Happy Birthday
Free Sheet Music for All Instruments
Happy Birthday is a song everyone knows, but few can play! Offered here in keys for all instruments, you can teach it to your students with this free printable sheetmusic. Look for the lead sheets below, and a two-hand melody version for beginning pianists (with optional duet secondo), and also a simple piano arrangement with chords.
People all around the world know the tune for Happy Birthday:
The piano arrangement I have here uses a simple, bouncy left-hand chord accompaniment in the "Oom-pah,pah" style. My piano teacher (Mrs. Catherine Hahn, God rest her soul) began her students with this "bass note, chord, chord" approach, using all root-position chords instead of inversions. This made understanding basic chords and even the 7th chords very easy.
Here is the melody of Happy Birthday for voice and piano:
Download Happy Birthday in the key of D
Download free sheet music in the key of Eb
Download free birthday song in the key of F
Download vocal and piano song in the key of G
Below is the melody of Happy Birthday as a lead sheet, for any instrument. Verse two uses words I heard in Sunday School as a child, but did not understand until I was an adult! "Happy Birthday to you -- Only one (just having ONE birthday) will not do! "Born again" ("Ye must be born again", John Chapter 3 in the New Testament portion of the Bible) means Salvation; How many (how many "birth - days" -- how many times have you been BORN) have you?
Download Birthday song lead sheet in the key of A
Download Birthday song lead sheet in the key of Bb
Download Birthday song lead sheet in the key of C
Download Birthday song lead sheet in the key of D
Download Birthday song lead sheet in the key of Eb
Download Birthday song lead sheet in the key of F
Download Birthday song lead sheet in the key of G
Below is a version for brave beginners who want to be able to play all of Happy Birthday themselves, even to the octave stretch and the chords. It is pretty easy, but kids need a bit of background in chord-playing first, such as Mary Had a Little Lamb.
Download simple version of the Birthday song in the key of F
Download simple version of Happy Birthday in the key of G
With these small chords, I like to tell my students "This is a D "pinch" chord. This is a "little" C chord."
The version in G may be easier for your students to play, because with the F version, each hand has to deal with a Bb note. In the G version, only the right hand has a black note. However, the G arrangement uses several bass clef ledger line notes! You will have to decide. I think the G version is easier.
Now here is the Middle-C version for beginner piano students, the easiest version of all. Use this or the version after it to make a duet with your beginner piano student, or even have two students play together:
Download Middle C version of the Birthday song
Here is the same music, but with chord symbols for a duet partner:
Download Birthday song with chord symbols
If you want to turn it into a 2-student duet (the melody or Primo part will have to be played UP an octave), here are the chords spelled out in this Secondo part (some of them are ROOT chords, and some are CHORD INVERSIONS:)
Download Middle C duet version for your students
This song has become traditional -- according to Wikipedia, Happy Birthday is the most-recognized song in the English language. However, the writers are known to history -- two sisters named Mildred and Patty Hill, who wrote the song in 1893. Originally the words weren't Happy Birthday at all, but "Good morning to you, good morning to you. Good morning, dear children, good morning to you!"
In 1912, the slightly-altered melody and lyrics in "Happy Birthday to You" first appeared in print, with no credits or copyright notices. But the Summy Company registered for copyright in 1935, and in 1990, Warner Chappell purchased the company. "Based on the 1935 copyright registration, Warner claims that the United States copyright will not expire until 2030 and that unauthorized public performances of the song are technically illegal unless royalties are paid to it," says the Wikipedia article.
Whoa! Therefore, I will be taking down these particular music files and replacing them with versions that match "Good Morning to You."
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Really Good Site for Beginners Not rated yet
Thanks sister, it's a good site for piano learners.
I am a piano teacher, for my students I searched for many times. God's grace I caught this site. I …
Carrie,Voice and Piano Teacher:
This site is FABULOUS. For all the reasons you explain on the site itself--this is exactly what piano teachers need! (I still need to go look at the vocal music). Wow. THANK YOU SO MUCH!
Lin:
Thank you for a most excellent site. I am a classical guitar teacher, who endeavors to cover chords and fingerstyle as well. I especially liked the printable Celtic music, as some of my teenage students enjoy it! Thank you, again.
