Frère Jacques — Piano Letter Notes

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

Can a piano play Frère Jacques?

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.

• 49 keys✓ Plays as writtenIn C major, C4–A4 · load it
• 61 keys✓ Plays as writtenIn C major, C4–A4 · loaded above
• 88 keys✓ Plays as writtenIn C major, C4–A4 · load it

Frère Jacques: piano letter notes

The large line is the key’s letter; a dot over it is the octave above middle C’s, a dot under it the octave below; the small line under it is the same note in do-re-mi. 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.

Frère Jacques letter notes as text

The same notes as plain text, one phrase to a line, to copy into a message or a document. A letter on its own is in the octave that starts on middle C (C4). Every note of this tune is in it. A comma marks a long note.

C D E C C D E C E F G
E F G, G A G F E C G A G F E C C G C, C G C

Is there a both-hands version?

Not of Frère Jacques, on this page. The left hand here is made by rule — three chords, one hand position — and it is only offered where that rule can be checked against a published harmonisation and agrees with it on most bars. This melody has no barred score in its sources to hang the chords on. The right hand above is the whole tune.

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.

• CDo×10
• DRe×2
• EMi×6
• FFa×4
• GSol×8
• ALa×2

What to expect on a piano

• It runs from C4 to A4, a major sixth, using 6 different notes. That leaves 24 semitones unused below and 27 above.
• 65% of its moves are a step or a repeated note. The widest is a fifth, C4 to G4, at note 21.
• It is played on the white keys only.
• It covers 6 white keys, more than the five a hand rests on, so the right hand has to move or stretch — by a key or two.

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.

• Frère Jacques — kalimbatabs
• Frère Jacques — mbiratabs
• Frère Jacques — handpantabs
• Frère Jacques — oudnotes
• Frère Jacques — violinnotes
• Frère Jacques — cellonotes
• Frère Jacques — erhunotes
• Frère Jacques — dulcimertab
• Frère Jacques — xylophoneletter notes
• Frère Jacques — marimbaletter notes
• Frère Jacques — glockenspielletter notes
• Frère Jacques — steel drumletter notes
• Frère Jacques — ocarinanotes
• Frère Jacques — harmonicatabs
• Frère Jacques — trumpetnotes
• Frère Jacques — clarinetnotes
• Frère Jacques — saxophonenotes
• Frère Jacques — flutenotes
• Frère Jacques — recordernotes
• Frère Jacques — tubanotes
• Frère Jacques — euphoniumnotes
• Frère Jacques — trombonenotes
• Frère Jacques — accordionletter notes
• Frère Jacques — harpletter notes
• Frère Jacques — lyretabs

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• Lightly RowNursery rhymes · fifth
• Twinkle Twinkle Little StarNursery rhymes · major sixth
• Mary Had a Little LambNursery rhymes · fifth
• Row, Row, Row Your BoatNursery rhymes · octave
• London BridgeNursery rhymes · major sixth
• Old MacDonaldNursery rhymes · major sixth
• Going Home (New World Largo)Classical melodies · fifth

All 36 piano songs · Christmas songs for piano · The online piano on its own