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B♭B♭3 · concert pitch1st position · 4th partialalso 5th position · 5th partial
SongsBrahms' Lullaby
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  1. 3,
  2. 3,
  3. 5,
  4. 3,
  5. 3,
  6. 5,
  7. 3,
  8. 5,
  9. 1
  10. 7,
  11. 6,
  12. 6,
  13. 5,
  14. 2,
  15. 3,
  16. 4,
  17. 2,
  18. 2,
  19. 3,
  20. 4,
  21. 2,
  22. 4,
  23. 7,
  24. 6,
  25. 5,
  26. 7,
  27. 1

Johannes Brahms, "Wiegenlied", Op. 49 No. 4, 1868. Public domain. The first half of the melody.

38 notes · E2–F5 · the pedal B♭1 on the ladder · 38 notes · The B♭ tenor trombone: nine feet of tube and seven positions — the one in every band.

Tap a note, or slide along them to play legato, from note to note in one breath. On a keyboard the letters on the notes are the ones to press — Q is the low F in 6th position, and they climb a semitone at a time.

TromboneFree · printable · plays in your browser

Brahms' Lullaby — Trombone Notes

Brahms' Lullaby (the first half), written out for the trombone as every note with its slide position and set up above on the Tenor. Press Play to hear it, Practice to learn it one note at a time — the trombone waits for you — or Play along to keep time with it.

  • Notes27, 7 pitches
  • RangeC3–B♭3
  • Key hereB♭ major
  • Tempo92 bpm · about 16 s
  • LevelIntermediate

Can a trombone play Brahms' Lullaby?

Yes — every one 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.

  • Tenor✓ Plays as writtenIn B♭ major, C3–B♭3 · loaded above
  • Tenor + F trigger✓ Plays as writtenIn B♭ major, C3–B♭3 · load it
  • Alto in E♭✓ Plays as writtenIn B♭ major, C3–B♭3 · load it

Brahms' Lullaby: trombone notes

The large line is the note; the small line under it is the slide position — T means with the F trigger held. 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

Brahms' Lullaby — trombone notes (Tenor) · 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.

  • C6th×4
  • D4th×7
  • E♭3rd×3
  • F1st×5
  • G4th×3
  • A2nd×3
  • B♭1st×2

What to expect on a trombone

  • It runs from C3 to B♭3, a minor seventh, using 7 different notes. That leaves 8 semitones unused below and 19 above.
  • 54% of its moves are a step or a repeated note. The widest is a tritone, E♭3 to A3, at note 23.
  • It uses 5 slide positions: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 6th.
  • The longest move between two neighbouring notes is 5 positions.

About the tune

Brahms published it in 1868 as “Wiegenlied”, Op. 49 No. 4, written for his friend Bertha Faber on the birth of her second son. It is the tune most music boxes play.

Johannes Brahms, "Wiegenlied", Op. 49 No. 4, 1868. Public domain. The first half of the melody. More about Brahms' Lullaby →

Brahms' Lullaby 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 trombone

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

Playing it on a real trombone?

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

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