About Cold Frosty Morning
Cold Frosty Morning is a two-part old-time fiddle reel in A minor (it uses the notes of C major) — intermediate, running from E to b and staying in first position on banjo, mandolin and fiddle.
- Type
- Reel, two parts, each usually played twice
- Key
- A minor (the notes of C major) · 4/4
- Range
- E to b · first position
- Notes used
- C D E F G A B
- Level
- Intermediate
Cold Frosty Morning — sheet music
A minor (the notes of C 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
E G A B A | C B C d e | G B A G B A | G A B C d E G A B A | C B C d e | C B A B A G | A A e g a a | a b a g e d | e f g g | g d e A A A C B C | d C d e A | C B A B A G | A A
Cold Frosty Morning — tab
Tenor banjo · mandolin · fiddle · guitar · ukulele — tap one to open it
Cold Frosty Morning — Tenor banjo tab
G D A E (Irish tuning) · open position
E|-----------|---------0-|-------------|-----------| A|-----0-2-0-|-3-2-3-5---|---2-0---2-0-|---0-2-3-5-| D|-2-5-------|-----------|-5-----5-----|-5---------| G|-----------|-----------|-------------|-----------|
E|-----------|---------0-|-------------|-----| A|-----0-2-0-|-3-2-3-5---|-3-2-0-2-0---|-0-0-| D|-2-5-------|-----------|-----------5-|-----| G|-----------|-----------|-------------|-----|
E|-0-3-5-5-|-5-7-5-3-0---|-0-1-3-3-|-3---0-| A|---------|-----------5-|---------|---5---| D|---------|-------------|---------|-------| G|---------|-------------|---------|-------|
E|-------------|-------0---|-------------|-----| A|-0-0-0-3-2-3-|-5-3-5---0-|-3-2-0-2-0---|-0-0-| D|-------------|-----------|-----------5-|-----| G|-------------|-----------|-------------|-----|
Numbers are frets. Tenor banjo sounds an octave below the written notes.
Cold Frosty Morning — Mandolin tab
G D A E · open position
E|-----------|---------0-|-------------|-----------| A|-----0-2-0-|-3-2-3-5---|---2-0---2-0-|---0-2-3-5-| D|-2-5-------|-----------|-5-----5-----|-5---------| G|-----------|-----------|-------------|-----------|
E|-----------|---------0-|-------------|-----| A|-----0-2-0-|-3-2-3-5---|-3-2-0-2-0---|-0-0-| D|-2-5-------|-----------|-----------5-|-----| G|-----------|-----------|-------------|-----|
E|-0-3-5-5-|-5-7-5-3-0---|-0-1-3-3-|-3---0-| A|---------|-----------5-|---------|---5---| D|---------|-------------|---------|-------| G|---------|-------------|---------|-------|
E|-------------|-------0---|-------------|-----| A|-0-0-0-3-2-3-|-5-3-5---0-|-3-2-0-2-0---|-0-0-| D|-------------|-----------|-----------5-|-----| G|-------------|-----------|-------------|-----|
Numbers are frets. Same strings as the fiddle, so the same notes fall in the same places.
Cold Frosty Morning — fiddle fingering
G D A E · first position — finger numbers
E|-----------|-----------0-|-------------|------------| A|-----0-1-0-|-L2-1-L2-3---|---1-0---1-0-|---0-1-L2-3-| D|-1-3-------|-------------|-3-----3-----|-3----------| G|-----------|-------------|-------------|------------|
E|-----------|-----------0-|--------------|-----| A|-----0-1-0-|-L2-1-L2-3---|-L2-1-0-1-0---|-0-0-| D|-1-3-------|-------------|------------3-|-----| G|-----------|-------------|--------------|-----|
E|-0-L2-3-3-|-3-4-3-L2-0---|-0-L1-L2-L2-|-L2---0-| A|----------|------------3-|------------|----3---| D|----------|--------------|------------|--------| G|----------|--------------|------------|--------|
E|---------------|--------0---|--------------|-----| A|-0-0-0-L2-1-L2-|-3-L2-3---0-|-L2-1-0-1-0---|-0-0-| D|---------------|------------|------------3-|-----| G|---------------|------------|--------------|-----|
0 = open string · 1–4 = finger · L = low (half step back), H = high.
Cold Frosty Morning — Guitar tab
E A D G B E · open position
e|-----------|---------0-|-------------|-----------| B|-------0---|-1-0-1-3---|---0-----0---|-----0-1-3-| G|---0-2---2-|-----------|-0---2-0---2-|-0-2-------| D|-2---------|-----------|-------------|-----------| A|-----------|-----------|-------------|-----------| E|-----------|-----------|-------------|-----------|
e|-----------|---------0-|-------------|-----| B|-------0---|-1-0-1-3---|-1-0---0-----|-----| G|---0-2---2-|-----------|-----2---2-0-|-2-2-| D|-2---------|-----------|-------------|-----| A|-----------|-----------|-------------|-----| E|-----------|-----------|-------------|-----|
e|-0-3-5-5-|-5-7-5-3-0---|-0-1-3-3-|-3---0-| B|---------|-----------3-|---------|---3---| G|---------|-------------|---------|-------| D|---------|-------------|---------|-------| A|---------|-------------|---------|-------| E|---------|-------------|---------|-------|
e|-------------|-------0---|-------------|-----| B|-------1-0-1-|-3-1-3-----|-1-0---0-----|-----| G|-2-2-2-------|---------2-|-----2---2-0-|-2-2-| D|-------------|-----------|-------------|-----| A|-------------|-----------|-------------|-----| E|-------------|-----------|-------------|-----|
Numbers are frets; the bottom line is the low E string.
Cold Frosty Morning — Ukulele tab
G C E A (high G) · open position
A|-----0-2-0-|-3-2-3-5-7-|---2-0---2-0-|---0-2-3-5-| E|-0---------|-----------|-------------|-----------| C|-----------|-----------|-------------|-----------| G|---0-------|-----------|-0-----0-----|-0---------|
A|-----0-2-0-|-3-2-3-5-7-|-3-2-0-2-0---|-0-0-| E|-0---------|-----------|-------------|-----| C|-----------|-----------|-------------|-----| G|---0-------|-----------|-----------0-|-----|
A|-7-10-12-12-|-12-14-12-10-7-5-|-7-8-10-10-|-10-5-7-| E|------------|-----------------|-----------|--------| C|------------|-----------------|-----------|--------| G|------------|-----------------|-----------|--------|
A|-0-0-0-3-2-3-|-5-3-5-7-0-|-3-2-0-2-0---|-0-0-| E|-------------|-----------|-------------|-----| C|-------------|-----------|-------------|-----| G|-------------|-----------|-----------0-|-----|
Numbers are frets; the top line is the A string, the bottom line the high G.
Cold Frosty Morning chords
A minor (the notes of C major) · 4 chords: Am, G, C, D
One box per bar, in the same order as the sheet music. A faded chord carries on from the bar before.
Guitar chords for Cold Frosty Morning
Strings E A D G B E, low to high · o = open string, × = don't play it
Ukulele chords for Cold Frosty Morning
Strings G C E A, low to high · o = open string, × = don't play it
Tenor banjo & mandolin chords for Cold Frosty Morning
Strings G D A E, low to high · o = open string, × = don't play it
More reels and tunes like it
This traditional setting comes from Jim’s Roots & Blues. The tune itself is traditional. Tabs and letter names worked out by The Music Arcade.