Melody Trainer › Tune directory › Boil The Cabbage Down

Boil The Cabbage Down — Sheet Music, Tab & Chord Directory

▶ Learn it in the Melody Trainer See every note of Boil The Cabbage Down on your banjo, fiddle, mandolin, guitar, ukulele or piano — then play along: the music listens and waits for you. Open Boil The Cabbage Down →

About Boil The Cabbage Down

Boil The Cabbage Down is a two-part old-time fiddle reel in A major — beginner-friendly, running from A to f♯ and staying in first position on banjo, mandolin and fiddle.

Type
Reel, two parts, each usually played twice
Key
A major · 4/4
Range
A to f♯ · first position
Notes used
C♯ D E F♯ A B
Level
Beginner-friendly

Boil The Cabbage Down — sheet music

A major · 4/4

The notes

Letter names, bar by bar · capitals up to C in the third space, lower case from the D on the 4th line

A B | C♯ C♯ C♯ C♯ C♯ C♯ | d d d d d d | C♯ C♯ C♯ C♯ C♯ C♯ B B B B A B | C♯ C♯ C♯ C♯ C♯ C♯ | d d d d d d | C♯ C♯ C♯ B B B A A A A | A C♯ | e e f♯ e C♯ | e e f♯ e C♯ e e f♯ e C♯ | B B C♯ B A B | C♯ C♯ C♯ C♯ C♯ C♯ | d d d d d d C♯ C♯ C♯ B B B | A A A A

▶ Play along in the Melody Trainer

Boil The Cabbage Down — tab

Tenor banjo · mandolin · fiddle · guitar · ukulele — tap one to open it

Boil The Cabbage Down — Tenor banjo tab

G D A E (Irish tuning) · open position

E|-----|-------------|-------------|-------------|
A|-0-2-|-4-4-4-4-4-4-|-5-5-5-5-5-5-|-4-4-4-4-4-4-|
D|-----|-------------|-------------|-------------|
G|-----|-------------|-------------|-------------|
E|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
A|-2-2-2-2-0-2-|-4-4-4-4-4-4-|-5-5-5-5-5-5-|-4-4-4-2-2-2-|
D|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
G|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
E|---------|-----|-0-0-2-0---|-0-0-2-0---|
A|-0-0-0-0-|-0-4-|---------4-|---------4-|
D|---------|-----|-----------|-----------|
G|---------|-----|-----------|-----------|
E|-0-0-2-0---|-------------|-------------|-------------|
A|---------4-|-2-2-4-2-0-2-|-4-4-4-4-4-4-|-5-5-5-5-5-5-|
D|-----------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
G|-----------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
E|-------------|---------|
A|-4-4-4-2-2-2-|-0-0-0-0-|
D|-------------|---------|
G|-------------|---------|

Numbers are frets. Tenor banjo sounds an octave below the written notes.

Boil The Cabbage Down — Mandolin tab

G D A E · open position

E|-----|-------------|-------------|-------------|
A|-0-2-|-4-4-4-4-4-4-|-5-5-5-5-5-5-|-4-4-4-4-4-4-|
D|-----|-------------|-------------|-------------|
G|-----|-------------|-------------|-------------|
E|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
A|-2-2-2-2-0-2-|-4-4-4-4-4-4-|-5-5-5-5-5-5-|-4-4-4-2-2-2-|
D|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
G|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
E|---------|-----|-0-0-2-0---|-0-0-2-0---|
A|-0-0-0-0-|-0-4-|---------4-|---------4-|
D|---------|-----|-----------|-----------|
G|---------|-----|-----------|-----------|
E|-0-0-2-0---|-------------|-------------|-------------|
A|---------4-|-2-2-4-2-0-2-|-4-4-4-4-4-4-|-5-5-5-5-5-5-|
D|-----------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
G|-----------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
E|-------------|---------|
A|-4-4-4-2-2-2-|-0-0-0-0-|
D|-------------|---------|
G|-------------|---------|

Numbers are frets. Same strings as the fiddle, so the same notes fall in the same places.

Boil The Cabbage Down — fiddle fingering

G D A E · first position — finger numbers

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

0 = open string · 1–4 = finger · L = low (half step back), H = high.

Boil The Cabbage Down — Guitar tab

E A D G B E · open position

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

Numbers are frets; the bottom line is the low E string.

Boil The Cabbage Down — Ukulele tab

G C E A (high G) · open position

A|-0-2-|-4-4-4-4-4-4-|-5-5-5-5-5-5-|-4-4-4-4-4-4-|
E|-----|-------------|-------------|-------------|
C|-----|-------------|-------------|-------------|
G|-----|-------------|-------------|-------------|
A|-2-2-2-2-0-2-|-4-4-4-4-4-4-|-5-5-5-5-5-5-|-4-4-4-2-2-2-|
E|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
C|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
G|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
A|-0-0-0-0-|-0-4-|-7-7-9-7-4-|-7-7-9-7-4-|
E|---------|-----|-----------|-----------|
C|---------|-----|-----------|-----------|
G|---------|-----|-----------|-----------|
A|-7-7-9-7-4-|-2-2-4-2-0-2-|-4-4-4-4-4-4-|-5-5-5-5-5-5-|
E|-----------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
C|-----------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
G|-----------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
A|-4-4-4-2-2-2-|-0-0-0-0-|
E|-------------|---------|
C|-------------|---------|
G|-------------|---------|

Numbers are frets; the top line is the A string, the bottom line the high G.

Boil The Cabbage Down chords

A major · 3 chords: A, D, E7

pickup
A
D
A
E7
A
D
A E7
A
A
A
D
A
E7
A
D
A E7
A

One box per bar, in the same order as the sheet music. A faded chord carries on from the bar before.

Guitar chords for Boil The Cabbage Down

Strings E A D G B E, low to high · o = open string, × = don't play it

A×D××E7

Ukulele chords for Boil The Cabbage Down

Strings G C E A, low to high · o = open string, × = don't play it

ADE7

Tenor banjo & mandolin chords for Boil The Cabbage Down

Strings G D A E, low to high · o = open string, × = don't play it

ADE7

More reels and tunes like it

Old Joe ClarkThe Devil's DreamBill CheathamSally GoodinCherokee ShuffleJune AppleBuffalo GalsGrey Eagle

This traditional setting comes from Jim’s Roots & Blues. The tune itself is traditional. Tabs and letter names worked out by The Music Arcade.

← Melody Trainer