Piper's SongbookHow to play Danny Boy on recorder
Danny Boy uses 12 notes on the soprano recorder: B, A, G, high C, high D, F♯, low E, high E, high G, high F♯, high A and high B. The first line goes F♯ G A B A B E′ D′ B A G E G B C′ D′ E′ D′ B G B A. The same tune is used for Londonderry Air.
- Notes
- 12: B, A, G, high C, high D, F♯, low E, high E, high G, high F♯, high A, high B
- Level
- Cross fingerings
- Time
- 4/4, about 66 beats a minute
- Source
- Irish air collected by Jane Ross of Limavady, printed by George Petrie in 1855
Danny Boy 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
- F♯ G A | B A B E′ D′ B | A G E (rest) G B C′ | D′ E′ D′ B G B | A (rest)
- F♯ G A | B A B E′ D′ B | A G E (rest) F♯ G A | B C′ B A G A | G (rest)
- D′ E′ F♯′ | G′ F♯′ F♯′ E′ D′ E′ | D′ B G (rest) D′ E′ F♯′ | G′ F♯′ F♯′ E′ D′ B | A (rest)
- D′ D′ D′ | B′ A′ A′ G′ E′ G′ | D′ B G (rest) F♯ G A | B E′ D′ B A G E F♯ | 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 Danny Boy
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 last line opens with three high Ds and then leaps to high B, the top note of the tune. High B needs a pinched thumb with holes 1, 2, 4 and 5 covered. Practise the jump from high D on its own, with firm, steady air.
Learn one line at a time. Play it slowly until every note is clean, then join it to the next line.
About the tune
Jane Ross of Limavady in County Londonderry noted the air down and sent it to George Petrie, who printed it in The Ancient Music of Ireland in 1855. Frederic Weatherly fitted his words "Danny Boy" to it in 1913.
Questions
Is Danny Boy easy on recorder?
It is an intermediate piece. It uses cross fingerings or half holes, so learn those notes on their own first.
What notes do you need for Danny Boy on recorder?
B, A, G, high C, high D, F♯, low E, high E, high G, high F♯, high A and high B. Tap a note to see its fingering on its own page.
Do these fingerings work on a German recorder?
Mostly. F♯ and high F♯ are 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 Paul Hardy's Songs Tunebook and The Session, transposed to G; Petrie's 1855 print on Wikipedia differs in two bars. Last checked 6 October 2026.