Piper's SongbookHow to play Up on the Housetop on recorder
Up on the Housetop uses 6 notes on the soprano recorder: B, A, G, F♯, low E and low D. The first line goes A A B A F♯ E D F♯ A B B A F♯ E A A.
- Notes
- 6: B, A, G, F♯, low E, low D
- Level
- Both hands
- Time
- 4/4, about 112 beats a minute
- Source
- Benjamin Hanby, 1864
Up on the Housetop 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
- A A B A F♯ E | D F♯ A | B B A F♯ | E A A
- A A B A F♯ E | D F♯ A | B B B A A F♯ | E A D
- G G B | A A A F♯ | E G G | F♯ A A D F♯
- A A B A F♯ | G A B (rest) | A A B A A F♯ | E A D
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 Up on the Housetop
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
Most lines start with a quick A, B, A. From A to B you only lift your left middle finger, so keep it loose and close to the hole. The chorus walks G, A, B and then stops for a beat's rest: count it, and breathe there.
Learn one line at a time. Play it slowly until every note is clean, then join it to the next line.
About the tune
Benjamin Hanby wrote the song at Christmas 1864, while he was running a singing school in New Paris, Ohio. It is often called the second oldest secular Christmas song after Jingle Bells, and the first to be mainly about Santa Claus.
Questions
Is Up on the Housetop 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 Up on the Housetop 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 Thornton Rose's ABC against Douglas D. Anderson's transcription, transposed to D. Last checked 6 October 2026.