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Aura Lea on the ocarina

Aura Lea starts with a long D and a quick G, then F♯, G and A: the tune Elvis Presley later sang as Love Me Tender. Here it is in G major, 16 bars from D up to high C, with F♯ the only sharp. The 1861 sheet music gives it a lilting, dotted rhythm, more of a skip than the smooth, even way it is usually sung now.

Updated 2026-10-29Public domainMedium48 notes · 16 barsG major · 2/4Fits 12, 6 and 4-hole
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What are the notes for Aura Lea on the ocarina?

Aura Lea, played here in G major, 2/4 time, bar by bar: D, G, F♯, G | A, E, A | G, F♯, E, F♯ | G | D, G, F♯, G | A, E, A | G, F♯, E, F♯ | G | B, B, B | B, B, B | B, A, G, A | B | B, B, high C, B | A, E, A, A | G, F♯, B, A | G. Pick your ocarina to see its fingerings. To hear the tune, press Play in the player further down.

CoveredOpen

    1. D
    2. G
    3. F♯
    4. G
    1. A
    2. E
    3. A
    1. G
    2. F♯
    3. E
    4. F♯
    1. G
    1. D
    2. G
    3. F♯
    4. G
    1. A
    2. E
    3. A
    1. G
    2. F♯
    3. E
    4. F♯
    1. G
    1. B
    2. B
    3. B
    1. B
    2. B
    3. B
    1. B
    2. A
    3. G
    4. A
    1. B
    1. B
    2. B
    3. high C
    4. B
    1. A
    2. E
    3. A
    4. A
    1. G
    2. F♯
    3. B
    4. A
    1. G
The 7 notes here, on a 12-hole
NoteHoles to coverPicture
DCover every main hole but the right pinky
GCover every main hole but the right index, right middle, right ring and right pinky
F♯Cover every main hole but the right index, right middle and right pinky
ACover the left pinky, left middle, left index, left thumb and right thumb
ECover every main hole but the right ring and right pinky
BCover the left pinky, left index, left thumb and right thumb
high CCover the left pinky, left thumb and right thumb

What is the tricky spot in Aura Lea?

The very short G near the end, which leads into a longer F♯: the one place the song puts the short note first. On a 12-hole, Aura Lea goes from G to F♯: you cover the right ring.

F♯ is the only sharp in the song and comes in almost every line, so make that fingering secure first: G, F♯, E, F♯ leads into the long G that ends each of the first two lines. Near the end the G lasts only a quarter of a beat, so put it right on the beat and give the F♯ the time; everywhere else the dot comes first, as in the opening long D and quick G. The second half starts with six B's in two bars on one fingering: tongue each one and keep your fingers still.

Which ocarina can play Aura Lea?

Any 12-hole, 6-hole or 4-hole ocarina in C plays Aura Lea in this key. 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.

Is Love Me Tender the same tune as Aura Lea?

Yes. Love Me Tender, in 1956, set new words by Ken Darby to the Aura Lea melody. The song itself was published in Cincinnati in 1861, with words by W. W. Fosdick and music by George R. Poulton, and soldiers on both sides of the American Civil War sang it. Our tabs follow the 1861 sheet music, which has a dotted, skipping rhythm; by 1913 a home songbook printed it as "Aura Lee" with the quick dotted notes smoothed out, closer to the way it is sung now. Poulton died in 1867 and Fosdick in 1862, so the tune is public domain. The words of Love Me Tender are not, and we show the melody only. Music: George R. Poulton (1828-1867), music, and W. W. Fosdick (1825-1862), words, 1861.

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More ocarina songs

Next medium song: Amazing Grace. More: songs for a 12-hole ocarina, songs for a 6-hole ocarina, songs for a 4-hole ocarina and all the songs.