How to play Happy Birthday on the recorder

Happy Birthday recorder notes with letters, for beginners, with a fingering chart for each note.

The song for every birthday, in the public domain since 2016. With F#, low D and high D, it uses almost every note there is. It uses 8 notes: low D, low E, F#, G, A, B, high C and high D. Below are the notes with their rhythm, and the fingering for each one.

Practice Happy Birthday with your recorder

Free, in your browser: it listens as you play, shows which finger to fix, and goes at your own pace.

The notes

Tap a note to hear it.

DDEDGF#DDEDAGDDD'BGF#EC'C'BGAG

Longer blocks are longer notes; a line marks each bar.

Sheet music

The same song in standard notation, with each note's name under it.

The notes as letters

D D E D G F# D D E D A G D D D' B G F# E C' C' B G A G

C' and D' are the high C and high D. All for a soprano (descant) recorder, with baroque (English) fingering.

Fingerings

Fingering:

low D

Thumb hole covered, holes 1 2 3 4 5 6 covered

low E

Thumb hole covered, holes 1 2 3 4 5 covered

Thumb hole covered, holes 1 2 3 5 6 covered Thumb hole covered, holes 1 2 3 5 6 7 covered

Thumb hole covered, holes 1 2 3 covered

Thumb hole covered, holes 1 2 covered

Thumb hole covered, hole 1 covered

high C

Thumb hole covered, hole 2 covered

high D

Thumb hole open, hole 2 covered

Tap Play to hear a note; tap a fingering card to see how to play it. Filled holes are covered. The left hand is on top (thumb behind, holes 1–3), the right hand below (holes 4–7).

Tips

Say "doo" into the recorder for each note: the tongue starts every note, so repeated notes sound separate.
Blow gently, like cooling soup. Too much air makes a squeak an octave up.
Cover the holes with the soft pads of your fingers, not the tips, so no air leaks out.
Low D needs the gentlest breath of all, and every hole sealed: if it squeaks, check your bottom fingers first.
F# is a "forked" fingering: cover the thumb and holes 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6, leaving hole 4 open. On a German-fingering recorder, F# is played with the thumb and holes 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 and 7, leaving hole 4 open.
High D has the thumb hole open and only hole 2 covered: just your left middle finger holds it.
For high C, lift your first finger (hole 1) and keep the thumb and hole 2 covered.

For teachers and parents

Print this song for your students: the notes, the fingering and a QR code. Scanning it opens the song in Recorder Hero, ready to practice at home.

Scan to practice Happy Birthday with Recorder Hero
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