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Danny Boy on the ocarina

Updated 2026-10-29

Danny Boy, sung to the Irish tune called the Londonderry Air, starts with three quick notes, low B, C, D, that rise into a long E. In C major it needs no sharps or flats, but it runs from low A up to high E, almost the full range of a 12-hole ocarina, sub-holes included. The second half climbs to a single long high E, the peak of the whole song.

What are the notes for Danny Boy on the ocarina?

Danny Boy, played here in C major, 4/4 time, bar by bar: low B, C, D | E, D, E, A, G, E | D, C, low A, C, E, F | G, A, G, E, C, E | D, low B, C, D | E, D, E, A, G, E | D, C, low A, low B, C, D | E, F, E, D, C, D | C, G, A, B | high C, B, B, A, G, A | G, E, C, G, A, B | high C, B, B, A, G, E | D, G, G, G | high E, high D, high D, high C, A, high C | G, E, C, low B, C, D | E, A, G, E, D, C, low A, low B | C. Press Play to hear the tune.

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  1. low B
  2. C
  3. D
  4. E
  5. D
  6. E
  7. A
  8. G
  9. E
  10. D
  11. C
  12. low A
  13. low Akeep holding
  14. C
  15. E
  16. F
  17. G
  18. A
  19. G
  20. E
  21. C
  22. E
  23. D
  24. Dkeep holding
  25. low B
  26. C
  27. D
  28. E
  29. D
  30. E
  31. A
  32. G
  33. E
  34. D
  35. C
  36. low A
  37. low Akeep holding
  38. low B
  39. C
  40. D
  41. E
  42. F
  43. E
  44. D
  45. C
  46. D
  47. C
  48. Ckeep holding
  49. G
  50. A
  51. B
  52. high C
  53. B
  54. B
  55. A
  56. G
  57. A
  58. G
  59. E
  60. C
  61. Ckeep holding
  62. G
  63. A
  64. B
  65. high C
  66. B
  67. B
  68. A
  69. G
  70. E
  71. D
  72. Dkeep holding
  73. G
  74. G
  75. G
  76. high E
  77. high D
  78. high D
  79. high C
  80. A
  81. high C
  82. G
  83. E
  84. C
  85. Ckeep holding
  86. low B
  87. C
  88. D
  89. E
  90. A
  91. G
  92. E
  93. D
  94. C
  95. low A
  96. low B
  97. C
  98. Ckeep holding

What is the tricky spot in Danny Boy?

The leap from the three repeated G's up to the long high E that opens the last phrase, the highest note in the song. On a 12-hole, Danny Boy goes from G to high E: you lift the left ring, left middle, left index, left thumb and right thumb.

Take a full breath on the long D just before the three G's, then tongue the G's lightly and give the high E a fast, firm airstream as it arrives; it is held for a beat and a half, so keep the air up or it sags flat. The low A near the start of the first two phrases is the other hard note: it is held across the middle of the bar, so check that both sub-holes are sealed before you blow, and let the breath drop for it. The song is slow, and each four-bar phrase ends on a long D or C: breathe there, not in the middle of a phrase. The three quick notes that open the song, low B, C, D, come back twice more, and the second half has its own lead-in, G, A, B: keep them light and even so they lead into the long note after them.

Which ocarina can play Danny Boy?

A 6-hole ocarina cannot reach low A and low B, and a 4-hole ocarina cannot reach low A, low B, high D and high E, so play Danny Boy 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.

Who wrote the tune of Danny Boy?

Its composer is unknown. The tune is the Londonderry Air, which George Petrie printed in 1855 under the heading "Name unknown": Miss Jane Ross of Limavady, in County Londonderry, had sent it to him with the remark that it was "very old". The words are much younger: Frederic Weatherly wrote them in 1910, and they were set to the air in 1913. Our tabs follow the 1913 sheet music, "adapted from an old Irish air" by Weatherly, which has the tune as it is sung today. Petrie's version has the same notes in the bars we compared, with a short rest in two places where the song holds a note. The air is anonymous and Weatherly died in 1929, so Danny Boy is public domain. We show the melody only. Music: traditional Irish air (the Londonderry Air), first printed in 1855; words by Frederic Weatherly (1848-1929).

More ocarina songs

Next hard song: Yankee Doodle. More: all the songs.