Piper's SongbookHow to play This Old Man on recorder
This Old Man uses 6 notes on the soprano recorder: B, A, G, F♯, low E and low D. The first line goes A F♯ A A F♯ A B A G F♯ E F♯ G F♯ G.
- Notes
- 6: B, A, G, F♯, low E, low D
- Level
- Both hands
- Time
- 4/4, about 112 beats a minute
- Source
- Traditional English counting song; printed 1906
This Old Man 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 F♯ A (rest) | A F♯ A (rest) | B A G F♯ | E F♯ G F♯ G
- A D D D D | D E F♯ G A (rest) | A E E G | F♯ E 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 This Old Man
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
"Give the dog a bone" climbs low D, low E, F♯, G as quick notes. Lift the right ring finger for low E. For F♯ lift the right index finger and put the ring finger back down, then lift the whole right hand for 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
Cecil Sharp and Sabine Baring-Gould printed a version in English Folk-Songs for Schools in 1906. The collector Anne Gilchrist later wrote that she had learned it as "Jack Jintle" from her Welsh nurse in the 1870s.
Questions
Is This Old Man 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 This Old Man on recorder?
B, A, G, 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 Beth's Notes and the FluteTree songbook, in D. Last checked 6 October 2026.