Hot Cross Buns — Free Piano Sheet Music for Kids, With a Play Button

Hot Cross Buns

Free beginner piano sheet music: C major, 4/4, 4 bars, played twice. The right hand alone in C position, thumb on middle C, with the finger number above every note and its letter name underneath. Press Play to hear it on a real piano or slow it down; click any note to start from there; print it for the music stand.

The notes in this piece

Your right hand plays three notes in this piece: C, D, E. The thumb sits on middle C and each finger has its own key, so the hand never moves. The left hand rests in your lap. The shaded keys are the notes, and the numbers under them are the fingers (1 is the thumb). The same finger numbers are printed above every note in the music, with the note’s letter name underneath. What is C position? →

Where your hand goes

C – D – E

About this arrangement

An English street cry from the 1700s, and usually the very first tune a beginner learns: just three notes, E, D and C. In C position the right thumb sits on middle C and the five fingers rest on C D E F G, so E, D and C fall under fingers 3, 2 and 1 and the hand never moves. The right hand plays alone. Bar 3 is the busy one: eight quavers (eighth notes), two to a beat, four Cs and then four Ds. The repeat sign at the end means play it twice.

Practice tip: Count “1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and” in bar 3 so the quavers stay even. The other three bars are the same three notes, E D C, fingers 3 2 1.

The words

Hot cross buns! Hot cross buns! One a penny, two a penny, hot cross buns!

A short history

Hot cross buns were sold in the streets of London on Good Friday, and the rhyme is the sellers’ cry. Poor Robin’s Almanac for 1733 is the earliest record of it: “Good Friday comes this month, the old woman runs, with one or two a penny hot cross buns.”

The three-note tune was in print by the end of the eighteenth century and has been the standard first piece for the recorder, the piano and the violin ever since, because it uses only three neighbouring notes and one simple rhythm.

The repeat sign at the end is traditional too: street cries were sung over and over until a customer came.

Quick facts

Tune: Traditional (English, 18th century)
Key: C major, C position
Time signature: 4/4
Length: 4 bars, played twice
Tempo: Steadily, crotchet = 96
Difficulty: Level 1: Right hand, C to G (piece 5 of 201)
Type: Nursery rhyme
Hands: Right hand only, thumb on middle C
Notes: C, D and E (diagram above)
Copyright: Public domain tune; arrangement by Digital Greenhouse, free for personal and classroom use

Questions and answers

Which notes does Hot Cross Buns use?

It is in C major, in 4/4 time, for the right hand alone in C position: thumb on middle C and fingers 1 to 5 on C, D, E, F and G. The finger number above each note and the letter name under it tell you which key to play.

How long is it?

C major, 4/4, 4 bars, played twice. The tempo marking is Steadily, crotchet = 96.

Is Hot Cross Buns out of copyright?

Yes. The tune is traditional (English, 18th century). Our piano arrangement is free for personal and classroom use.

What is the hardest part?

Count “1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and” in bar 3 so the quavers stay even. The other three bars are the same three notes, E D C, fingers 3 2 1.

Can I print it?

Yes. Press Print above to put this piece on its own page, or choose Save as PDF as the printer for a file. It prints on A4 paper; if yours is US Letter, choose US Letter in the box beside Print. The notes are the same size as a printed music book.

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