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Lightly Row

Lightly Row, the German children's song Hänschen klein, uses all five notes of the right hand's C position, C to G, one finger each. It is a classic first piece for reading steps and skips, and Octotune's first song played in time.

Play it in Octotune

The opening, as the app engraves it: G4, E4, E4

The melody in letters

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

  1. Bar 1G5E3E3
  2. Bar 2F4D2D2
  3. Bar 3C1D2E3F4
  4. Bar 4G5G5G5
  5. Bar 5G5E3E3
  6. Bar 6F4D2D2
  7. Bar 7C1E3G5G5
  8. Bar 8C1
  9. Bar 9D2D2D2D2
  10. Bar 10D2E3F4
  11. Bar 11E3E3E3E3
  12. Bar 12E3F4G5
  13. Bar 13G5E3E3
  14. Bar 14F4D2D2
  15. Bar 15C1E3G5G5
  16. Bar 16C1

At a glance

ComposerTraditional
DifficultyFirst pieces: grades 1–3 of 8
KeyC major (no sharps or flats)
Time4/4
Tempo104 quarter-note beats a minute, as the app starts it (it can go slower)
Length16 bars, about 37 seconds
Handsone hand or both, by version
Right handC4 to G4
Left handB2 to G3
On the pathUnit 2, Up to G, Unit 7, Note lengths, Unit 11, Chords, Kids, A, B and C, up from G

It reaches past the staff: see ledger lines explained.

Versions in the app

VersionGradeLevels
Lightly Row — melody1 of 8Full
Lightly Row — with bass2 of 8Melody, Full
Lightly Row — with chords3 of 8Melody, Melody and bass, Full

Practice notes

Lightly Row (in German, Hänschen klein) is the first tune on the path to use all five fingers of the C position: thumb on middle C, then D 2, E 3, F 4, G 5. The hand never moves.

It opens G E E, F D D ("lightly row, lightly row"), then C D E F G G G walks up the five fingers. The second line ends C E G G C, down to middle C. The middle section is D D D D D E F, E E E E E F G: repeated notes, then a step up.

What it teaches. Lightly Row is a reading piece more than a finger piece. It moves by skips (G down to E, F down to D) and steps (C D E F G). Look at the shape: G to E is line to line, a skip; C D E F G climbs line, space, line, space, line.

The tricky parts. Counting the repeated Ds and Es in the middle section (five of each), and holding the half notes for two full counts.

Practice plan

  1. Wait for me, reading, until every note is right.
  2. Clap and count the middle section.
  3. Play along slowly. In Unit 7 this is the first song played in time.

In the path: Unit 2 for grown-ups; Unit 7 again, in time; Unit 11 with left-hand chords. In the Kids path it comes in Up high.

Questions

What are the piano notes for Lightly Row?

G E E, F D D, C D E F G G G; G E E, F D D, C E G G C. Then D D D D D E F, E E E E E F G, and the second line again. Right thumb on middle C.

Credits and licence

The Octotune team · Updated