Fingerstyle Banjo Song and Tab of the Week: “Cold Frosty Morn”

As winter continues to tighten its grip on those of us in the northern hemisphere, cold frosty morns have become commonplace. 

The original source recording for this tune (which you may also see as “Frosty Morning”) comes from West Virginia fiddler Henry Reed. You may sometimes find it said that this tune was written to commemorate the 1746 battle of Culloden, but apparently that is the history of a different but similarly named tune. 

With this particular banjo rendition, we put two common misconceptions to rest. 

The first being that one must wear fingerpicks when playing fingerstyle (the standard convention for bluegrass banjo, but certainly not for the rest of the fingerpicking banjo world). 

And the second that one cannot play fiddle tunes with just 2 fingers. 

Not only can fiddle tunes be played with 2 fingers, but as you hear, they can sound quite fantastic!