How to play Old MacDonald Had a Farm on the recorder

Old MacDonald Had a Farm recorder notes with letters, easy for beginners, with a fingering chart for each note.

The farm song everybody knows, with its "E-I-E-I-O" and the "moo moo here" verse (almost all G). It uses low D and E, so blow very gently on those. It uses 5 notes: low D, low E, G, A and B. Below are the notes with their rhythm, and the fingering for each one.

Practice Old MacDonald Had a Farm with your recorder

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The notes

Tap a note to hear it.

GGGDEEDBBAAGDGGGDEEDBBAAGDDGGGDDGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGDEEDBBAAG

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

G G G D E E D B B A A G D G G G D E E D B B A A G D D G G G D D G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G D E E D B B A A G

All for a soprano (descant) recorder, with baroque (English) fingering.

Fingerings

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 covered

Thumb hole covered, holes 1 2 covered

Thumb hole covered, hole 1 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.

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 Old MacDonald Had a Farm with Recorder Hero
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