Piper's SongbookHow to play Bingo on recorder
Bingo uses 7 notes on the soprano recorder: B, A, G, high C, F♯, low E and low D. The first line goes D G G D D E E D D G G A A B G. The same tune is used for There Was a Farmer Had a Dog.
- Notes
- 7: B, A, G, high C, F♯, low E, low D
- Level
- Both hands
- Time
- 2/4, about 100 beats a minute
- Source
- Traditional; first printed in 1778
Bingo 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
Letters only, for printing or copying
- D | G G D D | E E D D | G G A A | B G
- B B | C′ C′ C′ | A A | B B B
- G G | A A A G | F♯ D E F♯ | G 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 Bingo
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
In the last line, "Bingo was his name-o" runs F♯, low D, low E, F♯, G. From F♯ put your right index finger down for low D, lift the right ring finger for low E, then swap them back for F♯. Play those four notes slowly first, and blow softly on low D.
Learn one line at a time. Play it slowly until every note is clean, then join it to the next line.
About the tune
The earliest dated version is "Little BINGO" in The Scots Nightingale, printed in 1778. Sheet music from about 1780 says it was sung by William Swords, an actor at the Haymarket Theatre in London.
Questions
Is Bingo easy on recorder?
It is a good second or third tune. Both hands play, and the low notes need gentle air.
What notes do you need for Bingo on recorder?
B, A, G, high C, F♯, low E and low D. Tap a note to see its fingering on its own page.
Do these fingerings work on a German recorder?
Mostly. F♯ is fingered differently on a German recorder; the diagrams above are Baroque, and the linked note pages show both. A recorder whose hole 4 is smaller than hole 5 is Baroque.
More recorder songs
Notes checked against Beth's Notes and Music You Can Read, in G. Last checked 6 October 2026.