Piper's SongbookHow to play Ring Around the Rosie on recorder
Ring Around the Rosie uses 4 notes on the soprano recorder: B, A, F♯ and low D. The first line goes A A F♯ B A F♯ F♯ A A F♯ B A F♯. The same tune is used for Ring a Ring o' Roses.
- Notes
- 4: B, A, F♯, low D
- Level
- Both hands
- Time
- 6/8, about 112 beats a minute
- Source
- Traditional singing game; words printed 1881
Ring Around the Rosie 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
Letters only, for printing or copying
- A A F♯ B | A F♯ F♯ | A A F♯ B | A F♯
- A F♯ | A F♯ F♯ | A A | D (rest)
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 Ring Around the Rosie
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
Nearly every move is between A and F♯. For F♯ put down your left ring finger and your right middle and ring fingers together, keeping the right index finger up. Only the last note, low D, adds the right index finger too.
Learn one line at a time. Play it slowly until every note is clean, then join it to the next line.
About the tune
Kate Greenaway printed the rhyme in her Mother Goose in 1881. The idea that it describes the Great Plague only became popular after the Second World War, and folklore scholars consider it unfounded.
Questions
Is Ring Around the Rosie 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 Ring Around the Rosie on recorder?
B, A, F♯ 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 D. Last checked 6 October 2026.