Auld Lang Syne on Lyre — Tabs, Letter Notes & Play Online

Notes56, 7 pitches
RangeG4–A5
Key hereC major
Tempo96 bpm · about 40 s
LevelEasy

Can a lyre play Auld Lang Syne?

1 of the 3 here do. 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.

7-string✕ Cannot play itNeeds G3, A3, which it does not have
10-string✕ Cannot play itNeeds G3, which it does not have
16-string✓ Plays as writtenIn C major, G4–A5 · loaded above

Auld Lang Syne: lyre 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.

▶ Play it above

Auld Lang Syne — lyre tabs (16-string) · tonalics.com

5str. 81•str. 111•str. 111•str. 113•str. 132•str. 121•str. 112•str. 123•str. 131•str. 111•str. 113•str. 135•str. 156•str. 16––

6•str. 165•str. 153•str. 133•str. 131•str. 112•str. 121•str. 112•str. 123•str. 131•str. 116str. 96str. 95str. 81•str. 11––

6•str. 165•str. 153•str. 133•str. 131•str. 112•str. 121•str. 112•str. 126•str. 165•str. 153•str. 133•str. 135•str. 156•str. 16––

6•str. 165•str. 153•str. 133•str. 131•str. 112•str. 121•str. 112•str. 123•str. 131•str. 116str. 96str. 95str. 81•str. 11––

The 7 notes it uses

Lowest to highest, with how many times each is played. Learn these 7 and you can play the whole tune.

5str. 8×3
6str. 9×4
1•str. 11×16
2•str. 12×8
3•str. 13×13
5•str. 15×6
6•str. 16×6

What to expect on a lyre

It runs from G4 to A5, an octave and a whole step, using 7 different notes. Its top note is the highest this instrument has.
62% of its moves are a step or a repeated note. The widest is a major sixth, C5 to A5, at note 29.
It is played on strings 8 to 16 of 16, 7 strings in all.

About the tune

Robert Burns sent the words to the Scots Musical Museum in 1788, describing them as an old song he had taken down from an old man’s singing. The melody now sung was paired with them in 1799; it is a Scottish dance tune, and it is sung at midnight on New Year’s Eve across the English-speaking world.

Scottish traditional melody, sung to these words since 1799. Public domain. The notes follow Wikipedia, “Auld Lang Syne” (engraved score), cross-checked against 1 other transcription. More about Auld Lang Syne →

Auld Lang Syne on other instruments

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

More songs for the lyre

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