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Mary Had a Little Lamb

Mary Had a Little Lamb uses four notes, C, D, E and G, in the right hand's C position from middle C. Its new challenge after Hot Cross Buns is the skip from E up to G.

Play it in Octotune

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

The melody in letters

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

  1. Bar 1E3D2C1D2
  2. Bar 2E3E3E3
  3. Bar 3D2D2D2
  4. Bar 4E3G5G5
  5. Bar 5E3D2C1D2
  6. Bar 6E3E3E3E3
  7. Bar 7D2D2E3D2
  8. Bar 8C1

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
Left handF3 to C4
On the pathUnit 2, Up to G, Unit 3, Down to bass F, Unit 5, Two hands, Kids, F and G, and the staff, Kids, Down to bass F, left hand, Kids, Two hands

It reaches past the staff: see ledger lines explained.

Versions in the app

VersionGradeLevels
Mary Had a Little Lamb — melody1 of 8Full
Mary Had a Little Lamb — with bass2 of 8Melody, Full
Mary Had a Little Lamb — left hand1 of 8Melody, Melody and bass, Full

Practice notes

Mary Had a Little Lamb is the natural next tune after Hot Cross Buns. It uses the same three keys, C, D and E, and adds one more: G. Keep the right thumb on middle C and let each finger own its key: C 1, D 2, E 3, G 5.

The first line is E D C D E E E, then D D D, then E G G. The last line is E D C D E E E E, D D E D C.

The skip from E up to G ("little lamb") is the new skill. On the page it goes from the bottom line to the next line up: line to line, with F skipped in between. On the keys, finger 4 is left out. Read it as a skip, not as two letters.

Watch the last line. It starts like the first, but has four Es in a row, not three, and ends on a whole note C. Count the Es.

Practice plan. Wait for me first, reading. Then play "E G G" on its own a few times. When the tune is secure, try the version with bass, where the left hand holds a C or G under each bar.

In the path: Unit 2 for grown-ups, with a left-hand version in Unit 3 (moved down to A G F, with middle C for the top note) and a version with bass in Unit 5. In the Kids path, Mary is played on coloured circles and then on the staff in Up to G, with the left hand in Down low, and with bass in Two hands together.

Questions

What are the piano notes for Mary Had a Little Lamb?

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. Right thumb on middle C: E is finger 3, G finger 5.

Credits and licence

The Octotune team · Updated