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SongsGod Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen
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2 more songs need notes this instrument does not have. Changing the size or key brings some of them into reach.

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Traditional English carol, the “London” tune, in print by the early 19th century. Public domain.

34 strings · C2–A6 · C major · The floor harp: four and a half octaves down to C2. With every lever down it is C2–A♭6.

Tap a string, or sweep across them for the glissando. On a keyboard the letters on the strings are the ones to press — they follow the strings left to right. Each string has a lever above it that raises that one string a semitone; the key menu is a shortcut for moving several at once.

HarpFree · printable · plays in your browser

God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen — Harp Letter Notes

God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen, written out for the harp as letter notes, phrase by phrase and set up above on the 34-string. Press Play to hear it, Practice to learn it one note at a time — the harp waits for you — or Play along to keep time with it.

  • Notes67, 9 pitches
  • RangeG4–A5
  • Key hereA minor
  • Tempo138 bpm · about 33 s
  • LevelIntermediate

Can a harp play God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen?

Yes — every size 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.

  • 22-string✓ Plays as writtenIn A minor, G4–A5 · load it
  • 26-string✓ Plays as writtenIn A minor, G4–A5 · load it
  • 34-string✓ Plays as writtenIn A minor, G4–A5 · loaded above

God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen: harp letter notes

The large line is the string’s note; the small line under it is its number in the scale. 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 — harp letter notes (34-string) · 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.

  • G5×2
  • A6×12
  • B7×8
  • C1×11
  • D2×12
  • E3×14
  • F4×4
  • G5×2
  • A6×2

What to expect on a harp

  • It runs from G4 to A5, an octave and a whole step, using 9 different notes. That leaves 31 semitones unused below and 12 above.
  • 86% of its moves are a step or a repeated note. The widest is a fifth, A4 to E5, at note 3.
  • It is played on strings 19 to 27 of 34, 9 strings in all.
  • Set the levers for C major before you start; nothing has to be flipped mid-tune.

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 harp

All 34 harp songs · Christmas songs for harp · The online harp on its own

Playing it on a real harp?

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

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