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SongsGod Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen
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Traditional English carol, the “London” tune, in print by the early 19th century. Public domain.

37 notes · C4–C7 · three octaves · 37 notes · The standard concert flute: the foot joint ends at middle C.

Tap a note, or slide along them to slur from note to note in one breath. On a keyboard the letters on the notes are the ones to press — Q is the D above middle C and they climb a semitone at a time.

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God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen — Flute Notes

God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen, written out for the flute as letter notes with the fingering drawn under each one and set up above on the C foot. Press Play to hear it, Practice to learn it one note at a time — the flute waits for you — or Play along to keep time with it.

  • Notes67, 9 pitches
  • RangeD5–E6
  • Key hereE minor
  • Tempo138 bpm · about 33 s
  • LevelIntermediate

Can a flute play God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen?

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.

  • C foot✓ Plays as writtenIn E minor, D5–E6 · loaded above
  • B foot✓ Plays as writtenIn E minor, D5–E6 · load it

God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen: flute notes

The large line is the note, and the drawing is its fingering — a filled hole or key is one that is down. 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

God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen — flute notes (C foot) · tonalics.com

The 9 notes it uses

Lowest to highest, with how many times each is played. Learn these 9 and you can play the whole tune.

  • DD5×2
  • EE5×12
  • F♯F♯5×8
  • GG5×11
  • AA5×12
  • BB5×14
  • CC6×4
  • DD6×2
  • EE6×2

What to expect on a flute

  • It runs from D5 to E6, an octave and a whole step, using 9 different notes. That leaves 14 semitones unused below and 8 above.
  • 86% of its moves are a step or a repeated note. The widest is a fifth, E5 to B5, at note 3.
  • It is played on faster air and fastest air, and the air speed changes 4 times — a flute’s octaves are a speed of air, not a key.

About the tune

One of the oldest English carols still sung, known from 18th-century broadsides and probably older. The tune used today is the one associated with London; Dickens has a caroller start it at Scrooge’s keyhole in A Christmas Carol.

Traditional English carol, the “London” tune, in print by the early 19th century. Public domain. The notes follow Paul Hardy’s Xmas Tunebook, 2019 (2024), cross-checked against 1 other transcription. More about God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen →

God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen on other instruments

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

More songs for the flute

All 36 flute songs · Christmas songs for flute · The online flute on its own

Playing it on a real flute?

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

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