God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen on the ocarina
On a 12-hole it starts D, D, A, A. Medium, 67 notes, in D minor.
Goes up to high D, so it does not fit a 4-hole.
God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen
Bar 1 of 19
What are the notes for God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen?
On a 12-hole. Read left to right, a line at a time.
- Tricky spot:D DAAGFEDCDEFGAD
- DAAGFEDCDEFGArestA
- B♭GAB♭high Chigh DAGFDEFGFG
- AB♭AAGFEDFEDGFG
- AB♭high Chigh DAGFED
God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen marches in even quarter notes in a minor key, with a long note to close each of its first two lines. In D minor it runs from C up to high D, and the chorus, "O tidings of comfort and joy", follows the verse straight on.
What is the tricky spot in God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen?
The leap from D up to A on the second and third notes, the widest step in the verse, which also opens its second line. On a 12-hole, God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen goes from D to A: you lift the left ring, right index, right middle and right ring. On a 6-hole, you lift the left middle and right index.
On a 12-hole the jump from D to A lifts several fingers at once, so lift them together rather than one by one, or you will hear the notes in between. The book puts a one-beat rest after the long A of the second line, shown as a gap in the tabs, before "To save us all". From there B flat, the cross-fingered note, turns up again and again; play A, B flat, A slowly until it sits in tune. The only quick notes are the F and E on "comfort" near the end, half a beat each, so tongue them lightly.
Where do you breathe in God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen?
Breathe on the three-beat A at the end of the first line and in the rest after the long A of the second. The chorus has a two-beat note every bar or two: take small breaths on those, and a fuller one on the long G before the last run up to high D.
Which ocarina can play God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen?
A 4-hole ocarina cannot reach high D, so play God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen 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 |
|---|---|---|
| D | Cover every main hole but the right pinky | |
| 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 | |
| F | Cover every main hole but the right middle, right ring and right pinky | |
| E | Cover every main hole but the right ring and right pinky | |
| C | Cover every main hole | |
| B♭ | Cover the left pinky, left index, right ring, left thumb and right thumb | |
| high C | Cover the left pinky, left thumb and right thumb | |
| high D | Cover the left pinky and right thumb |
Drawn as you see it while playing: mouthpiece towards you, left hand on the left.
| Note | Holes to cover | Picture |
|---|---|---|
| D | Cover every hole but the right middle | |
| A | Cover the left index, left thumb and right thumb | |
| G | Cover every hole but the left middle and right middle | |
| F | Cover every hole but the right middle and right index | |
| E | Cover every hole but the right index | |
| C | Cover every hole | |
| B♭ | Cover the right index, left thumb and right thumb | |
| high C | Cover the left thumb and right thumb | |
| high D | Cover the left thumb |
Drawn as you see it while playing: mouthpiece towards you, left hand on the left.
Which tune is God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen sung to?
The minor one. The carol has had two tunes, and the better-known minor melody first appears in print in a fortepiano rondo by Samuel Wesley, reviewed in 1815; the older "Cornish" tune is seldom heard now. Our tabs follow Christmas Carols, New and Old, the carol book of Henry Ramsden Bramley and John Stainer, where it is carol No. 1; this copy has an owner's note dated 1879. That book helped make the carol a Victorian favourite. The tune and words are anonymous; Stainer, whose harmony we leave out, died in 1901 and Bramley in 1917. We show the melody only. Music: traditional English tune and words.