London Bridge Is Falling Down on the ocarina

Updated 2026-10-29

London Bridge Is Falling Down starts G, A, G, F, E, F, G: one step up, then a walk down and back. In C major it uses only the six notes from C to A, which every C ocarina has, the smallest 4-hole pendant included. The tune is two lines of four bars, and the second line starts exactly like the first, so once you know the first line you have the start of the second.

What are the notes for London Bridge Is Falling Down on the ocarina?

London Bridge Is Falling Down, played here in C major, 4/4 time, bar by bar: G, A, G, F | E, F, G | D, E, F | E, F, G | G, A, G, F | E, F, G | D, G | E, C. Pick your ocarina, then press Play to hear the tune.

What is the tricky spot in London Bridge Is Falling Down?

The last line, where "my fair" jumps from D up to G: the only upward leap in the tune. On a 12-hole, London Bridge Is Falling Down goes from D to G: you lift the right index, right middle and right ring.

Breathe at the end of the fourth bar, after the third "falling down", so the whole second line is one breath. The opening G is long and the A after it is short, a beat and a half against half a beat: give the G its full length and let the A tip straight into the next G, rather than playing two even notes. Give each note of the "falling down" groups, E, F, G and D, E, F, its own light "tu" (how to tongue on the ocarina). The last note is C, every main hole covered, held to the end of the bar; a slow, soft breath keeps it from going sharp.

Which ocarina can play London Bridge Is Falling Down?

Any 12-hole, 6-hole or 4-hole ocarina in C plays London Bridge Is Falling Down 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.

How old is the London Bridge tune?

Younger than the rhyme. The rhyme has been sung to older tunes, among them one in a 1718 dance book and "Nancy Dawson" in 1821, and the tune sung today was first recorded in an American songbook of 1879. Our tabs follow a Chicago book of singing games from 1915, the earliest printing we found with the whole tune as it is sung now. Its two halves are older still: a 1903 drill book has the same notes in its opening line, and William Wells Newell's Games and Songs of American Children, in its 1884 printing, has the same ending on "my fair lady". The rhyme and its tune are traditional and anonymous, so they are public domain. We show the melody only. Music: traditional nursery rhyme and singing game; the tune sung today was first printed in the United States in 1879.

More ocarina songs

Next easy song: Row, Row, Row Your Boat. More: easy ocarina songs, songs for a 4-hole ocarina and all the songs.