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SongsHot Cross Buns
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  1. 3,
  2. 2,
  3. 1,
  4. 3,
  5. 2,
  6. 1,
  7. 1,
  8. 1,
  9. 1,
  10. 1,
  11. 2,
  12. 2,
  13. 2,
  14. 2,
  15. 3,
  16. 2,
  17. 1,

Traditional English street cry and nursery rhyme, 18th century. Public domain.

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

Hot Cross Buns — Cello Notes

Hot Cross Buns, 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.

  • Notes17, 3 pitches
  • RangeC3–E3
  • Key hereC major
  • Tempo100 bpm · about 10 s
  • LevelEasy

Can a cello play Hot Cross Buns?

✓ Plays as written Every note of it is on the cello, in C major from C3 to E3. The check is made note by note against what the instrument can actually sound.

Hot Cross Buns: 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

Hot Cross Buns — cello notes · tonalics.com

The 3 notes it uses

Lowest to highest, with how many times each is played. Learn these 3 and you can play the whole tune.

  • CG·5×7
  • DD·0×7
  • ED·2×3

What to expect on a cello

  • It runs from C3 to E3, a major third, using 3 different notes. That leaves 12 semitones unused below and 24 above.
  • 94% of its moves are a step or a repeated note. The widest is a major third, C3 to E3, at note 4.
  • It is played on 2 strings (G and D), crossing between strings 5 times.
  • 7 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

Hot Cross Buns began as a street cry: the call of London bakers selling spiced buns on Good Friday. It was in print as a rhyme by the end of the 18th century, and the tune it settled on is about as small as a tune can be — three neighbouring notes, most of it a single falling step repeated.

Traditional English street cry and nursery rhyme, 18th century. Public domain. More about Hot Cross Buns →

Hot Cross Buns on other instruments

The same melody, in each instrument’s own notation.

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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