Piper's SongbookHow to play The Entertainer on recorder
The Entertainer (the first strain) uses 11 notes on the soprano recorder: B, A, G, high C, high D, F♯, low E, low D, high E, low E♭ and high E♭. The first line goes D E♭ E C′ E C′ E C′ C′ D′ E♭′ E′ C′ D′ E′ B D′ C′.
- Notes
- 11: B, A, G, high C, high D, F♯, low E, low D, high E, low E♭, high E♭
- Level
- Cross fingerings
- Time
- 2/4, about 76 beats a minute
- Source
- Scott Joplin, The Entertainer: A Ragtime Two Step, 1902
The Entertainer 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 E♭ | E C′ E C′ E C′ C′ D′ E♭′ | E′ C′ D′ E′ B D′ | C′
- D E♭ | E C′ E C′ E C′ A G | F♯ A C′ E′ D′ C′ A | D′
- D E♭ | E C′ E C′ E C′ C′ D′ E♭′ | E′ C′ D′ E′ B D′ | C′
- C′ D′ | E′ C′ D′ E′ C′ D′ C′ | E′ C′ D′ E′ C′ D′ C′ | E′ C′ D′ E′ B D′ | C′
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 The Entertainer
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
Each line opens with low D, low D♯ and low E, then leaps from low E to high C and back. For low D♯, cover every hole except the right little finger's and only half of the right ring finger's double hole. The tied notes land just before the beat, so count in quick quarter beats.
Learn one line at a time. Play it slowly until every note is clean, then join it to the next line.
About the tune
Scott Joplin's rag was registered for copyright on 29 December 1902 and published by John Stark & Son. It became famous all over again in 1973 as the theme music of the film The Sting.
Questions
Is The Entertainer easy on recorder?
It is an intermediate piece. It uses cross fingerings or half holes, so learn those notes on their own first.
What notes do you need for The Entertainer on recorder?
B, A, G, high C, high D, F♯, low E, low D, high E, low E♭ and high E♭. 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 1902 edition as typeset by Mutopia and a piano MIDI sequence (midiworld.com), in the original C, taking the lower note where Joplin doubles the melody in octaves. Last checked 6 October 2026.