Learn Frère Jacques (Are You Sleeping?) on the Lever Harp

A Celtic lever harp. Pluck a string, or drag across them for a glissando. It's tuned in E♭, and each lever at the top raises its string a semitone. Red strings are C, blue are F.

Keys 1–7, Q–U, I pluck · Shift + key flips a leverTap or drag across the strings; tap a lever to flip it. Turn your phone sideways for a bigger harp.

Pick a song to practise — the levers set themselves for its key — or just play.

Choose a song

Pick a song

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Ready
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Songs

Settings

100 BPM
sounding · raised leverplay this next

Space listen or stop · Esc stop

How to play Frère Jacques (Are You Sleeping?) on the lever harp

Every phrase plays twice, so you learn it in half the time. It works as a round, too. French nursery round, 18th century.

Key
C major
Time
4/4
Tempo
108 BPM
Notes
32
Level
Easy
  1. Listen. Press Listen above to hear it at 108 BPM. You can slow it down in Settings.
  2. Play along. Press Play along and the string to pluck lights up. Play it and the next one lights. A wrong note is named, so you know what to change.
  3. Play it from the notes. Once it feels familiar, play it from the sheet below without the lights.

Levers: E, A, B raised · no flips needed during the song.

The harp is tuned in E♭. Each lever at the top raises its string a semitone, and the page sets the levers for you when the song loads.

The notes

Written as note names (the lever settings are above). A dot (·) is a rest.

  1. C5AreD5youE5sleep-C5ingC5areD5youE5sleep-C5ingE5Bro-F5therG5JohnE5Bro-F5therG5John
  2. G5Morn-A5ingG5bellsF5areE5ring-C5ingG5morn-A5ingG5bellsF5areE5ring-C5ingC5DingG4dangC5dongC5dingG4dangC5dong