The library · Traditional songs
Frère Jacques
Traditional French song
A round on a single chord chart: ideal for playing both hands together from the start.
C major · 4/4 · 100 beats per minute · 8 bars · 19 s · beginner level
The form
The sections of the piece and their chords: the map you learn before playing a single note.
A A' A'' B
| Section | Bars | Chords | Phrase ending |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 1–2 | C I |
— |
| A' | 3–4 | C I |
— |
| A'' | 5–6 | C I |
— |
| B | 7–8 | C · G · C · G I · V · I · V |
Imperfect cadence |
The key
- C major
- No sharps or flats
- Scale
- C · D · E · F · G · A · B
- Pillar chords
- I = C · IV = F · V7 = G7
The tricky passages
- Bars 5–6: a melodic leap (perfect fifth)
The plan: 7 days
Half an hour a day. First I help you understand the map of the piece, then we lay down the chord framework, learn each section phrase by phrase, work on the tricky passages, put it together and bring it up to tempo, until you can play it from memory.
More pieces from the library
- Au clair de la lune · Traditional French song
- Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star · Traditional, with variations by Mozart
- Ode to Joy · Ludwig van Beethoven
- Prelude in C major, BWV 846 · Johann Sebastian Bach
- Invention No. 1 in C major, BWV 772 · Johann Sebastian Bach
- Minuet in G major, BWV Anh. 114 · Christian Petzold