How to play Joy to the World on the recorder

Joy to the World recorder notes with letters, for beginners, with a fingering chart for each note.

The Christmas carol by Isaac Watts (1719), to a tune arranged by Lowell Mason in 1839. Its first line walks straight down the scale from high D to low D, through high C#. It uses 8 notes: low D, low E, F#, G, A, B, high C# and high D. Below are the notes with their rhythm, and the fingering for each one.

Practice Joy to the World with your recorder

Free, in your browser: it listens as you play, shows which finger to fix, and goes at your own pace.

The notes

Tap a note to hear it.

D'C#'BAGF#EDABBC#'C#'D'D'D'C#'BAAGF#D'BAGF#GF#ED

Longer blocks are longer notes; a line marks each bar.

Sheet music

The same song in standard notation, with each note's name under it.

The notes as letters

D' C#' B A G F# E D A B B C#' C#' D' D' D' C#' B A A G F# D' B A G F# G F# E D

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

Fingerings

Fingering:

low D

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

low E

Thumb hole covered, holes 1 2 3 4 5 covered

Thumb hole covered, holes 1 2 3 5 6 covered Thumb hole covered, holes 1 2 3 5 6 7 covered

Thumb hole covered, holes 1 2 3 covered

Thumb hole covered, holes 1 2 covered

Thumb hole covered, hole 1 covered

high C#

Thumb hole open, holes 1 2 covered

high D

Thumb hole open, hole 2 covered

Tap Play to hear a note; tap a fingering card to see how to play it. 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.
F# is a "forked" fingering: cover the thumb and holes 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6, leaving hole 4 open. On a German-fingering recorder, F# is played with the thumb and holes 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 and 7, leaving hole 4 open.
High D has the thumb hole open and only hole 2 covered: just your left middle finger holds it.
High C# has the thumb hole open, with holes 1 and 2 covered: it's high D plus your pointer finger.

For teachers and parents

Print this song for your students: the notes, the fingering and a QR code. Scanning it opens the song in Recorder Hero, ready to practice at home.

Scan to practice Joy to the World with Recorder Hero
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