β€Ή Marimba songs
SongsLondon Bridge Is Falling Down
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Traditional English nursery rhyme, in print since 1744; the tune sung today was written down in the 19th century. Public domain.

61 bars Β· C2–C7, 61 bars Β· The concert and solo marimba β€” the full five octaves, down to the low C a cello plays.

Tap a bar, or drag across them for a glissando. On a keyboard the letters on the bars are the ones to press β€” they run up the bars from middle C.

London Bridge β€” Marimba Letter Notes

London Bridge Is Falling Down, written out for the marimba as letter notes, phrase by phrase and set up above on the 5 octaves. Press Play to hear it, Practice to learn it one note at a time β€” the marimba waits for you β€” or Play along to keep time with it.

  • Notes24, 6 pitches
  • RangeC4–A4
  • Key hereC major
  • Tempo112 bpm Β· about 17 s
  • LevelEasy

Can a marimba play London Bridge?

Yes β€” 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.

  • 5 octavesβœ“ Plays as writtenIn C major, C4–A4 Β· loaded above
  • 4.3 octavesβœ“ Plays as writtenIn C major, C4–A4 Β· load it

London Bridge: marimba letter notes

The large line is the note printed on the bar; 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.

β–Ά Play it above

London Bridge Is Falling Down β€” marimba letter notes (5 octaves) Β· tonalics.com

The 6 notes it uses

Lowest to highest, with how many times each is played. Learn these 6 and you can play the whole tune.

  • C1Γ—1
  • D2Γ—2
  • E3Γ—5
  • F4Γ—6
  • G5Γ—8
  • A6Γ—2

What to expect on a marimba

  • It runs from C4 to A4, a major sixth, using 6 different notes. That leaves 24 semitones unused below and 27 above.
  • 78% of its moves are a step or a repeated note. The widest is a fourth, G4 to D4, at note 8.
  • It uses only the front row β€” no sharps or flats in this key.

About the tune

The rhyme has been in print since the 1740s and the singing game is older still, with relatives across Europe. The tune sung today is not the one in the earliest books: it was written down in the 19th century and displaced the older melodies.

Traditional English nursery rhyme, in print since 1744; the tune sung today was written down in the 19th century. Public domain. More about London Bridge β†’

London Bridge on other instruments

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

More songs for the marimba

All 36 marimba songs Β· Christmas songs for marimba Β· The online marimba on its own

Playing it on a real marimba?

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

πŸŽ™ Open the Marimba Tuner