Piano songs · First piece
Old MacDonald Had a Farm on piano
Old MacDonald is a cheerful first song in G major, using just five notes: D, E, G, A and B. Here's the verse, with the "E-I-E-I-O" to finish each line.
this song
Old MacDonald Had a Farm sheet music
The same notes as the player above, as a piano score: G major, 4/4 time. Press Play and the notes light up as they sound. Free to print or save as a PDF.
How to read the rhythms · how to read the notes
About the piece
Farmyard songs like it go back to the 1700s in Britain. A version close to the one everyone sings today, with its "E-I-O", was published in the United States in 1917.
The notes
The letters above are the tune, played by your right hand: G G G D E; E D B B A; A G D G G; G D E E D; B B A A G. Longer boxes are longer notes. Press Play and follow along, slow it down with the speed slider, or turn on Wait for me and play each note yourself.
How to learn it
- Hand position: right thumb on D, then E, then skip F♯ and put fingers on G, A and B. (This version never uses F♯.)
- "E-I-E-I-O": B B A A G, walking down. Hold the last G for three beats.
- Same again: the second line is the first with one extra D at the start ("And on").
- Left hand: G, with a C and a D for the chord changes.
Learning Old MacDonald Had a Farm on a real piano? Ivory listens to you play and tells you what's off: a note that's missing, a hand that lands late, a rhythm that runs away. Then it shows you how it should go.
Questions people ask
What are the notes for Old MacDonald on piano?
G G G D E E D, B B A A G, then D G G G D E E D, B B A A G (in G major).
Is Old MacDonald easy on piano?
Very: it uses five white keys and the rhythm follows the words.
More songs to play
A simple arrangement of a public-domain melody. Piano sound: Salamander Grand Piano by Alexander Holm, CC BY 3.0.