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Asounds A4 · 0 of 12 holes open
SongsFrère Jacques
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13 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 French round, published 1780. Public domain. The low G of “ding, dang, dong” is taken an octave up, where a 17-key has it.

21 notes · A4–F6 sounding · 21 notes · written an octave lower · The standard modern ocarina: ten finger holes, two thumb holes and two subholes that reach the A and B below the C.

Tap a note, or slide along them to slur from note to note without a new breath. On a keyboard the letters on the notes are the ones to press — they run up the ocarina a semitone at a time from the low A.

OcarinaFree · printable · plays in your browser

Frère Jacques — Ocarina Notes

Frère Jacques, written out for the ocarina as letter notes with the fingering drawn under each one. Press Play to hear it, Practice to learn it one note at a time — the ocarina waits for you — or Play along to keep time with it.

  • Notes32, 6 pitches
  • RangeC4–A4
  • Key hereC major
  • Tempo108 bpm · about 18 s
  • LevelEasy

Can a ocarina play Frère Jacques?

✓ Plays as written Every note of it is on the ocarina, in C major from C4 to A4. The check is made note by note against what the instrument can actually sound.

Frère Jacques: ocarina notes

The large line is the note, and the drawing is its fingering — a filled hole or key is one that is down. 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

Frère Jacques — ocarina notes · 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.

  • CC4×10
  • DD4×2
  • EE4×6
  • FF4×4
  • GG4×8
  • AA4×2

What to expect on a ocarina

  • It runs from C4 to A4, a major sixth, using 6 different notes. That leaves 3 semitones unused below and 8 above.
  • 65% of its moves are a step or a repeated note. The widest is a fifth, C4 to G4, at note 21.
  • Its lowest note covers 10 of the 12 holes and its highest 5; the biggest change between two neighbouring notes moves 4 fingers at once.

About the tune

A French round first written down around 1780. It is sung in most European languages, and Gustav Mahler used a minor-key version of it as the funeral march in his First Symphony.

Traditional French round, published 1780. Public domain. The low G of “ding, dang, dong” is taken an octave up, where a 17-key has it. More about Frère Jacques →

Frère Jacques 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 ocarina

All 24 ocarina songs · Christmas songs for ocarina · The online ocarina on its own

Playing it on a real ocarina?

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

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