Mary Had a Little Lamb on Piano: Letter Notes and Note Names
Mary Had a Little Lamb is one of the first songs many people learn on the piano. It begins on just three white keys, E, D and C, and the whole tune fits on 13 keys, so you can play it on a phone held upright. Press Play on Piano to open it on the keyboard and follow along one note at a time.
Mary Had a Little Lamb letter notes
Each letter is the computer key that plays the note. A space is one beat, and a | holds the note for an extra beat at the end of a phrase.
Traditional · 26 notes · Playable on 13+ keys
Play on Pianou y t y u u u |
y y y | u o o |
u y t y u u u u
y y u y t |||Words, note names and keys, line by line
Singing along is the easiest way to keep the rhythm. Each line of the song lines up with one line of the sheet above.
| Words | Note names | Computer keys |
|---|---|---|
| Mary had a little lamb, | E D C D E E E | u y t y u u u |
| little lamb, | D D D E G G | y y y u o o |
| little lamb, | E D C D E E E E | u y t y u u u u |
| Mary had a little lamb, its | D D E D C | y y u y t |
How to play it
Start with the first line only. It walks down E, D, C and back up to E, then repeats E three times. Once that feels even, add the two short "little lamb" answers: three Ds, then E followed by two Gs, the only notes outside the first three keys. The last line ends by stepping down to C, the note the song is built around.
On a computer keyboard, rest three fingers on t, y and u and keep them there. On a touchscreen, turn on note names in Settings so the keys show C4, D4 and E4 while you learn where they are.
Where the song comes from
The words come from "Mary's Lamb", a poem by Sarah Josepha Hale published in Boston in 1830. The tune was set to it soon afterwards, and in 1877 Thomas Edison recited its opening lines when he tested his phonograph. Both the words and the melody are in the public domain, and this letter-note version was written out by ScreenPiano. See credits and attribution.
What to play next
Hot Cross Buns uses the same three keys, and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star adds G and A; both are in the easy piano songs with letter notes. When you are ready for black keys, try the easy Für Elise main theme, which is right hand only. After that, the full Für Elise and the Moonlight Sonata first movement use both hands. Or open the ScreenPiano virtual piano and play freely.
Mary Had a Little Lamb piano questions
What are the piano notes for Mary Had a Little Lamb?
The first line is E D C D E E E. The whole song uses only four notes: C, D, E and G. On ScreenPiano those are the keys t, y, u and o on your computer keyboard.
Which fingers should I use?
Put your right thumb on C. Your index finger then sits on D, your middle finger on E, and your little finger reaches G without moving the hand. This five-finger position is where most beginner piano books start.
Is this a good first song for a child?
Yes. The first line moves step by step between three neighbouring keys, the rhythm is steady, and most children already know the words. Singing the words while pressing the keys helps them keep the rhythm.