# Simple melodies

Interactive version: [`simple-melodies.html`](simple-melodies.html).

**In C:** Simple melodies · [Major scale](major-scale.md) · [How chords are built](building-chords.md) · [Diatonic chords](chord-cheatsheet.md) · [Chord changes](songs.md) · [Melody and chords](melody-and-chords.md) · [Independence](independence.md)

Five fingers are enough. This page is the tunes themselves, right hand only, written in C. Each one is a folk song, or a tune published long enough ago to be free to play. The finger number sits under the note. Thumb is 1, pinky is 5. The next page names this shape as a [major scale](major-scale.md). Both hands wait until the chords are in the left hand, on [Melody and chords](melody-and-chords.md).

Every tune is written in C. A longer note is held. `·` is a rest.

## Five fingers

Thumb on middle C.

### Hot Cross Buns

English traditional. Fingers 3, 2, and 1.

E D C– · E D C– · C C C C · D D D D · E D C–

### Ode to Joy

Beethoven, 1824. The theme, written here in C. Every note is C, D, E, F, or G.

E E F G · G F E D · C C D E · E D D– · E E F G · G F E D · C C D E · D C C–

### Mary Had a Little Lamb

American traditional. The whole tune stays on C, D, E, and G.

E D C D · E E E– · D D D– · E G G– · E D C D · E E E E · D D E D · C––

### Jingle Bells

James Lord Pierpont, 1857. The chorus, written here in C.

E E E– · E E E– · E G C D · E–– · F F F F · F E E E · E D D E · D– G– · E E E– · E E E– · E G C D · E–– · F F F F · F E E E · G G F D · C––

## The pinky steps up

The pinky plays G, steps up one key to A, then comes back to G.

### Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star

French folk tune, 18th century.

C C G G · A A G– · F F E E · D D C– · G G F F · E E D– · G G F F · E E D– · C C G G · A A G– · F F E E · D D C–

### London Bridge

English traditional.

G A G F E F G– · D E F– · E F G– · G A G F E F G– · D G E C

### Frère Jacques

French traditional. On the last phrase the thumb plays middle C, steps down to the G below it, and comes back.

C D E C · C D E C · E F G– · E F G– · G A G F E C · G A G F E C · C (low G) C– · C (low G) C–

## The hand moves

### Row, Row, Row Your Boat

Traditional, published 1852. Start with the thumb on middle C. At the high C, move the hand up and play it with the thumb, three times. Then come back to the five-finger shape.

C C C D E · E D E F G · high C, three times · G, three times · E, three times · C, three times · G F E D C

## How to practice

1. **Hear it**, then play the finger numbers. Keep the thumb on middle C unless the tune says the hand moves.
2. **Slow the tempo** until every note lands with the one you hear. Then bring it back up.
3. **Five-finger tunes first:** Hot Cross Buns, Ode to Joy, Mary Had a Little Lamb, Jingle Bells.
4. **Then the pinky step:** Twinkle, London Bridge, Frère Jacques.
5. **If the hand is stiff,** the five-finger patterns on [Drills](drills.md) are the warm-up. They live with the technique pages.
6. **Name the shape next.** The [major scale](major-scale.md) is these five notes, kept going until C comes back.
7. **Both hands later.** [Melody and chords](melody-and-chords.md) keeps a left-hand root going while the right hand plays one note at a time.