Hot Cross Buns Notes

The notes with the words

Words	Notes
Hot cross buns	E D C
Hot cross buns	E D C
One a penny, two a penny	C C C C D D D D
Hot cross buns	E D C

The tune walks down three notes, E, D, C, and that’s the whole first line. The middle line stays on C, then on D, with two quick notes for every syllable of “pen-ny”. Then the opening comes back to finish.

On the staff

The song in 4/4 time, four beats in every measure. The letter under each note is its name.

The three notes

• C is middle C. It sits on its own short ledger line below the staff. Lesson 3 is all about it.
• D hangs just below the bottom line, in the space between middle C’s ledger line and the staff.
• E sits on the bottom line of the staff.

Each note is one step from the next, so the melody moves like a little staircase: down, down, then back up to the top.

Tips for reading it

• Look at the shape first. Before naming any notes, notice that the first line steps down and the middle line stays on two notes. Reading the shape tells you most of the song.
• Middle C is easy to spot. It’s the only one of the three with a line through it below the staff.
• Count the eighth notes in pairs. “One a pen-ny” fits four quick notes into two beats: say “1 & 2 &” as you read them.

About the song

“Hot Cross Buns” began as a street cry in England, sung by sellers of the sweet, spiced buns that are traditionally eaten on Good Friday. Today it’s one of the first tunes many children learn on the recorder or piano, because three neighboring notes are all it needs.

Play it

Press Play Hot Cross Buns at the top of this page to read it in Trebly’s Songs mode. Each note arrives on the staff in order. Name it, and you’ll hear it, so the tune comes together as you read. When you can play it without mistakes, turn on Play in time and read it to a steady beat.

Ready for more? Mary Had a Little Lamb uses the same three notes plus G.