Learn Happy Birthday 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.
—last string
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 songPick a song
—
Songs
Settings
100 BPM
sounding · raised leverplay this next
Space listen or stop · Esc stop
How to play Happy Birthday on the lever harp
Short and useful. The big octave leap on the third "birthday" is the only stretch. Mildred and Patty Hill, "Good Morning to All", 1893.
- Key
- C major
- Time
- 3/4
- Tempo
- 100 BPM
- Notes
- 25
- Level
- Easy
- Listen. Press Listen above to hear it at 100 BPM. You can slow it down in Settings.
- 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.
- 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.
- G4Hap-G4pyA4birth-G4dayC5toB4youG4Hap-G4pyA4birth-G4dayD5toC5you
- G4Hap-G4pyG5birth-E5dayC5dearB4friendA4 F5Hap-F5pyE5birth-C5dayD5toC5you