Happy Birthday To You – Mr. G's Music Stuff

Introduction

Here’s a song that everyone has heard before! This is the birthday song that we sing at someone’s birthday party.

Once you’ve learned it, I hope you’ll play it whenever it is someone special’s birthday!

We start on the left-hand and then switch to the right hand for one note and then back the left-hand and it keeps going like that for the first 5 measures. Then, in the last 4 measures, most of the notes are on the G Clef, played with the right hand. Don’t forget to make that fermata just the way you want it in measure 7.

Make sure you break the song into small pieces to learn it. Sound out each part, then put them together.

Don’t forget to use your ears and your brain to know if it sounds right. If not, check your hand position first, (point, slide, curl, glue and add your fingers too) then go back and try it again.

Video

The Lesson

As you look at the sheet music for this piece, there is a new symbol in measure 7 that you should notice right away. It looks like this:

It is called a fermata and it is a simple idea to understand. It just means that you get to play the note for as long as you want. In this song it is over the note that is sung with the birthday person’s name. That’s why you sometime hear some singer showing off and holding the note for a REALLY LONG TIME, like “Happy Birthday dear Mr. Geeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! Happy birthday to you.”

Here is a video about fermatas.

At The Piano

Full Speed

Slower

Sheet Music

Piano

Piano Challenge Version

Ukulele

Guitar

Recorder

Xylophone or On-Screen Piano

Don’t Forget!

You can look up the ukulele chords and guitar chords and get help with reading tablature,
playing the recorder or rhythm (percussion) instruments right here on my website!