Piper's SongbookHow to play Ding Dong! Merrily on High on recorder
Ding Dong! Merrily on High uses 8 notes on the soprano recorder: B, A, G, high C, high D, F♯, low E and low D. The first line goes G G A G F♯ E D D E G G F♯ G G.
- Notes
- 8: B, A, G, high C, high D, F♯, low E, low D
- Level
- Both hands
- Time
- 4/4, about 80 beats a minute
- Source
- Branle de l'Official, Thoinot Arbeau, Orchésographie, 1589
Ding Dong! Merrily on High 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
- G G A G F♯ E | D D | E G G F♯ | G G
- D′ C′ B C′ D′ B | C′ B A B C′ A | B A G A B G | A G F♯ G A F♯
- G F♯ E F♯ G E | F♯ E D D | E G G 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 Ding Dong! Merrily on High
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 "Gloria" line is a long run of quick notes. Tongue each one lightly and breathe only at the bar lines where the phrase lets you.
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 a dance, the Branle de l'Official, printed in Thoinot Arbeau's dance book Orchésographie in 1589. George Ratcliffe Woodward put the carol words to it in 1924.
Questions
Is Ding Dong! Merrily on High 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 Ding Dong! Merrily on High on recorder?
B, A, G, high C, high D, 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.
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Notes checked against the Piper's Songbook transcription, compared against two or more independent sources. Last checked 6 October 2026.