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SongsFrère Jacques
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Traditional French round, published 1780. Public domain. The low G of “ding, dang, dong” is taken an octave up, where a 17-key has it.

4 strings · C2–A3 open · E5 up the A string in thumb position · Perfect fifths, exactly an octave below a viola. The C string is the deepest note in a string quartet.

Tap a string, or slide along a string and the pitch follows your finger, under a bow that never stops. On a keyboard the letters on the strings are the ones to press — they run down the strings, the A at the top — hold a key and the note holds.

CelloFree · printable · plays in your browser

Frère Jacques — Cello Notes

Frère Jacques, written out for the cello as every note with its string and how far up it. Press Play to hear it, Practice to learn it one note at a time — the cello waits for you — or Play along to keep time with it.

  • Notes32, 6 pitches
  • RangeC3–A3
  • Key hereC major
  • Tempo108 bpm · about 18 s
  • LevelEasy

Can a cello play Frère Jacques?

✓ Plays as written Every note of it is on the cello, in C major from C3 to A3. The check is made note by note against what the instrument can actually sound.

Frère Jacques: cello notes

The large line is the note; the small line under it is the string, and how many semitones above its open note to stop it. A dash holds the note another beat, an underline is half a beat, and a dot beside a note makes it half as long again. Each line is one phrase.

▶ Play it above

Frère Jacques — cello notes · tonalics.com

The 6 notes it uses

Lowest to highest, with how many times each is played. Learn these 6 and you can play the whole tune.

  • CG·5×10
  • DD·0×2
  • ED·2×6
  • FD·3×4
  • GD·5×8
  • AA·0×2

What to expect on a cello

  • It runs from C3 to A3, a major sixth, using 6 different notes. That leaves 12 semitones unused below and 19 above.
  • 65% of its moves are a step or a repeated note. The widest is a fifth, C3 to G3, at note 21.
  • It is played on 3 strings (G, D and A), crossing between strings 16 times.
  • 4 notes are an open string, and the highest stop is 5 semitones above the open string — it never leaves the bottom of the neck.

About the tune

A French round first written down around 1780. It is sung in most European languages, and Gustav Mahler used a minor-key version of it as the funeral march in his First Symphony.

Traditional French round, published 1780. Public domain. The low G of “ding, dang, dong” is taken an octave up, where a 17-key has it. More about Frère Jacques →

Frère Jacques on other instruments

The same melody, in each instrument’s own notation. It is not offered for the guzheng, which does not have the notes.

More songs for the cello

All 36 cello songs · Christmas songs for cello · The online cello on its own

Playing it on a real cello?

If it sounds wrong, check the instrument before the notes. The cello tuner listens through your microphone and names what each note is actually sounding.

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