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Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy on the ocarina

Updated 2026-10-29

The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy starts at the top of the ocarina: high F, high D, high F, high E, then high C sharp, high D and three quick high C's. The tune keeps sliding down by semitones. In D minor it runs from C sharp up to high F, so it needs a 12-hole ocarina in C. These are the celesta's opening phrases from Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker, and a good piece for practising cross-fingerings.

What are the notes for Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy on the ocarina?

Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, played here in D minor, 2/4 time, bar by bar: high F, high D, high F, high E | high C♯, high D, high C, high C, high C | B, B, B, B♭, B♭, B♭ | A, high D, B♭, high D, A | F, D, F, E | C♯, D, high F, high F, high F | high E, high E, high E, high D, high D, high D | high C♯, high E, high D, high E, high C♯ | high F, high D, high F, high E | high C♯, high D, high C, high C, high C | B, B, B, B♭, B♭, B♭ | A, high D, B♭, high D, A | high D, B, high D, high C♯ | high C, A, high C, B | B♭, G, B♭, A. Press Play to hear the tune.

100%
  1. high F
  2. high D
  3. high F
  4. high E
  5. high C♯
  6. high D
  7. high C
  8. high C
  9. high C
  10. B
  11. B
  12. B
  13. B♭
  14. B♭
  15. B♭
  16. A
  17. high D
  18. B♭
  19. high D
  20. A
  21. Akeep holding
  22. F
  23. D
  24. F
  25. E
  26. C♯
  27. D
  28. high F
  29. high F
  30. high F
  31. high E
  32. high E
  33. high E
  34. high D
  35. high D
  36. high D
  37. high C♯
  38. high E
  39. high D
  40. high E
  41. high C♯
  42. high C♯keep holding
  43. high F
  44. high D
  45. high F
  46. high E
  47. high C♯
  48. high D
  49. high C
  50. high C
  51. high C
  52. B
  53. B
  54. B
  55. B♭
  56. B♭
  57. B♭
  58. A
  59. high D
  60. B♭
  61. high D
  62. A
  63. Akeep holding
  64. high D
  65. B
  66. high D
  67. high C♯
  68. high C♯keep holding
  69. high C
  70. A
  71. high C
  72. B
  73. Bkeep holding
  74. B♭
  75. G
  76. B♭
  77. A
  78. Akeep holding

What is the tricky spot in Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy?

The leap in the second phrase from D straight up to high F, more than an octave, into three quick high F's. On a 12-hole, Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy goes from D to high F: you lift the left pinky, left ring, left middle, left index, right index, right middle, right ring, left thumb and right thumb.

Get the high F ready while you play C sharp and D: a firm, fast breath and every hole open (more on high notes), then three short tongued F's. Tchaikovsky puts a dot over almost every note, so keep the whole dance light, with a short "tu" on each note. The repeated groups, high C three times then B three times, are played with the tongue while the fingers stay still; only the semitone step between groups moves a finger. Breathe on the long A at the end of the first and third phrases. Where the score has a short rest the tabs hold the note before it instead; if you can, stop the note early there and take a quick breath.

Which ocarina can play Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy?

A 6-hole ocarina cannot reach high F, and a 4-hole ocarina cannot reach high C♯, high D, high E and high F, so play Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy in this key on a 12-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. The linked chart has every fingering, and you can check your notes with a tuner such as our free ocarina tuner.

Which instrument plays the Sugar Plum Fairy's tune?

A celesta, a keyboard instrument Tchaikovsky had already used in his symphonic ballad The Voyevoda (1891). In the full score of his Nutcracker Suite, first published by Jurgenson in Moscow in 1892, the part is headed "Celesta (ou Piano)", with a note in Russian that it may be played on the piano where there is no celesta. Our tabs follow that celesta part, bars 5 to 19 of the dance, moved down a step from E minor to D minor, and leave out the quick run that follows. The tune is the top note of the celesta's chords, except for two notes in bar 10, where it takes the lowest note of each chord. Tchaikovsky died in 1893, so the music is public domain. We show the melody only. Music: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893), from his ballet The Nutcracker.

More ocarina songs

Next hard song: Canon in D. More: all the songs.