TonalicsJOURNALOpen Tuner
‹ Guzheng songs
SongsOld MacDonald Had a Farm
Play a different song (7)

29 more songs need notes this instrument does not have. Changing the size or key brings some of them into reach.

Play along
  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.

21 strings · D2–D6 · D pentatonic · The modern standard — four octaves of D-pentatonic plus a top D.

Tap a string, or sweep across them for a glissando, or drag down a string to bend it. On a keyboard the letters on the strings are the ones to press — they follow the strings left to right.

GuzhengFree · printable · plays in your browser

Old MacDonald — Guzheng Tabs

Old MacDonald Had a Farm, written out for the guzheng as number tabs with the letter under every note. Press Play to hear it, Practice to learn it one note at a time — the guzheng waits for you — or Play along to keep time with it.

  • Notes25, 5 pitches
  • RangeD4–B4
  • Key hereD major
  • Tempo116 bpm · about 15 s
  • LevelEasy

Can a guzheng play Old MacDonald?

✓ Plays as written Every note of it is on the guzheng, in D major from D4 to B4. The check is made note by note against what the instrument can actually sound.

Old MacDonald: guzheng tabs

The large line is the note’s number in the scale; the small line under it is the string to pluck. 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.

â–¶ Play it above

Old MacDonald Had a Farm — guzheng tabs · 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.

  • 1str. 11×8
  • 2str. 10×4
  • 3str. 9×4
  • 5str. 8×5
  • 6str. 7×4

What to expect on a guzheng

  • It runs from D4 to B4, a major sixth, using 5 different notes. That leaves 24 semitones unused below and 15 above.
  • 75% of its moves are a step or a repeated note. The widest is a fifth, D4 to A4, at note 4.
  • It is played on strings 7 to 11 of 21, 5 strings in all.

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 guzheng

All 7 guzheng songs · The online guzheng on its own

Playing it on a real guzheng?

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

🎙 Open the Guzheng Tuner