Notalo › Piano songs with letters › Old MacDonald Had a Farm
Old MacDonald Had a Farm — piano notes with letters
The main “E-I-E-I-O” phrase in C major, played twice. Simplified for easy piano — the many-verse “here a moo, there a moo” section is left out; this is the tune everyone actually remembers.
Traditional (American), early 20th century (verses published) · C major · 4/4 · public domain · arranged and labeled by Notalo
Hear it. A MIDI file of exactly these notes at 120 BPM — open it in any music app, or slow it down to practice.
Download MIDIAbout the song
An American cumulative song — each verse adds another animal and its sound — first printed in 1917 in 'Tommy's Tunes', a collection of songs sung by British soldiers, though older versions were sung in the United States long before. The 'E-I-E-I-O' refrain is what everyone remembers, and it is the part written out here.
How to play it, phrase by phrase
'Old Mac-Don-ald had a farm' is C C C G, A A G — three repeated C's, a jump down to G, then A A G. 'E-I-E-I-O' is E E D D and a long C. Bars 5–8 repeat the whole phrase. The jump from C down to G in bar 1 is the only awkward moment; keep your hand still and reach down with the thumb. Once this phrase is easy, sing the animal verses over the same notes.
Letter notes, bar by bar (right hand)
Read left to right; a | is a bar line. Chord symbols are for the left hand or a guitar.
| Bar | Chord | Right-hand letters |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | C | C C C G |
| 2 | F | A A G |
| 3 | C | E E D D |
| 4 | C | C |
| 5 | C | C C C G |
| 6 | F | A A G |
| 7 | C | E E D D |
| 8 | C | C |
Three things to watch
- Bars 1–4 and 5–8 are exactly the same — learn one phrase, play the whole song.
- The left hand switches just once per phrase, C to F and back.
- The held whole note at the end of each phrase is the “O” — let it ring.
Have a different version, or a different song? Upload your own sheet music — a photo or PDF — and Notalo writes the letters under every note the same way, plus chords and a MIDI file.
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Frequently asked questions
Is this sheet music free to print and use?
Yes. Old MacDonald Had a Farm is in the public domain and this arrangement was written and rendered by Notalo. Print it, share it, use it in lessons.
What do the colors mean?
Red letters are the right hand (treble clef), blue letters are the left hand (bass clef), green is the chord for the bar. This is the same output Notalo gives for any sheet music you upload.
Can I get it with Do Re Mi or numbers instead of letters?
Yes — download the image above, upload it to Notalo, and pick solfège (Do Re Mi), German letters, or numbers (1 2 3) as the label style.