Piper's SongbookHow to play William Tell Overture on recorder
William Tell Overture (the finale) uses 7 notes on the soprano recorder: B, G, high C, high D, high E, high G and high F. The first line goes G G G G G G G G C′ D′ E′ G G G G G C′ E′ E′ D′ B G G G.
- Notes
- 7: B, G, high C, high D, high E, high G, high F
- Level
- Cross fingerings
- Time
- 2/4, about 116 beats a minute
- Source
- Gioachino Rossini, overture to William Tell, 1829
William Tell Overture 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
- G G | G G G G G G | C′ D′ E′ G G | G G G C′ E′ E′ | D′ B G G G
- G G G G G G | C′ D′ E′ C′ E′ | G′ F′ E′ D′ | C′ E′ C′
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 William Tell Overture
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 of the tune is G in a gallop rhythm: one longer note and two quick ones. Tongue the quick pairs with "tu-ku" so they stay even. In the third bar of the second line, hold high G for a beat and a quarter, then run down through high F and high E to high D.
Learn one line at a time. Play it slowly until every note is clean, then join it to the next line.
About the tune
William Tell opened in Paris in 1829 and was the last of Rossini's 39 operas. Its overture ends with this galop, announced by trumpets. Radio and television later used it as the theme of The Lone Ranger.
Questions
Is William Tell Overture 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 William Tell Overture on recorder?
B, G, high C, high D, high E, high G and high F. Tap a note to see its fingering on its own page.
Do these fingerings work on a German recorder?
Mostly. high 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 the violin part in an orchestral MIDI sequence (midiworld.com) and N. C. Bochsa's harp arrangement of the overture, transposed from E to C. Last checked 6 October 2026.