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SongsO Christmas Tree (O Tannenbaum)
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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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German traditional melody, sung as “O Tannenbaum” since 1824. 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

O Christmas Tree — Harp Letter Notes

O Christmas Tree (O Tannenbaum), 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.

  • Notes61, 8 pitches
  • RangeG4–A5
  • Key hereC major
  • Tempo104 bpm · about 28 s
  • LevelIntermediate

Can a harp play O Christmas Tree?

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 C major, G4–A5 · load it
  • 26-string✓ Plays as writtenIn C major, G4–A5 · load it
  • 34-string✓ Plays as writtenIn C major, G4–A5 · loaded above

O Christmas Tree: 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

O Christmas Tree (O Tannenbaum) — harp letter notes (34-string) · 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.

  • G5×3
  • B7×3
  • C1×12
  • D2×10
  • E3×18
  • F4×9
  • G5×5
  • A6×1

What to expect on a harp

  • It runs from G4 to A5, an octave and a whole step, using 8 different notes. That leaves 31 semitones unused below and 12 above.
  • 73% of its moves are a step or a repeated note. The widest is a major sixth, E5 to G4, at note 47.
  • It is played on strings 19 to 27 of 34, 8 strings in all.
  • Set the levers for C major before you start; nothing has to be flipped mid-tune.

About the tune

A German folk melody with roots in the 16th century, sung as “O Tannenbaum” since the Leipzig organist Ernst Anschütz wrote the words used today in 1824. The same tune carries several unrelated songs, among them the British labour anthem “The Red Flag” and the state song of Iowa.

German traditional melody, sung as “O Tannenbaum” since 1824. Public domain. The notes follow Paul Hardy’s Xmas Tunebook, 2019 (2024), cross-checked against 1 other transcription. More about O Christmas Tree →

O Christmas Tree 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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