Piper's SongbookHow to play Simple Gifts on recorder
Simple Gifts 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 D G G A B G B C′ D′ D′ C′ B A G A A G A A G A B A F♯ D D. The same tune is used for Lord of the Dance.
- Notes
- 8: B, A, G, high C, high D, F♯, low E, low D
- Level
- Both hands
- Time
- 4/4, about 100 beats a minute
- Source
- Joseph Brackett, Shaker song, 1848
Simple Gifts 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 D | G G A B G B C′ | D′ D′ C′ B A G | A A G A A G | A B A F♯ D D
- G F♯ G A B G B C′ | D′ D′ C′ B A G | A A G A B A | G E D G
- D′ B B A | B C′ B A G G A | B G B C′ D′ C′ B | A A B A D
- G F♯ G A B G B C′ | D′ D′ C′ B A G | A A G A B A | G E D 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 Simple Gifts
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 tune sits between low D and high D, mostly on the left hand. The end of each verse half runs G, E, D, G: put down the right index and middle fingers for E, add the right ring finger for D, then lift all three right fingers at once for the last G.
Learn one line at a time. Play it slowly until every note is clean, then join it to the next line.
About the tune
Elder Joseph Brackett of the Shakers in Maine wrote this dancing song in 1848. It was little known outside Shaker communities until Aaron Copland used the melody in his ballet Appalachian Spring in 1944.
Questions
Is Simple Gifts 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 Simple Gifts 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 setting on The Session, compared with the incipit on Hymnary.org; in G. Last checked 6 October 2026.