Piper's SongbookHow to play The Twelve Days of Christmas on recorder
The Twelve Days of Christmas (the second verse) uses 8 notes on the soprano recorder: B, A, G, high C, high D, F♯, low D and high E. The first line goes D D D G G G G F♯ G A B C′ A B.
- Notes
- 8: B, A, G, high C, high D, F♯, low D, high E
- Level
- Thumb pinch
- Time
- 4/4, about 112 beats a minute
- Source
- Words printed in London about 1780; tune as arranged by Frederic Austin, 1909
The Twelve Days of Christmas 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
- D D | D G G G G F♯ G | A B C′ A B
- D′ A B C′ B C′ | D′ E′ C′ B G 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 The Twelve Days of Christmas
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 partridge bar holds the only high E: high D, then a quick E with a thumb pinch, then C, B and G. Pinch the thumb as you leave high D and put it fully back straight away for C.
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 words were printed in London around 1780 in a children's book, Mirth Without Mischief. The baritone Frederic Austin sang this tune in concerts from 1905 and published his arrangement in 1909, saying it was the version his family sang when he was a child.
Questions
Is The Twelve Days of Christmas easy on recorder?
It suits a player who already knows the notes from low D to high D. It also needs the thumb pinch for the high notes.
What notes do you need for The Twelve Days of Christmas on recorder?
B, A, G, high C, high D, F♯, low D 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 Frederic Austin's 1909 melody as printed on Wikipedia, against Colin Hume's ABC and the BBC Singing Together version (1970), transposed to G. The fifth and later verses add three-beat bars, which this page cannot show, so it gives the second verse. Last checked 6 October 2026.