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SongsOld MacDonald Had a Farm
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  1. 1,
  2. 1,
  3. 1,
  4. 5,
  5. 6,
  6. 6,
  7. 5,
  8. 3,
  9. 3,
  10. 2,
  11. 2,
  12. 1,
  13. 5,
  14. 1,
  15. 1,
  16. 1,
  17. 5,
  18. 6,
  19. 6,
  20. 5,
  21. 3,
  22. 3,
  23. 2,
  24. 2,
  25. 1,

Traditional, published 1917 in this form. 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

Old MacDonald — Cello Notes

Old MacDonald Had a Farm, 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.

  • Notes25, 5 pitches
  • RangeC3–A3
  • Key hereC major
  • Tempo116 bpm · about 15 s
  • LevelEasy

Can a cello play Old MacDonald?

✓ 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.

Old MacDonald: 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

Old MacDonald Had a Farm — cello notes · tonalics.com

The 5 notes it uses

Lowest to highest, with how many times each is played. Learn these 5 and you can play the whole tune.

  • CG·5×8
  • DD·0×4
  • ED·2×4
  • GD·5×5
  • AA·0×4

What to expect on a cello

  • It runs from C3 to A3, a major sixth, using 5 different notes. That leaves 12 semitones unused below and 19 above.
  • 75% of its moves are a step or a repeated note. The widest is a fifth, C3 to G3, at note 4.
  • It is played on 3 strings (G, D and A), crossing between strings 10 times.
  • 8 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 cumulative farm song with 18th-century English ancestors; the version sung today, with this tune and this farmer’s name, was printed in 1917 in a collection of songs from the First World War.

Traditional, published 1917 in this form. Public domain. More about Old MacDonald →

Old MacDonald 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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