Piper's SongbookHow to play Auld Lang Syne on recorder
Auld Lang Syne uses 7 notes on the soprano recorder: B, A, G, high D, low E, low D and high E. The first line goes D G G G B A G A B G G B D′ E′.
- Notes
- 7: B, A, G, high D, low E, low D, high E
- Level
- Thumb pinch
- Time
- 4/4, about 80 beats a minute
- Source
- Words by Robert Burns, 1788; melody first printed by George Thomson, 1799
Auld Lang Syne recorder notes with letters
Each box is one note, with its fingering underneath: filled holes are covered, a half-filled hole is half covered or pinched. Wider boxes are longer notes. A ′ mark means the higher octave, so D′ is high D. Bar lines are drawn as thin rules.
Line 1
Line 2
Line 3
Line 4
Letters only, for printing or copying
- D | G G G B | A G A B | G G B D′ | E′
- E′ | D′ B B G | A G A B | G E E D | G
- E′ | D′ B B G | A G A E′ | D′ B B D′ | E′
- E′ | D′ B B G | A G A B | G E E D | G
Sheet music
Written pitch for soprano recorder, which sounds an octave higher. Press play to hear it on a recorder sound; the slow setting plays at 60% speed.
Fingerings for the notes in Auld Lang Syne
Hole 0 is the thumb hole on the back. Holes 1 to 3 are for the left hand, 4 to 7 for the right. These are Baroque (English) fingerings.
How to practise it
The tune uses no F♯, so the only hard note is high E, with the thumb pinched. In the chorus, the second bar ends with a jump from A up to high E: pinch the thumb on that beat and put down holes 3, 4 and 5 as the thumb moves.
Learn one line at a time. Play it slowly until every note is clean, then join it to the next line.
About the tune
Robert Burns sent the words to the Scots Musical Museum in 1788, saying he had taken them down from an old man. The pentatonic tune sung with them today was first printed with the words in 1799, in George Thomson's Select Songs of Scotland.
Questions
Is Auld Lang Syne easy on recorder?
It suits a player who already knows the notes from low D to high D. It also needs the thumb pinch for the high notes.
What notes do you need for Auld Lang Syne on recorder?
B, A, G, high D, low E, low D and high E. Tap a note to see its fingering on its own page.
Do these fingerings work on a German recorder?
Yes. Every note in Auld Lang Syne uses the same fingering on Baroque and German recorders.
More recorder songs
Notes checked against the score on Wikipedia, The Session and Paul Hardy's Songs Tunebook, transposed to G. Last checked 6 October 2026.