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SongsThe First Noel
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Traditional Cornish carol, first printed in 1823 and with this tune in 1833. Public domain.

2 strings · D4–A4 open · A5 at the octave · D key · 1 = D · A perfect fifth, the same interval a violin uses between neighbours. Those two notes are the entire tuning; everything above them is your hand.

Tap a string, or slide along a string and the pitch follows your finger, under a bow that never leaves the strings. On a keyboard the letters on the strings are the ones to press — the inner string is the upper key — hold one and the note holds.

ErhuFree · printable · plays in your browser

The First Noel — Erhu Notes

The First Noel, written out for the erhu 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 erhu waits for you — or Play along to keep time with it.

  • Notes72, 8 pitches
  • RangeD4–D5
  • Key hereD major
  • Tempo104 bpm · about 42 s
  • LevelIntermediate

Can a erhu play The First Noel?

✓ Plays as written Every note of it is on the erhu, in D major from D4 to D5. The check is made note by note against what the instrument can actually sound.

The First Noel: erhu 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

The First Noel — erhu 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.

  • DD·0×3
  • ED·2×6
  • F♯D·4×9
  • GD·5×6
  • AA·0×12
  • BA·2×14
  • C♯A·4×13
  • DA·5×9

What to expect on a erhu

  • It runs from D4 to D5, an octave, using 8 different notes. Its lowest note is the lowest this instrument has, and 7 semitones of range are left above it.
  • 93% of its moves are a step or a repeated note. The widest is a fourth, D5 to A4, at note 23.
  • It is played on 2 strings (D and A), crossing between strings 6 times.
  • 15 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 Cornish carol, first printed in 1823 and given with this tune in William Sandys’s collection of 1833. It is unusual among carols in that its verse and its refrain are nearly the same phrase, sung three times over — some scholars think the tune is a descant that outlived the melody it was written against.

Traditional Cornish carol, first printed in 1823 and with this tune in 1833. Public domain. The notes follow Paul Hardy’s Xmas Tunebook, 2019 (2024), cross-checked against 1 other transcription. More about The First Noel →

The First Noel on other instruments

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

More songs for the erhu

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

Playing it on a real erhu?

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

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