Octotune
Open Octotune

Frère Jacques

Frère Jacques is a four-line round in C major. Each line is played twice; the third line brings quick eighth notes, and the last, 'ding, dang, dong', dips below middle C to the G on the second ledger line.

Play it in Octotune

The opening, as the app engraves it: C4, D4, E4, C4

The melody in letters

Bar by bar, as the app’s melody version has it; the small numbers are the fingers.

  1. Bar 1C1D2E3C1
  2. Bar 2C1D2E3C1
  3. Bar 3E3F4G5
  4. Bar 4E3F4G5
  5. Bar 5G4A5G4F3E2C1
  6. Bar 6G4A5G4F3E2C1
  7. Bar 7C4G1C4
  8. Bar 8C4G1C4

At a glance

ComposerTraditional
DifficultyFirst pieces: grades 1–2 of 8
KeyC major (no sharps or flats)
Time4/4
Tempo100 quarter-note beats a minute, as the app starts it (it can go slower)
Length8 bars, about 19 seconds
Handsone hand or both, by version
Right handG3 to A4
Left handC3 to C3
On the pathUnit 9, Ledger lines

It reaches past the staff: see ledger lines explained.

Versions in the app

VersionGradeLevels
Frère Jacques — melody1 of 8Full
Frère Jacques — with bass2 of 8Melody, Full

Practice notes

Frère Jacques (Are You Sleeping?) has four short lines, and each is played twice:

  1. C D E C ("Frè-re Jac-ques")
  2. E F G ("dor-mez vous?")
  3. G A G F E C ("son-nez les ma-ti-nes")
  4. C G C ("ding, dang, dong"), where the G is below middle C.

Hand positions. The first two lines sit in C position, thumb on middle C. For the third line the thumb stays on C while the other fingers open out, each to a key of its own (E 2, F 3, G 4, A 5). For "ding, dang, dong" the hand moves down to G position, with the thumb on the G below middle C and finger 4 on C.

The tricky parts. Line 3 starts with four eighth notes, G A G F, twice as quick as the rest: count "1 and 2 and". And the low G in line 4 is written in the treble clef on ledger lines: it hangs just under the second ledger line below the staff. Read it as a fourth below middle C.

Practice plan. Learn one line at a time; each is only a bar long, played twice. Practise the hand move into line 4 on its own. Then join them up. Because it is a round, it is fun to play with someone starting a line behind you.

In the path: Unit 9 for grown-ups, straight after meeting the notes below middle C in the treble clef. Its version with a bass is suggested there too.

Questions

What are the piano notes for Frère Jacques?

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 G C, C G C. In the last line the G is the one below middle C.

Credits and licence

The Octotune team · Updated