Songs · Beginner
Lightly Row
Traditional (German folk song “Hänschen klein”) · German folk song from the first half of the 1800s, sung in English as “Lightly Row”
G major4/4 time16 barsboth hands
Arranged: Teddy Rook Book: in G position, with a simple left hand. The notes here are not exactly the ones the composer wrote.
Loading the music…
About this piece
This tune lives in G position: right thumb on the G above middle C, left little finger on the low G. The right hand uses only the five notes under its fingers. The first and last lines skip around the G chord (G, B, D); the middle lines move by step.
What it practices
- hands together
- G position
- the key of G major (key signature: one sharp)
Where the notes come from
Melody checked note by note against the “Hänschen klein” page of the German Wikibooks songbook (LilyPond, in D major), moved up to G. English Wikipedia’s article on “Hänschen klein” says its melody is the tune of “Lightly Row”. The left hand is our own and follows that page’s chord symbols.
How to practice with it
- Listen first. Press Play and follow the moving line with your eyes. The lit notes and keys show what sounds right now: blue is the right hand, orange the left.
- Slow it down. Use − and + to set the tempo. 60% is a good place to start.
- One hand at a time. Choose Right or Left, learn that hand, then put them together.
- Wait for me. Turn it on and press Start. The lit keys show what to play, and the music waits until you play them, on the screen, on your computer keyboard or on a MIDI keyboard.
- Loop the hard part. Turn on Loop, pick the bars, and play them a few times in a row.
Click a bar in the music to start from there. Space plays and pauses. The computer keys A S D F G H J K play C D E F G A B C (press ⌨ Computer keys under the music to see them on the piano).