Annie Laurie on the ocarina
On a 12-hole it starts E, D, C, C. Medium, 55 notes, in C major.
Goes up to high E, so it does not fit a 4-hole.
Annie Laurie
Bar 1 of 16
What are the notes for Annie Laurie?
On a 12-hole. Read left to right, a line at a time.
- Tricky spot:ED CChigh CBBAAGEDCDrestED
- CChigh CBBAAGEDCCrestG
- high Chigh Chigh Dhigh Dhigh ErestGhigh Chigh Chigh Dhigh Dhigh Eresthigh Ehigh D
- high CAAGGEEDChigh CEDCrest
Annie Laurie is a slow Scottish love song in four-beat bars, and it opens with a short E and D falling to C, then a leap of a whole octave to high C. Here it is in C major, from C up to high E, with no sharps or flats: the four lines of one verse, as Heart Songs printed it in 1909.
What is the tricky spot in Annie Laurie?
The second bar of the first two lines, where the tune holds C and then jumps a whole octave to high C. On a 12-hole, Annie Laurie goes from C to high C: you lift the left ring, left middle, left index, right index, right middle, right ring and right pinky. On a 6-hole, you lift the left middle, right middle, left index and right index.
High C needs only a little more air than low C, so do not push: too much breath makes it sharp or squeaky. Practise low C, then high C, slowly, until the top note speaks on time. The third line is the highest part of the song: it climbs G, high C, high D to a long high E twice, and each pair of high C's and high D's is a long note and a very short one, so let the short one tip quickly into the next. Heart Songs marks the song Tenderly, so keep the pace slow and the air steady.
Where do you breathe in Annie Laurie?
Every line but the last ends on a long note followed by a rest: the D at the end of bar 4, the C in bar 8 and the high E in bars 10 and 12. Breathe in each of those rests; in the third line the two short phrases each end on high E, so take a small breath after each one.
Which ocarina can play Annie Laurie?
A 4-hole ocarina cannot reach high D and high E, so play Annie Laurie in this key on a 12-hole or 6-hole ocarina in C. On an ocarina in G or F, use the same fingerings: the tune sounds in a different key, which is fine when you play alone. Each linked chart has every fingering for its ocarina, and you can check your notes with a tuner such as our free ocarina tuner.
The 9 notes here, on a 12-holeHoles in words, with a picture
| Note | Holes to cover | Picture |
|---|---|---|
| E | Cover every main hole but the right ring and right pinky | |
| D | Cover every main hole but the right pinky | |
| C | Cover every main hole | |
| high C | Cover the left pinky, left thumb and right thumb | |
| B | Cover the left pinky, left index, left thumb and right thumb | |
| A | Cover the left pinky, left middle, left index, left thumb and right thumb | |
| G | Cover every main hole but the right index, right middle, right ring and right pinky | |
| high D | Cover the left pinky and right thumb | |
| high E | Cover the left pinky |
Drawn as you see it while playing: mouthpiece towards you, left hand on the left.
| Note | Holes to cover | Picture |
|---|---|---|
| E | Cover every hole but the right index | |
| D | Cover every hole but the right middle | |
| C | Cover every hole | |
| high C | Cover the left thumb and right thumb | |
| B | Cover the right middle, left thumb and right thumb | |
| A | Cover the left index, left thumb and right thumb | |
| G | Cover every hole but the left middle and right middle | |
| high D | Cover the left thumb | |
| high E | All holes open |
Drawn as you see it while playing: mouthpiece towards you, left hand on the left.
Where do our Annie Laurie tabs come from?
Lady John Scott wrote the tune of Annie Laurie, and it is printed with her name in Heart Songs (Boston, 1909). These tabs are our own arrangement of the melody. Music: Alicia Ann Spottiswoode, Lady John Scott (1810-1900), to words after William Douglas.