A little challenge

How to play Frère Jacques on the recorder

The French round about a sleepy brother: try it with a friend, starting two bars apart. It reaches all the way down to low D. It uses 6 notes: low D, G, A, B, high C and high D. Below are the notes with their rhythm, and the fingering for each one.

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The notes

GABGGABGBC'D'BC'D'GDGGDG

Longer blocks are longer notes; a line marks every four beats.

The notes as letters

G A B G G A B G B C' D' B C' D' G D G G D G

C' and D' are the high C and high D. All for a soprano (descant) recorder, with baroque (English) fingering.

Fingerings

low D

Thumb hole covered, holes 1 2 3 4 5 6 covered

Thumb hole covered, holes 1 2 3 covered

Thumb hole covered, holes 1 2 covered

Thumb hole covered, holes 1 covered

high C

Thumb hole covered, holes 2 covered

high D

Thumb hole open, holes 2 covered

Filled holes are covered. The left hand is on top (thumb behind, holes 1–3), the right hand below (holes 4–7).

Tips

Say "doo" into the recorder for each note: the tongue starts every note, so repeated notes sound separate.
Blow gently, like cooling soup. Too much air makes a squeak an octave up.
Cover the holes with the soft pads of your fingers, not the tips, so no air leaks out.
Low D needs the gentlest breath of all, and every hole sealed: if it squeaks, check your bottom fingers first.
High D has the thumb hole open and only hole 2 covered: just your left middle finger holds it.
For high C, lift your first finger (hole 1) and keep the thumb and hole 2 covered.

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How to play Frère Jacques on the recorder

The notes

The notes as letters

Fingerings

Tips

More recorder songs