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SongsMo Li Hua · Jasmine Flower (茉莉花)
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  68. ·
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Chinese traditional, Jiangsu region; the tune dates to the Qianlong era (1735–1796) and was first printed in the West in 1804. 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

Mo Li Hua (Jasmine Flower) — Cello Notes

Mo Li Hua · Jasmine Flower (茉莉花), 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.

  • Notes67, 8 pitches
  • RangeG2–C4
  • Key hereC major
  • Tempo84 bpm · about 40 s
  • LevelIntermediate

Can a cello play Mo Li Hua (Jasmine Flower)?

✓ Plays as written Every note of it is on the cello, in C major from G2 to C4. The check is made note by note against what the instrument can actually sound.

Mo Li Hua (Jasmine Flower): 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

Mo Li Hua · Jasmine Flower (茉莉花) — cello notes · tonalics.com

The 8 notes it uses

Lowest to highest, with how many times each is played. Learn these 8 and you can play the whole tune.

  • GG·0×2
  • AG·2×3
  • CG·5×8
  • DD·0×9
  • ED·2×14
  • GD·5×17
  • AA·0×9
  • CA·3×5

What to expect on a cello

  • It runs from G2 to C4, an octave and a fourth, using 8 different notes. That leaves 7 semitones unused below and 16 above.
  • 62% of its moves are a step or a repeated note. The widest is a fourth, C4 to G3, at note 50.
  • It is played on 3 strings (G, D and A), crossing between strings 23 times.
  • 20 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 folk song from the Jiangsu region dating to the Qianlong era of the 18th century. It was the first Chinese melody to become widely known in Europe, printed in London in 1804 by John Barrow, and Puccini used it throughout his opera Turandot.

Chinese traditional, Jiangsu region; the tune dates to the Qianlong era (1735–1796) and was first printed in the West in 1804. Public domain. More about Mo Li Hua (Jasmine Flower) →

Mo Li Hua (Jasmine Flower) on other instruments

The same melody, in each instrument’s own notation. It is not offered for the handpan or ocarina, which do 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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