Home, Sweet Home on the ocarina
On a 12-hole it starts C, D, E, F. Medium, 74 notes, in C major.
Home, Sweet Home
Bar 1 of 24
What are the notes for Home, Sweet Home?
On a 12-hole. Read left to right, a line at a time.
- CD EFFGGEEGFEFDECD
- EFFGGEGFEFDTricky spot:CrestG
- high CBAGGEGFEFDEGG
- high CBAGGEGGFDC
- GFDCrestDrestEG
- high CBAGGEGFEFDC
Home, Sweet Home is a slow parlour song in 2/4 that moves mostly by step, with a dotted, lilting rhythm in almost every bar. Here it is in C major, from C up to high C, with no sharps or flats: the four phrases of the verse, then the short refrain that closes it.
What is the tricky spot in Home, Sweet Home?
The end of the second phrase, where the tune settles on a low C, rests for half a beat and jumps a fifth up to G to start the third phrase. On a 12-hole, Home, Sweet Home goes from C to G: you lift the right index, right middle, right ring and right pinky. On a 6-hole or 4-hole, you lift the left middle and right middle.
Give the C its full beat, use the short rest to reset, then come in on the G cleanly: the third phrase climbs straight on to high C, so keep the air steady through the G. The same C to G leap comes back at the start of the refrain, after the long C that ends the verse. Everywhere else, play the dotted pairs long-short, not even: the first note takes three quarters of the beat and the short one leads into the next. The very first two notes are a quick lead-in, gone in half a beat.
Where do you breathe in Home, Sweet Home?
At the end of each phrase: after the long E in the fourth bar, in the half-beat rest in the eighth bar, after the long E in the twelfth bar, and after the long C that ends the verse, before the refrain. The refrain has two short rests in its third bar; take a small sip of air there and it carries you to the end.
Which ocarina can play Home, Sweet Home?
Any 12-hole, 6-hole or 4-hole ocarina in C plays Home, Sweet Home 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.
The 8 notes here, on a 12-holeHoles in words, with a picture
| Note | Holes to cover | Picture |
|---|---|---|
| C | Cover every main hole | |
| D | Cover every main hole but the right pinky | |
| E | Cover every main hole but the right ring and right pinky | |
| F | Cover every main hole but the right middle, right ring and right pinky | |
| G | Cover every main hole but the right index, right middle, right ring and right pinky | |
| high C | Cover the left pinky, left thumb and right thumb | |
| B | Cover the left pinky, left index, left thumb and right thumb | |
| A | Cover the left pinky, left middle, left index, left thumb and right thumb |
Drawn as you see it while playing: mouthpiece towards you, left hand on the left.
| Note | Holes to cover | Picture |
|---|---|---|
| C | Cover every hole | |
| D | Cover every hole but the right middle | |
| E | Cover every hole but the right index | |
| F | Cover every hole but the right middle and right index | |
| G | Cover every hole but the left middle and right middle | |
| high C | Cover the left thumb and right thumb | |
| B | Cover the right middle, left thumb and right thumb | |
| A | Cover the left index, left thumb and right thumb |
Drawn as you see it while playing: mouthpiece towards you, left hand on the left.
| Note | Holes to cover | Picture |
|---|---|---|
| C | Cover every hole | |
| D | Cover every hole but the right middle | |
| E | Cover every hole but the right index | |
| F | Cover the left middle and left index | |
| G | Cover the left index and right index | |
| high C | All holes open | |
| B | Cover the right middle | |
| A | Cover the left index |
Drawn as you see it while playing: mouthpiece towards you, left hand on the left.
Where do our Home, Sweet Home tabs come from?
Henry Bishop wrote the melody for John Howard Payne's 1823 opera Clari, or the Maid of Milan. Our tabs follow the song as printed in Heart Songs in 1909, moved from F major to C major. Music: Henry Bishop (1787-1856), for the opera Clari, or the Maid of Milan (1823), to words by John Howard Payne (1791-1852).