Piper's SongbookHow to play Turkish March on recorder
Turkish March (the opening) uses 14 notes on the soprano recorder: B, A, G, high C, high D, F♯, low E, high E, high G, high C♯, high F♯, B♭, low E♭ and high E♭. The first line goes F♯ E E♭ E G A G F♯ G B C′ B B♭ B F♯′ E′ E♭′ E′ F♯′ E′ E♭′ E′ G′ E′ G′. The same tune is used for Rondo alla Turca.
- Notes
- 14: B, A, G, high C, high D, F♯, low E, high E, high G, high C♯, high F♯, B♭, low E♭, high E♭
- Level
- Cross fingerings
- Time
- 2/4, about 100 beats a minute
- Source
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Piano Sonata No. 11 in A, K. 331, third movement; published 1784
Turkish March 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
Line 5
Line 6
Letters only, for printing or copying
- F♯ E E♭ E | G (rest) A G F♯ G | B (rest) C′ B B♭ B | F♯′ E′ E♭′ E′ F♯′ E′ E♭′ E′ | G′ E′ G′
- F♯′ E′ D′ E′ | F♯′ E′ D′ E′ | F♯′ E′ D′ C♯′ | B
- B C′ | D′ D′ E′ D′ C′ B | A B C′ | D′ D′ E′ D′ C′ B | A G A
- B B C′ B A G | F♯ G A | B B C′ B A G | F♯
- F♯ E E♭ E | G (rest) A G F♯ G | B (rest) C′ B B♭ B | F♯′ E′ E♭′ E′ F♯′ E′ E♭′ E′ | G′ E′ F♯′
- G′ F♯′ E′ E♭′ | E′ B C′ A | G F♯ | E
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 Turkish March
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 pickup and first bar circle F♯, E, low D♯, E. Low D♯ needs every hole covered except the right little finger's, with only half of the right ring finger's double hole closed. The second bar has A♯: play it with the B♭ fingering.
Learn one line at a time. Play it slowly until every note is clean, then join it to the next line.
About the tune
This is the last movement of Mozart's Piano Sonata No. 11, published by Artaria in Vienna in 1784. It is marked alla turca, in the Turkish style, because it imitates the Ottoman Janissary bands that were fashionable in Vienna at the time.
Questions
Is Turkish March 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 Turkish March on recorder?
B, A, G, high C, high D, F♯, low E, high E, high G, high C♯, high F♯, B♭, 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♯, high F♯ and B♭ are 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 right-hand part in the Mutopia score, the Wikipedia score excerpt and a MIDI sequence by Bob Fisher, transposed from A minor to E minor. Last checked 6 October 2026.