Reading simple melodies in C

1Tune 1: Hot Cross Buns

This tune was once sung by bakers selling sweet buns in the streets of England. It uses only three notes: mi, re, do.

Read it slowly:

1. Say the sol-fa: m r d, m r d, d d d d r r r r, m r d.
2. Clap the rhythm. "One a pen-ny" is four quick quavers, two in each beat: ti-ti ti-ti.
3. Sing the sol-fa, then sing the words.

Notice the shape: m r d steps down to do, home.

2Tune 2: Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star

This tune is more than 200 years old. It uses six notes of the C scale.

The melody starts on do, then makes a big skip up to so. After that it walks down by steps: f f m m r r d. It ends at home, on do.

3How to read any melody

1. Find do (in C, do is C).
2. Look at the shape: does it go up, go down or stay the same?
3. Clap the rhythm first.
4. Sing it in sol-fa, slowly, then add the words.

Try it yourself

Try each one first, then tap Show answer to check.