Nearer, My God, to Thee on the ocarina
On a 12-hole it starts A, G, F, F. Easy, 44 notes, in F major.
Goes up to high D, so it does not fit a 4-hole.
Nearer, My God, to Thee
Bar 1 of 16
What are the notes for Nearer, My God, to Thee?
On a 12-hole. Read left to right, a line at a time.
- AGFFDDCFAG(hold)rest
- AGFFDDCFEGTricky spot:F(hold)rest
- high Chigh Dhigh Chigh CAhigh Chigh Chigh Dhigh Chigh CAG
- AGFFDDCFEGF(hold)rest
Nearer, My God, to Thee is a slow hymn in 6/8 that starts on A and walks down A, G, F. Here it is in F major, Lowell Mason's tune Bethany, all 16 bars, from C to high D with no sharps or flats, so it fits a 12-hole and a 6-hole ocarina.
What is the tricky spot in Nearer, My God, to Thee?
The start of the third line, where the tune leaves the long F and jumps a fifth up to high C. On a 12-hole, Nearer, My God, to Thee goes from F to high C: you lift the left ring, left middle, left index and right index. On a 6-hole, you lift the left middle and left index.
That third line is the high part of the hymn: it sits on high C, steps up to high D twice and comes back to C each time. High D is the top note, so give it a little more air and ease off again for the C. The hymn rocks in 6/8 through long, medium and short notes, so feel two slow pulses a bar rather than counting six. The repeated C's in the third line are tongued with a soft "du", fingers still.
Where do you breathe in Nearer, My God, to Thee?
The first, second and last lines each end on a held note followed by a short rest: breathe in the rest. The third line runs straight into the last with no rest, so end the long G at the close of the third line a little early and take a quick breath there.
Which ocarina can play Nearer, My God, to Thee?
A 4-hole ocarina cannot reach high D, so play Nearer, My God, to Thee 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 8 notes here, on a 12-holeHoles in words, with a picture
| Note | Holes to cover | Picture |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | |
| D | Cover every main hole but the right pinky | |
| C | Cover every main hole | |
| E | Cover every main hole but the right ring and right pinky | |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | |
| D | Cover every hole but the right middle | |
| C | Cover every hole | |
| E | Cover every hole but the right index | |
| 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 Nearer, My God, to Thee sung to?
It depends where you sing it. Sarah Flower Adams wrote the words in 1841, and in 1856 the American Lowell Mason set them to his tune Bethany, which most of the world sings and which our tabs teach. In Britain the hymn usually goes to Horbury, written by John Bacchus Dykes in 1861 and named after a village near Wakefield, while British Methodists prefer Arthur Sullivan's Propior Deo. Some Titanic survivors said the ship's band played the hymn as it sank, and which of these tunes they would have heard is still argued over. Our tabs follow Bethany as Heart Songs (Boston, 1909) prints it under the name L. Mason, in G major, which we play in F so it sits between C and high D. Mason died in 1872, Adams in 1848 and Dykes in 1876. We show the melody only. Music: the tune "Bethany" by Lowell Mason (1792-1872); words by Sarah Flower Adams (1805-1848).