Hot Cross Buns

• Rangemajor third
• Notes17, 3 different
• ScalePentatonic
• Length hereabout 10 s

About Hot Cross Buns

Hot Cross Buns began as a street cry: the call of London bakers selling spiced buns on Good Friday. It was in print as a rhyme by the end of the 18th century, and the tune it settled on is about as small as a tune can be — three neighbouring notes, most of it a single falling step repeated.

That is exactly why it is the first piece in so many recorder, violin and band methods. It teaches three fingerings and one rhythm, and a beginner can hear whether it is right.

Play Hot Cross Buns on your instrument

27 of the 27 playable instruments here have every note it needs. 27 play it where the library writes it; the rest move it to another key or octave, and each page says which. Every page has the instrument itself, with the song loaded, above the notes.

• Kalimba tabsas written · C4–E4 · major third
• Piano letter notesas written · C4–E4 · major third
• Mbira tabsas written · C4–E4 · major third
• Guzheng tabsas written · D4–F♯4 · major third
• Handpan tabsas written · C4–E4 · major third
• Oud notesas written · C3–E3 · major third
• Violin notesas written · C4–E4 · major third
• Cello notesas written · C3–E3 · major third
• Erhu notesas written · D4–F♯4 · major third
• Dulcimer tabas written · D4–F♯4 · major third
• Xylophone letter notesas written · C4–E4 · major third
• Marimba letter notesas written · C4–E4 · major third
• Glockenspiel letter notesas written · C4–E4 · major third
• Steel Drum letter notesas written · F4–A4 · major third
• Ocarina notesas written · C4–E4 · major third
• Harmonica tabsas written · C5–E5 · major third
• Trumpet notesas written · C4–E4 · major third
• Clarinet notesas written · C4–E4 · major third
• Saxophone notesas written · C4–E4 · major third
• Flute notesas written · G4–B4 · major third
• Recorder notesas written · C4–E4 · major third
• Tuba notesas written · B♭1–D2 · major third
• Euphonium notesas written · B♭2–D3 · major third
• Trombone notesas written · B♭2–D3 · major third
• Accordion letter notesas written · C4–E4 · major third
• Harp letter notesas written · C4–E4 · major third
• Lyre tabsas written · C4–E4 · major third

Hot Cross Buns letter notes

Written in C major, from C4 to E4, with each note’s number in the scale under it — the form that transfers to any instrument. A dash holds a note another beat, an underline is half a beat, and each line is one phrase.

Where these notes come from

Traditional English street cry and nursery rhyme, 18th century. Public domain.

No lyrics are printed on this page or any other here: these pages are about a melody and how to play it.

More nursery rhymes & first tunes

• Lightly Row19th century
• Twinkle Twinkle Little Star1761
• Mary Had a Little LambLowell Mason, 1831
• Row, Row, Row Your Boat1852
• London Bridge1744 (rhyme)
• Old MacDonald1917 (in this form)
• Frère Jacques18th century