has that in it ,and is very well arranged

**Gus & Sophie** · Sep-19-2020, 9:21am

I have a copy . I can send it to you via email. let me know .
My email is brucebrown1492@gmail.com. My user name is Gus & Sophie ; my dogs

**Nigel Gatherer** · Sep-19-2020, 12:51pm

You can download it from here:
http://www.nigelgatherer.com/tunes/t...PQR/RSorr.html

**DavidKOS** · Sep-20-2020, 8:12am

Originally Posted by Nigel Gatherer

You can download it from here:
http://www.nigelgatherer.com/tunes/t...PQR/RSorr.html

Nice version, in Am instead of the more common Dm or Cm versions.

**Terry A** · Sep-24-2022, 8:27pm

Thank you for sharing this tab, Nigel! It is not only accurate but beautifully illustrated. I will enjoy using it.

**Nigel Gatherer** · Sep-25-2022, 1:17am

You're very welcome, Terry. I love hearing about people getting use from my site.

**journeybear** · Sep-25-2022, 2:15am

I learned this for a wedding eons ago. Then had to relearn it for an Italian restaurant gig around ten years ago. Then revisited it during a subsequent solo gig. I ended up translating it into the Nashville number system. You can see a bit of that here, for the first line. I should have that somewhere in my files. If I find it, I'll post it.

This guitar tab may not translate very well here. But if you copy and paste it into a Wordpad or Word document, using Courier font, things should return to order. If you play guitar, or a friend does, the tab might be useful. Otherwaise, not so much. What I did was write out the notes' names, and dumped the tab. I included the tab here only in case it helps. Maybe all you need is the letters. I have it Em; familiarity with the corresponding G scale was probably why.

E F# G A B G | B B | A B C B C A | E
1 2 3b 4 5 3b 5 5 4 5 6b 5 6b 4 8
E F# G F# E F# | B B | A B A G F# G | E

E D# B C# D# B | C# C# | D# C# B C# D# B | C# C#

G# A B G@ F# E | A A | B C# D# C# B C# | G# G#

E D# B C# D# B | C# C# | F# E D# E F# D# | E E

E F# G F# E F# | B B | A B A G F# G | E

E F# D# C# | E C# | B D# E F# D# C# | B B

A C E | G F# E | E F# C# E | E E

E|-0------|-0------|-------------------------|------------|-------------------------|
B|-0------|-0------|-----------------0-------|-0----0-----|-----0---1-------1-------|
G|-0------|-0------|---------0---2-------0---|------0-----|-2-----------2-------2---|
D|-2------|-2------|-2---4-------------------|------2-----|-------------------------|
A|-2------|-2------|-------------------------|------------|-------------------------|
E|-0------|-0------|-0-----------------------|-0----------|-------------------------|

E F# G A B G B B A B C B C A

E|-0----0-----|-0---2---3---2---0---2---|------------|-------------------------|------0-----|
B|------0-----|-------------------------|-0----0-----|-----0-------------------|------0-----|
G|------0-----|-------------------------|------0-----|-2-------2---0-------0---|------0-----|
D|------------|-------------------------|------2-----|-----------------4-------|-2----------|
A|------------|-0-----------------------|------------|-2-----------------------|------------|
E|-0----------|-------------------------|-0----------|-------------------------|-0----------|

E E F# G F# E F# B B A B A G F# G E

E|-0-----------------------|------------|-------------------------|------------|-------------------------|
B|-----4---0---2---4---0---|-2----2-----|-4---2---0---2---4---0---|-2----2-----|---------0---------------|
G|-------------------------|------2-----|-------------------------|------1-----|-1---2-------1-----------|
D|-------------------------|------2-----|-------------------------|------2-----|-----------------4---2---|
A|-------------------------|-0----------|-------------------------|------------|-------------------------|
E|-0-----------------------|------------|-------------------------|-0----------|-0-----------------------|

E D# B C# D# B C# C# D# C# B C# D# B C# C# G# A B G@ F# E

E|------0-----|-------------------------|------0-----|-0-----------------------|------------|
B|------2-----|-0---2---4---2---0---2---|------0-----|-----4---0---2---4---0---|-2----2-----|
G|-2----2-----|-------------------------|-1----1-----|-------------------------|------2-----|
D|------------|-------------------------|------------|-------------------------|------2-----|
A|-0----------|-2-----------------------|------------|-------------------------|-0----------|
E|------------|-------------------------|-0----------|-0-----------------------|------------|

A A B C# D# C# B C# G# G# E D# B C# D# B C# C#

E|-2---0-------0---2-------|-0----0-----|-0---2---3---2---0---2---|------------|-------------------------|
B|---------4-----------4---|------1-----|-------------------------|-0----0-----|-----0-------------------|
G|-------------------------|------0-----|-------------------------|------0-----|-2-------2---0-------0---|
D|-------------------------|------------|-------------------------|------2-----|-----------------4-------|
A|-2-----------------------|-3----------|-4-----------------------|------------|-2-----------------------|
E|-------------------------|------------|-------------------------|-0----------|-------------------------|

F# E D# E F# D# E E E F# G F# E F# B B A B A G F# G

E|------0-----|-0---2-------------|-0----------|---------0---2-----------|------------|
B|------0-----|---------4-----2---|------2-----|-0---4-----------4---2---|-0----0-----|
G|------1-----|-------------------|------2-----|-------------------------|------1-----|
D|-2----------|-------------------|------2-----|-------------------------|------2-----|
A|------------|-------------------|-0----------|-2-----------------------|------------|
E|-0----------|-0-----------------|------------|-------------------------|-0----------|

E E F# D# C# E C# B D# E F# D# C# B B

E|-----------0----|-3-----2---0----|-0---2--------0----|-0------|-0------|
B|------1----1----|-2--------------|---------4---------|--------|-0------|
G|-2----2---------|-0--------------|-------------------|--------|-1------|
D|----------------|----------------|-------------------|--------|-2------|
A|-0--------------|----------------|-------------------|--------|-2------|
E|----------------|-0--------------|-------------------|-0------|-0------|

A C E G F# E E F# C# E E E

**journeybear** · Sep-25-2022, 2:33am

Aha. You might want to just disregard the previous post and save your sanity.

This will help you put it into any key you like. The attached text file has a neater appearance (the bars line up, mostly).

TORN' A SORRENTO

1 2 3b 4 5 3b | 5 5 | 4 5 6b 5 6b 4 | 8

8 9 10b 9 8 9 | 5 5 | 4 5 4 3b 2 3b | 1

8 7 5 6 7 5 | 6 6 | 7 6 5 6 7 5 | 6 6

3 4 5 3 2 1 | 4 4 | 5 6 7 6 5 7 | 3

8 7 5 6 7 5 | 6 6 | 9 8 7 8 9 7 | 8 8

8 9 10b 9 8 9 | 5 5 | 4 5 4 3b 2 3b | 1

8 9 7 6 | 8 8 | 6 7 8 9 7 6 | 5 5

4 5 8 | 10b 9 8 | 8 9 7 8 | 8

**DavidKOS** · Sep-25-2022, 8:30am

Originally Posted by brunello97

Attached is a version of the song in TAB. Honestly, I find it more confusing than standard notation but to each his own. Have fun! Lots of information on the MC for helping develop tremelo. A search should turn up a lot of discussion.

Mick

thanks for posting...like you I'd rather just have staff notation....but this one uses a lot of closed fingerings and as such is pretty good.