Piper's SongbookHow to play Red River Valley on recorder
Red River Valley uses 8 notes on the soprano recorder: B, A, G, high C, high D, F♯, low E and low D. The first line goes D G B B B B A B A G.
- Notes
- 8: B, A, G, high C, high D, F♯, low E, low D
- Level
- Both hands
- Time
- 4/4, about 144 beats a minute
- Source
- North American cowboy song, printed in 1887
Red River Valley 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 | B B B | B A B | A G
- D G | B G B | D′ C′ B | A
- D′ C′ | B B A | G A B | D′ C′
- E E | D F♯ G | A 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 Red River Valley
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 drops to low E and low D before climbing back up through F♯. Cover the bottom holes with the pads of your fingers, and blow gently on the low D so it does not squeak.
Learn one line at a time. Play it slowly until every note is clean, then join it to the next line.
About the tune
A cowboy song of unknown authorship. A manuscript of the words is marked "Nemaha 1879", and the words were printed in the Milwaukee paper The Weekly Wisconsin in 1887.
Questions
Is Red River Valley 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 Red River Valley 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.
More recorder songs
Notes checked against the score on Wikipedia, Paul Hardy's tunebook and the Lester Bailey ABC, in G. Last checked 6 October 2026.