London Bridge — Steel Drum Letter Notes

• Notes24, 6 pitches
• RangeF4–D5
• Key hereF major
• Tempo112 bpm · about 17 s
• LevelEasy

Can a steel drum play London Bridge?

✓ Plays as written Every note of it is on the steel drum, in F major from F4 to D5. The check is made note by note against what the instrument can actually sound.

London Bridge: steel drum letter notes

The large line is the note stamped on the pan; 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.

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.

• F1×1
• G2×2
• A3×5
• B♭4×6
• C5×8
• D6×2

What to expect on a steel drum

• It runs from F4 to D5, a major sixth, using 6 different notes. That leaves 5 semitones unused below and 14 above.
• 78% of its moves are a step or a repeated note. The widest is a fourth, C5 to G4, at note 8.
• Its notes sit in 2 of the pan’s three rings, so the stick moves in and out as well as around.

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 →

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.

• London Bridge — kalimbatabs
• London Bridge — pianoletter notes
• London Bridge — mbiratabs
• London Bridge — handpantabs
• London Bridge — oudnotes
• London Bridge — violinnotes
• London Bridge — cellonotes
• London Bridge — erhunotes
• London Bridge — dulcimertab
• London Bridge — xylophoneletter notes
• London Bridge — marimbaletter notes
• London Bridge — glockenspielletter notes
• London Bridge — ocarinanotes
• London Bridge — harmonicatabs
• London Bridge — trumpetnotes
• London Bridge — clarinetnotes
• London Bridge — saxophonenotes
• London Bridge — flutenotes
• London Bridge — recordernotes
• London Bridge — tubanotes
• London Bridge — euphoniumnotes
• London Bridge — trombonenotes
• London Bridge — accordionletter notes
• London Bridge — harpletter notes
• London Bridge — lyretabs

More songs for the steel drum

• Hot Cross BunsNursery rhymes · major third
• 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
• Old MacDonaldNursery rhymes · major sixth
• Frère JacquesNursery rhymes · major sixth
• Going Home (New World Largo)Classical melodies · fifth

All 36 steel drum songs · Christmas songs for steel drum · The online steel drum on its own