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Breakin' Up Christmas — Sheet Music, Tab & Chord Directory

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About Breakin' Up Christmas

Breakin' Up Christmas is a two-part old-time fiddle reel in A major — intermediate, running from E to a and staying in first position on banjo, mandolin and fiddle.

Type
Reel, two parts, each usually played twice
Key
A major · C|
Range
E to a · first position
Notes used
C♯ D E F♯ A B
Level
Intermediate

Breakin' Up Christmas — sheet music

A major · C|

The notes

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

e f♯ e d C♯ C♯ C♯ | B A B A C♯ C♯ C♯ | e f♯ e d C♯ C♯ C♯ | B C♯ B A F♯ F♯ F♯ e f♯ e d C♯ C♯ C♯ | B A B A C♯ C♯ C♯ | e f♯ e a f♯ e d | C♯ A B C♯ A A A E F♯ E A A A | B A B A C♯ C♯ C♯ | E F♯ E A A A | B C♯ B A F♯ F♯ F♯ E F♯ E A A A | B A B A C♯ C♯ C♯ | e f♯ e a f♯ e d | C♯ A B C♯ A

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Breakin' Up Christmas — tab

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

Breakin' Up Christmas — Tenor banjo tab

G D A E (Irish tuning) · open position

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

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

Breakin' Up Christmas — Mandolin tab

G D A E · open position

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

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

Breakin' Up Christmas — fiddle fingering

G D A E · first position — finger numbers

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

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

Breakin' Up Christmas — Guitar tab

E A D G B E · open position

e|-0-2-0---------|---------------|-0-2-0---------|---------------|
B|-------3-2-2-2-|-0---0---2-2-2-|-------3-2-2-2-|-0-2-0---------|
G|---------------|---2---2-------|---------------|-------2-------|
D|---------------|---------------|---------------|---------4-4-4-|
A|---------------|---------------|---------------|---------------|
E|---------------|---------------|---------------|---------------|
e|-0-2-0---------|---------------|-0-2-0-5-2-0---|---------------|
B|-------3-2-2-2-|-0---0---2-2-2-|-------------3-|-2---0-2-------|
G|---------------|---2---2-------|---------------|---2-----2-2-2-|
D|---------------|---------------|---------------|---------------|
A|---------------|---------------|---------------|---------------|
E|---------------|---------------|---------------|---------------|
e|-------------|---------------|-------------|---------------|
B|-------------|-0---0---2-2-2-|-------------|-0-2-0---------|
G|-------2-2-2-|---2---2-------|-------2-2-2-|-------2-------|
D|-2-4-2-------|---------------|-2-4-2-------|---------4-4-4-|
A|-------------|---------------|-------------|---------------|
E|-------------|---------------|-------------|---------------|
e|-------------|---------------|-0-2-0-5-2-0---|-----------|
B|-------------|-0---0---2-2-2-|-------------3-|-2---0-2---|
G|-------2-2-2-|---2---2-------|---------------|---2-----2-|
D|-2-4-2-------|---------------|---------------|-----------|
A|-------------|---------------|---------------|-----------|
E|-------------|---------------|---------------|-----------|

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

Breakin' Up Christmas — Ukulele tab

G C E A (high G) · open position

A|-7-9-7-5-4-4-4-|-2-0-2-0-4-4-4-|-7-9-7-5-4-4-4-|-2-4-2-0-------|
E|---------------|---------------|---------------|---------2-2-2-|
C|---------------|---------------|---------------|---------------|
G|---------------|---------------|---------------|---------------|
A|-7-9-7-5-4-4-4-|-2-0-2-0-4-4-4-|-7-9-7-12-9-7-5-|-4-0-2-4-0-0-0-|
E|---------------|---------------|----------------|---------------|
C|---------------|---------------|----------------|---------------|
G|---------------|---------------|----------------|---------------|
A|-------0-0-0-|-2-0-2-0-4-4-4-|-------0-0-0-|-2-4-2-0-------|
E|-0-2-0-------|---------------|-0-2-0-------|---------2-2-2-|
C|-------------|---------------|-------------|---------------|
G|-------------|---------------|-------------|---------------|
A|-------0-0-0-|-2-0-2-0-4-4-4-|-7-9-7-12-9-7-5-|-4-0-2-4-0-|
E|-0-2-0-------|---------------|----------------|-----------|
C|-------------|---------------|----------------|-----------|
G|-------------|---------------|----------------|-----------|

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

Breakin' Up Christmas chords

A major · 2 chords: A, E

A
A
A
E A
A
A
A
E A
A
A
A
E A
A
A
A
E 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 Breakin' Up Christmas

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

A×E

Ukulele chords for Breakin' Up Christmas

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

AE

Tenor banjo & mandolin chords for Breakin' Up Christmas

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

AE

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.

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