Colorado Trail Song
The Colorado Trail song is a genuine song of the old West.
The simple lyrics make one of the loveliest of cowboy love poems, and the haunting melody has real beauty. This was written by a real cowboy!
On this page, you'll find:
- A piano arrangement, in several keys
- A vocal duet, also in several keys
- And a guitar tabs version in the keys of A, C, D, and G
Please scroll down the page for the links to the free printable music.
The list of piano chords for this Cowboy song is more extensive than you tend to encounter in such a short melody!
You can get away with a more limited choice of chords, but this harmony gives a feeling of movement and depth, of shaping the sound... and of subtle surprise. It's hard to explain - just try the chords out!
Very pretty... but where are the rest of the lyrics? Well, this is one of those SHORT cowboy poems. More lyrics are certainly out there on the internet, but only this first verse is really public domain, so that's the only verse I am posting here.
Now below we've got a country duet, for (most probably) tenor and soprano voices:
The words of this short Cowboy poem remind me of a Middle English poem I first encountered in a college class, short but hauntingly lovely:
'Westron wynde, when wilt thou blow,
The small raine down can raine.
Cryst, if my love were in my armes
And I in my bedde again!'
My professor said, "This poem has EVERYTHING in it - disappointed love, religion, and the WEATHER!"
And so it is with Colorado Trail...
The links to the piano arrangement:
Download Colorado Trail song in the key of A
Download free piano tablature in the key of C
Download free piano sheets online in the key of D
Download sheet music for piano free in the key of Eb
Piano music download in the key of F
Download free piano sheetmusic in the key of G
The links to the duet arrangements:
Download free duets in the key of Bb
Download country music duets in the key of C
Download duet songs in the key of D
Download duet music in the key of Eb
Free download notes for Cowboy song in F
Download a country duet in the key of G
The links for the guitar tabs and chords arrangement:
Download acoustic guitar strings notes and tabs for Colorado Trail key of A
Free download notes for Colorado Trail key of C
Download Cowboy guitar tabs in the key of D
Download free Cowboy lyrics in the key of G
More Folk Songs to Sing:
Ae Fond Kiss - a love song about saying goodbye, from Scotland
All the Pretty Little Horses - a soft and repetitious lullaby, quite pretty
Ash Grove - a famous and lovely song from Wales
Auld Lang Syne - the New Year's Eve song!
Colorado Trail Song - an American tune written by a real cowboy
Come By the Hills - another popular Irish melody
Down By the Salley Gardens - a famous and pretty song, very sweet
Green Bushes - a brisk little song that is pretty while being good for breath control training
Grenadier and the Lady - my favorite folk song of all. Find out why
I Gave My Love a Cherry - the "Riddle Song" is very pretty
Loch Lomond - the famous and sad song about never meeting again
Mari's Wedding - a singable tune with bouncy chords that is fun to play or sing
Minstrel Boy - a lovely and patriotic song about a warrior-poet
Molly Bawn - a sad story of a young hunter who thought he was shooting at a swan
Morning Has Broken - a beautiful melody made famous again by Cat Stevens
Once I Had a Sweetheart - "but now I have none!" Very pretty, and little-known.
Parting Glass - a well-known Irish tune which my singers always love
Raggle-Taggle Gypsies - a story about a young bride who abandons her wealthy new husband to go off with the gypsies. A catchy melody!
Scarborough Fair - an old and famous tune of lost love
Shenandoah - a famous and lovely American tune with ambiguous lyrics
Skye Boat Song - a pretty song from Scotland about the escape of Bonnie Prince Charlie over the sea
Spanish Ladies - a minor key sea chanty that swings energetically along - BOYS like singing it too!
The Spanish Lady - Upbeat and energetic, this Irish song is fun to perform with a group
Star of the County Down - LOTS of fun to sing and play! An excellent ensemble piece
The Wellerman - a sea chanty that is very singable, and very fun!
Dianna:
Your website is a light in the darkness. THANK YOU for all you do in helping to spread the love of music. It matters!
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Anna Lee:
What a fabulous website! I've been a keen amateur piano player since I first learnt 56 years ago at the age of 8.
I now have a three year old granddaughter and am hoping fervently that she'll want to learn - at which point I'll teach her. This is just the kind of resource I'll need to make it comprehensible. Thank you very much.
Kim in Washington:
My son is hooked...I've been introducing piano to my son on and off for a year or so, but he's not had much interest. Then I gave him "Monsters Everywhere". He loved playing it with the organ sound on our piano. He memorized it that week and I'm printing off the other Halloween songs to keep him going. I love the detailed instructions on teaching since he is my first student! Thanks so much.
Dana:
That is so neat that your son has experienced the magic and mystery of music through this little song. That is so exciting to me! Thanks for writing, Kim!
Comments: Do you have a story or a question about music teaching? Share it!
Please note that all comments are moderated, and will not appear until I have approved them. Also, IF YOU ARE ASKING FOR MUSIC THAT IS NOT IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN, YOUR REQUEST WILL BE IGNORED. That's pretty much any music written in the last 75 years...
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About the Author
Hi, I'm Dana! (Say that like "Anna".) I'm the owner of Music-for-Music-Teachers.com, and a newer site, SingTheBibleStory.com.
Like some of you, I've been playing the piano since early childhood, and have added a few other instruments along the way, plus an interest in arranging and composing music.
You can find out more about me and the reason for this website at my About Me page.
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