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Asounds A4 · 0 of 12 holes open
SongsYankee Doodle
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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, sung in the American colonies before the Revolution (18th century). Public domain. Written an octave up, so its low notes fit a 17-key.

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

Yankee Doodle — Ocarina Notes

Yankee Doodle, 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.

  • Notes28, 7 pitches
  • RangeG4–F5
  • Key hereC major
  • Tempo120 bpm · about 16 s
  • LevelEasy

Can a ocarina play Yankee Doodle?

✓ Plays as written Every note of it is on the ocarina, in C major from G4 to F5. The check is made note by note against what the instrument can actually sound.

Yankee Doodle: 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

Yankee Doodle — ocarina notes · tonalics.com

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.

  • GG4×2
  • AA4×1
  • BB4×3
  • CC5×11
  • DD5×5
  • EE5×5
  • FF5×1

What to expect on a ocarina

  • It runs from G4 to F5, a minor seventh, using 7 different notes. Its top note is the highest this instrument has.
  • 78% of its moves are a step or a repeated note. The widest is a fifth, D5 to G4, at note 8.
  • Its lowest note covers 6 of the 12 holes and its highest 0; the biggest change between two neighbouring notes moves 4 fingers at once.

About the tune

The tune was already old when British troops sang it to mock colonial militia before the American Revolution; the colonists took it up as their own, and it has been a patriotic song ever since. It is the state song of Connecticut.

Traditional, sung in the American colonies before the Revolution (18th century). Public domain. Written an octave up, so its low notes fit a 17-key. More about Yankee Doodle →

Yankee Doodle on other instruments

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