About Frère Jacques
Frère Jacques is a nursery rhyme in F major — beginner-friendly, running from C to d and staying in first position on banjo, mandolin and fiddle.
- Type
- Nursery rhyme
- Key
- F major · 4/4
- Range
- C to d · first position
- Notes used
- C D F G A B♭
- Level
- Beginner-friendly
Frère Jacques — sheet music
F major · 4/4
The notes
Letter names, bar by bar · capitals up to C in the third space, lower case from the D on the 4th line
F G A F | F G A F | A B♭ C | A B♭ C C d C B♭ A F | C d C B♭ A F | F C F | F C F
Frère Jacques — tab
Tenor banjo · mandolin · fiddle · guitar · ukulele — tap one to open it
Frère Jacques — Tenor banjo tab
G D A E (Irish tuning) · open position
E|---------|---------|-------|-------| A|-----0---|-----0---|-0-1-3-|-0-1-3-| D|-3-5---3-|-3-5---3-|-------|-------| G|---------|---------|-------|-------|
E|-------------|-------------|-------|-------| A|-3-5-3-1-0---|-3-5-3-1-0---|-------|-------| D|-----------3-|-----------3-|-3---3-|-3---3-| G|-------------|-------------|---5---|---5---|
Numbers are frets. Tenor banjo sounds an octave below the written notes.
Frère Jacques — Mandolin tab
G D A E · open position
E|---------|---------|-------|-------| A|-----0---|-----0---|-0-1-3-|-0-1-3-| D|-3-5---3-|-3-5---3-|-------|-------| G|---------|---------|-------|-------|
E|-------------|-------------|-------|-------| A|-3-5-3-1-0---|-3-5-3-1-0---|-------|-------| D|-----------3-|-----------3-|-3---3-|-3---3-| G|-------------|-------------|---5---|---5---|
Numbers are frets. Same strings as the fiddle, so the same notes fall in the same places.
Frère Jacques — fiddle fingering
G D A E · first position — finger numbers
E|-----------|-----------|---------|---------| A|------0----|------0----|-0-L1-L2-|-0-L1-L2-| D|-L2-3---L2-|-L2-3---L2-|---------|---------| G|-----------|-----------|---------|---------|
E|-----------------|-----------------|---------|---------| A|-L2-3-L2-L1-0----|-L2-3-L2-L1-0----|---------|---------| D|--------------L2-|--------------L2-|-L2---L2-|-L2---L2-| G|-----------------|-----------------|----3----|----3----|
0 = open string · 1–4 = finger · L = low (half step back), H = high.
Frère Jacques — Guitar tab
E A D G B E · open position
e|---------|---------|-------|-------| B|---------|---------|-----1-|-----1-| G|---0-2---|---0-2---|-2-3---|-2-3---| D|-3-----3-|-3-----3-|-------|-------| A|---------|---------|-------|-------| E|---------|---------|-------|-------|
e|-------------|-------------|-------|-------| B|-1-3-1-------|-1-3-1-------|-------|-------| G|-------3-2---|-------3-2---|-------|-------| D|-----------3-|-----------3-|-3---3-|-3---3-| A|-------------|-------------|---3---|---3---| E|-------------|-------------|-------|-------|
Numbers are frets; the bottom line is the low E string.
Frère Jacques — Ukulele tab
G C E A (high G) · open position
A|-----0---|-----0---|-0-1-3-|-0-1-3-| E|-1-----1-|-1-----1-|-------|-------| C|---------|---------|-------|-------| G|---0-----|---0-----|-------|-------|
A|-3-5-3-1-0---|-3-5-3-1-0---|-------|-------| E|-----------1-|-----------1-|-1---1-|-1---1-| C|-------------|-------------|---0---|---0---| G|-------------|-------------|-------|-------|
Numbers are frets; the top line is the A string, the bottom line the high G.
Frère Jacques chords
F major · 2 chords: F, C7
One box per bar, in the same order as the sheet music. A faded chord carries on from the bar before.
Guitar chords for Frère Jacques
Strings E A D G B E, low to high · o = open string, × = don't play it
Ukulele chords for Frère Jacques
Strings G C E A, low to high · o = open string, × = don't play it
Tenor banjo & mandolin chords for Frère Jacques
Strings G D A E, low to high · o = open string, × = don't play it
More nursery rhymes and tunes like it
This melody comes from The Public Domain Song Anthology (David Berger & Chuck Israels), released CC0. The song is in the public domain. Tabs and letter names worked out by The Music Arcade.