Piper's SongbookHow to play We Three Kings on recorder
We Three Kings uses 8 notes on the soprano recorder: B, A, G, high C, high D, F♯, low E and low D. The first line goes B A G E F♯ G F♯ E B A G E F♯ G F♯ E. The same tune is used for We Three Kings of Orient Are.
- Notes
- 8: B, A, G, high C, high D, F♯, low E, low D
- Level
- Both hands
- Time
- 6/8, about 96 beats a minute
- Source
- John Henry Hopkins Jr., 1857
We Three Kings 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
- B A G E | F♯ G F♯ E | B A G E | F♯ G F♯ E
- G G A A | B B D′ C′ B | A B A G F♯ | E F♯ A
- G G G D | G E G | G G G D | G E G
- G G A B | C′ B A B | G G G D | G E 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 We Three Kings
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 verse is in E minor and the refrain switches to G major. In the refrain, G keeps dropping to low D or low E and coming straight back. G uses the left hand alone, so rest your right-hand fingers just above their holes and drop them together for the low notes.
Learn one line at a time. Play it slowly until every note is clean, then join it to the next line.
About the tune
John Henry Hopkins Jr. wrote both the words and the music in 1857 for a Christmas pageant in New York City. It became the first widely popular Christmas carol written in America.
Questions
Is We Three Kings 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 We Three Kings on recorder?
B, A, G, high C, high D, 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 Paul Hardy's Christmas tunebook against John Chambers' Christmas ABC collection and the melody printed on Wikipedia, in E minor. Last checked 6 October 2026.