Piper's SongbookHow to play Deck the Halls on recorder
Deck the Halls uses 10 notes on the soprano recorder: B, A, G, high C, high D, F♯, high E, high G, high C♯ and high F♯. The first line goes D′ C′ B A G A B G A B C′ A B A G F♯ G.
- Notes
- 10: B, A, G, high C, high D, F♯, high E, high G, high C♯, high F♯
- Level
- Thumb pinch
- Time
- 4/4, about 112 beats a minute
- Source
- Welsh melody "Nos Galan"; English words by Thomas Oliphant, 1862
Deck the Halls 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′ C′ B A | G A B G | A B C′ A B A | G F♯ G
- D′ C′ B A | G A B G | A B C′ A B A | G F♯ G
- A B C′ A | B C′ D′ A | B C♯′ D′ E′ F♯′ G′ | F♯′ E′ D′
- D′ C′ B A | G A B G | E′ E′ E′ E′ D′ C′ | B A 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 Deck the Halls
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 third line climbs from B to high G in six quick steps, with a thumb pinch from high E. Practise that bar on its own, slowly, before playing the whole line.
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 tune is the Welsh New Year's Eve song "Nos Galan", written down in the 1700s. Thomas Oliphant wrote the English words in 1862.
Questions
Is Deck the Halls 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 Deck the Halls on recorder?
B, A, G, high C, high D, F♯, high E, high G, high C♯ and high F♯. 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 Nos Galan melody, transposed to G. Last checked 6 October 2026.