Frère Jacques — Dulcimer Tab

• Notes32, 6 pitches
• RangeD4–B4
• Key hereD major
• Tempo108 bpm · about 18 s
• LevelEasy

Can a dulcimer play Frère Jacques?

Yes — every one on this page plays it. The check is made note by note against what each one can actually sound. Where the tune does not fit as the library writes it, another key or octave is tried, and the table says which; where nothing fits, it names the notes that are missing.

• DAD✓ Plays as writtenIn D major, D4–B4 · loaded above
• DAA✓ Plays as writtenIn D major, D4–B4 · load it

Frère Jacques: dulcimer tab

The large line is the fret, on the melody string unless a string is named; the small line under it is the note. 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.

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.

• 0D4×10
• 1E4×2
• 2F♯4×6
• 3G4×4
• 4A4×8
• 5B4×2

What to expect on a dulcimer

• It runs from D4 to B4, a major sixth, using 6 different notes. That leaves 12 semitones unused below and 15 above.
• 65% of its moves are a step or a repeated note. The widest is a fifth, D4 to A4, at note 21.
• It uses 6 fret positions: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.
• The whole tune is on the melody string, so it can be played with a noter while the other strings drone.

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.

• Frère Jacques — kalimbatabs
• Frère Jacques — pianoletter notes
• Frère Jacques — mbiratabs
• Frère Jacques — handpantabs
• Frère Jacques — oudnotes
• Frère Jacques — violinnotes
• Frère Jacques — cellonotes
• Frère Jacques — erhunotes
• Frère Jacques — xylophoneletter notes
• Frère Jacques — marimbaletter notes
• Frère Jacques — glockenspielletter notes
• Frère Jacques — steel drumletter notes
• Frère Jacques — ocarinanotes
• Frère Jacques — harmonicatabs
• Frère Jacques — trumpetnotes
• Frère Jacques — clarinetnotes
• Frère Jacques — saxophonenotes
• Frère Jacques — flutenotes
• Frère Jacques — recordernotes
• Frère Jacques — tubanotes
• Frère Jacques — euphoniumnotes
• Frère Jacques — trombonenotes
• Frère Jacques — accordionletter notes
• Frère Jacques — harpletter notes
• Frère Jacques — lyretabs

More songs for the dulcimer

• Hot Cross BunsNursery rhymes · major third
• Lightly RowNursery rhymes · fifth
• Twinkle Twinkle Little StarNursery rhymes · major sixth
• Mary Had a Little LambNursery rhymes · fifth
• Row, Row, Row Your BoatNursery rhymes · octave
• London BridgeNursery rhymes · major sixth
• Old MacDonaldNursery rhymes · major sixth
• Going Home (New World Largo)Classical melodies · fifth

All 35 dulcimer songs · Christmas songs for dulcimer · The online dulcimer on its own