There's no simpler song than Mary Had a Little Lamb, whether you're just learning to play the piano or want to introduce your little one to the instrument. The basic melody is a repeating 3-note pattern played with only the three fingers of the right hand. Start this song on a C major chord, the easiest chord to play. After that, you can harmonize chords and use more complex variations with different notes. You can also play this song with both hands.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Playing on a C Major Key
Step 1. Place your thumb and next two fingers in position C
To play Mary Had a Little Lamb in a C major chord, use the white keys located in middle C or middle C (as the name implies, in the middle of the fingerboard), and the two keys to the right. The two keys are the D and E notes.
- In the C position, you can play the first 5 notes of the C major scale: C-D-E-F-G. The thumb is on the middle C key, while the little finger is on the G key.
- For the basic melody in a C major chord, you only need to play the three notes above. Overall, the song can be played with only 3 notes. However, you can try more complicated variations once you've mastered the basic melody.
Step 2. Play the notes E-D-C-D-E-E-E
These notes are the melody for the first line of the song. While playing the melody, try singing the lyrics to that line ("Mary had a little lamb"). Each syllable is represented by a note. This set of notes is also the melody for the third line of the song so if you've mastered this line, you already know the first half of the verse.
While this song can be easily played with one finger, practice using all three fingers to get used to it. If you want to add chords or play a more complex arrangement, you'll need that skill
Step 3. Switch to the second line by playing the notes D-D-D / E-E-E
The second line of the song has the lyrics " little lamb, little lamb " and uses only the last two notes played on the first line. Each note is played repeatedly 3 times. For an alternative version, you can play the notes D-D-D / E-G-G and use your little finger to press the G key.
After playing the second line, move on to the third line you already know (because the melody is the same as the first line melody)
Step 4. Play the note E-D-D E-D-C as the last line of the verse
The last line of the song's lyrics reads "its fleece was white as snow". As with the other lines, play one note for each syllable in the lyrics.
After mastering the last line, try playing all four lines in succession without stopping: E-D-C-D-E-E-E / D-D-D E-E-E / E-D-C-D-E-E-E / E-D-D-E-D-C. Now you can play Mary Had a Little Lamb on the piano
Step 5. Repeat the same melody for the next stanzas
There is indeed more than one stanza in the song Mary Had a Little Lamb. However, all stanzas use the same note, without exception. After learning the first verse, you can play the song in its entirety.
- There are 4 stanzas in the song. You can find the full lyrics of the song at https://allnurserrhymes.com/mary-had-a-little-lamb/ if you don't already know.
- The song Mary Had a Little Lamb is based on the true story of a 14-year-old girl in the United States who brought her pet lamb to school in the late 1700s.
Method 2 of 3: Syncing the Melody
Step 1. Identify the harmonic chord for each note
In every major chord on the piano, each note has its own harmonic chord. The chord begins with the root note (a note that is played on the melody). After that, add 2 notes above that note by playing other keys.
- For example, the harmonic chord for a C note is a C major chord made up of the notes C, E, and G.
- If you want to teach your children the piano, this is a great opportunity to introduce music theory into practice in a hands-on, practical way that is likely to be quickly understood.
Step 2. Get your fingers in the chord position
To play chords instead of just one note, move your hands right and left on the fingerboard while pressing three keys at the same time instead of just one. Keep your hands in the same position as you play chords.
- Start your practice with a basic C major note so you don't have to use black keys. You'll need to practice quite a bit before you can harmonize the melody smoothly in other basic notes that require you to play black chords.
- Loosen the wrist and slightly bend the fingers into the same position/shape. Make sure the fingers are not too stiff or curled.
Step 3. Move your whole hand while playing the melody
To play a melody with harmony, instead of playing a single note, play a harmony chord. When playing a song in this way, your thumb will always press the main note of the chord (the original single note played on the melody).
When you're just starting out, try playing the entire melody of the song using only your thumb (without using other fingers). This way, you'll get used to moving your hands left and right on the fingerboard while playing the melody of a song
Method 3 of 3: Trying Other Variations on the Same Melody
Step 1. Slide your hands to play the song in the G major chord
If you want to play Mary Had a Little Lamb in this key, all you need to do is slide your hand on the fingerboard until your thumb is on the G key (which was previously occupied by your pinky when you played a C major key).
While you technically need to use black keys when playing a song in a G major chord, the basic melody of this song doesn't require black keys. As long as you're playing the basic melody of the song (not variations of it), use the same pattern as when you played the song in the C major chord
Step 2. Use a sharp F note when you play this song in a D major chord
Slide your hand until your thumb is on the D key to play Mary Had a Little Lamb in a D major chord. When playing the first five notes of the D major scale, you need to press the F key hard (the black key to the right of the F key), and not the F key. Play the five notes several times until you get used to using the black key.
- Since the melody pattern of this song starts with the middle finger, the first note that needs to be played on the melody is a sharp F. After that, just follow the same fingering pattern.
- By noting the names or letters of the notes when you switch to a key, you can learn how to change a song to a different key.
Step 3. Try playing the melody of this song in the A major chord
As with any other note, move your thumb to the A key. The next four fingers play the other notes on the first five notes of the A major scale. One of the notes used is a sharp C, a black key next to the middle C key.
As is the case with the D major chord, since the melodic pattern starts with the middle finger, the song starts on the black key. After that, the song follows the same fingering pattern, as when you played it in a C major chord
Step 4. Accompany the melody of the song with a left-handed chord
Add depth and complexity to the song by hitting harmony chords with your right hand while playing the melody with your right.
- When playing this song in a C major chord, alternate the C major and G major chords. To play a G major chord, slide your hand 4 keys (counting from the C key on a C major chord) to the left or down. After that, just move your hand position left and right on the fingerboard while playing a song.
- In scores, you can see the chords above the musical notes (marked by the letter of the chord). For songs like Mary Had a Little Lamb, you usually need to play an accompaniment harmony chord on the first note of each bar or bar. Put chords in the notes you want to emphasize, and don't play chords for parts of the song that are softer and need to be played more smoothly.
- Based on the lyrics, you can add harmonic chord accompaniments to the capitalized syllables: " MAR-y had a LIT-tle lamb, LIT-tle lamb, LIT-tle lamb, MAR-y had a little lamb, its FLEECE was white as SNOW".
