How do you play Row, Row, Row Your Boat on the piano?

Row, Row, Row Your Boat piano notes

Row, Row, Row Your Boat climbs from middle C: C C C D E, E D E F G. For "merrily, merrily" you jump to the high C and come down in threes: C C C, G G G, E E E, C C C. It ends G F E D C, back on middle C.

Play it on the virtual piano

The notes, line by line

Each line shows the letters to play, then each key with its octave: C4 is middle C. The box under a key is the computer key that plays it on the virtual piano.

Row, row, row your boat
C C C D E
C4QC4QC4QD4WE4E
Gently down the stream
E D E F G
E4ED4WE4EF4RG4T
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily
C C C G G G E E E C C C
C5IC5IC5IG4TG4TG4TE4EE4EE4EC4QC4QC4Q
Life is but a dream
G F E D C
G4TF4RE4ED4WC4Q

How to play it

Put your right thumb on middle C: C D E F G are fingers 1 to 5.
Play C C C D E with fingers 1 1 1 2 3, then E D E F G with fingers 3 2 3 4 5.
For "merrily, merrily", jump your hand up and play the high C three times. Then come back down: G G G with finger 5, E E E with finger 3 and C C C with your thumb.
End with G F E D C, fingers 5 4 3 2 1. The song swings, long and short, like a boat on the waves.

Fingers have numbers: 1 is the thumb, 2 the index finger, 3 the middle finger, 4 the ring finger and 5 the little finger. In the virtual piano, press Listen to hear the rhythm first, and pick a slower speed while you learn.

关键信息

层次	简单
Notes in the melody	27
Keys	6: C4 D4 E4 F4 G4 C5
Black keys	无
Lowest and highest note	C4 – C5
First note	C4
Melody by	Traditional

The notes in do re mi

In fixed do, C is always Do, as in Spanish, French and Italian.

Do Do Do Re Mi
Mi Re Mi Fa Sol
Do Do Do Sol Sol Sol Mi Mi Mi Do Do Do
Sol Fa Mi Re Do

About the song

The song was first printed in 1852, with words like the ones of today but a very different tune.

The tune that people sing now was printed with the words in 1881, in The Franklin Square Song Collection. It is often sung as a round, by up to four groups.

常见问题

Why does Row, Row, Row Your Boat swing?

It is in 6/8 time: each beat splits into three, not two. The notes go long, short, long, short, and "merrily" fills each beat with three quick notes.

Can I play Row, Row, Row Your Boat as a round?

Yes. A second player starts from the beginning when the first reaches "gently down the stream". Up to four players can join, each one line after the one before.