Frère Jacques on the ocarina

Updated 2026-10-29

Frère Jacques goes G, A, B, G, twice, then B, high C, high D, twice. Every one of its four short phrases comes twice, so there is half as much to learn as it looks, and none of them needs a sharp or a flat.

What are the notes for Frère Jacques on the ocarina?

Frère Jacques in G major, 4/4 time, bar by bar: G, A, B, G | G, A, B, G | B, high C, high D | B, high C, high D | high D, high E, high D, high C, B, G | high D, high E, high D, high C, B, G | G, D, G | G, D, G. Pick your ocarina, then press Play to hear the tune.

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  1. G
  2. A
  3. B
  4. G
  5. G
  6. A
  7. B
  8. G
  9. B
  10. high C
  11. high D
  12. B
  13. high C
  14. high D
  15. high D
  16. high E
  17. high D
  18. high C
  19. B
  20. G
  21. high D
  22. high E
  23. high D
  24. high C
  25. B
  26. G
  27. G
  28. D
  29. G
  30. G
  31. D
  32. G

What is the tricky spot in Frère Jacques?

The quick run in the third phrase, high D, high E, high D, high C, the fastest and highest notes in the song. On a 12-hole, Frère Jacques goes from high D to high E: you lift the right thumb.

High E needs a firm, fast breath, and the run passes it in half a beat, so learn it slowly, four even notes, before you put it back up to speed. The phrase after it drops from G to the D below and back, like a bell: let the low D sound with a gentle breath rather than a push, or it will crack.

Which ocarina can play Frère Jacques?

A 4-hole ocarina cannot reach high D and high E, so play Frère Jacques 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.

How do you play Frère Jacques as a round?

One player starts, and when they reach the second phrase, B, high C, high D, a second player starts again from the beginning. The old French songbook our tabs follow, Jean-Baptiste Weckerlin's Chansons et rondes enfantines (Paris, about 1870), prints it that way, as a round for two voices, in F major and 2/4 time, with a short closing tag; our tabs move it to G, write it in 4/4 and leave the tag out. Play it with a friend, or with a recording of yourself. The tune is older than that book and its author is uncertain: Wikipedia traces it to a French manuscript of about 1780, and a manuscript in the French National Library lists Jean-Philippe Rameau, who died in 1764, as its author. It is public domain. Music: traditional French round, author uncertain.

More ocarina songs

Next medium song: Morning Mood. More: all the songs.