Anna Lee:
What a fabulous website! I've been a keen amateur piano player since I first learnt 56 years ago at the age of 8. I now have a three year old granddaughter and am hoping fervently that she'll want to learn - at which point I'll teach her. This is just the kind of resource I'll need to make it comprehensible. Thank you very much.
Kelly-Ann:
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you....I have a lot of books on graded pieces but not a lot of beginner pieces. I use material I have written myself together with books I encourage my parents to buy... but sometimes parents just can't afford a book- and as a teacher you sometimes do find your self searching for material....Thank you thank you thank you once again!
Marianne:
You are awesome. Thank you. I'm a voice and piano teacher and to have so many pieces in one place- for many different levels- is a Godsend. Thank you for the time and effort you have put in to make this so easily available to all of us stressed music teachers!!!
My Favorite Piano Links
Leia'sLessons (a blog)
Martha Beth's Piano Site
MusicInMotion.com
MusicLessonsPlus
MusicMattersBlog
Musicnotes.com
Piano Adventures Forum
Piano Music for Boys
PianoWorldForum
Sheetmusicplus
Susan Paradis Teacher Resources
TCW Resources
TimTopham (a blog)
Joy: I bought your Halloween Songs, wrote teacher accompaniment for some, and performed with 17 of my students in costume at an assisted living facility. It was a "win-win" situation. The kids and residents loved it and the parents were very pleased with the service aspect of their children's performance as well. Thank you for sharing these lovely pieces that introduce the minor key in a very simple and interesting way to early elementary students.
Susie:
Wow! I cannot thank you enough for the free collection of piano sheet music that you created here. My daughter and I are following everything you wrote and we LOVE it. It is super fun!!! She loves to play because of your website. We have a small binder now that is slowly growing! THANK YOU!!!!
Deb:
... I watched your video "Wondrous Love" with your eight gals - Magnificent! So refreshing to see good harmonies sung a capella these days; it seems to be rare!
Carrie,Voice and Piano Teacher:
This site is FABULOUS. For all the reasons you explain on the site itself--this is exactly what piano teachers need! (I still need to go look at the vocal music). Wow. THANK YOU SO MUCH!
Miggy, United Kingdom:
I've just found your website and I think I've died and gone to heaven. I've just taken up the piano again after 35 years absence... buying sheet music was getting expensive/a luxury. The tips are great too. I also live in the middle of nowhere so buying from a shop is not really an option unless I fancy a 120 mile round trip for a piece of sheet music!
Elania:
...I have been slowly giving my oldest daughter whatever my memory can dredge up, scouring the internet for free music she can do, but your website with its instructions AND tips on how to teach pieces are going to help me SO much in this endeavor. I just wanted to tell you thank you. Really really! THANK YOU!
Ashley:
Thank you so so much for this site! I'm teaching my little sister and everything up here is absolutely amazing! I will definitely be making a donation as soon as possible! Thank you again! You're wonderful!
Bob:
I am a "retiree" and brand new guitar student. I have used your guitar tabs for Shenandoah and Amazing Grace, and find it exciting to hear real music coming out of my guitar for the first time.
Marta:
Thank you for the free downloads! I'm a private teacher and I teach piano and beginner voice as well. :) I've been running my studio for about a year and I've come across the same issue; I don't want my students to have to purchase an entire supplemental book for only a couple of songs. So thank you for this site...some great downloads!!
Cailan:
There is an incredible amount of people online who just want to be heard, but very few who have given what you have so clearly. Regarding instruction for those of us who can't afford lessons, your site has been a real gift to stumble across. I'm looking forward to now removing a few bad habits. My humblest thanks from Australia.
Great Music Resources
ArtSongCentral
Cantorian.org
FreePianoLessons4Kids
Leia'sLessons (a blog)
Martha Beth's Piano Site
MusicFolkPlayHymns
MusicLessonsPlus
MusicMattersBlog
Musicnotes.com
Piano Adventures Forum
Piano Music for Boys
PianoWorldForum
Sheetmusicplus
Susan Paradis Teacher Resources
TCW Resources
Lin:
Thank you for a most excellent site. I am a classical guitar teacher, who endeavors to cover chords and fingerstyle as well. I especially liked the printable Celtic music, as some of my teenage students enjoy it! Thank you, again.
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