Lesson 3: High C and D — The Second Octave Begins
- Play C5 and D5 with a clean sound.
- Play F and G (on your alto staff) with a clean sound.
- Move down from D5 to G4 and back without losing tone.
- Move down from G to C on your alto staff and back without losing tone.
Keep the second finger down while the first finger and thumb change; try each shape without blowing first.
High C
High F
Cover the thumb and second front hole only. Lift the first finger.
Cover the thumb and second front hole only. Lift the first finger.
High D
High G
Lift the thumb fully; only the second finger stays down, with gentle, steady air.
Lift the thumb fully; only the second finger stays down, with gentle, steady air.
Listen, then copy one bar at a time; breathe between bars.
Play: Mary Had a Little Lamb
The second “little lamb” rises to your new D5.
The second “little lamb” rises to your new G.
Key: G major
Key: C major
The curled quarter-rest sign means one silent count; breathe there. Melody from Natalie Sarrazin’s Music and the Child (2016), transposed up a tone; CC BY-NC-SA 3.0. Source and adaptation credits are on the linked song page.
Now play these
- Mary Had a Little Lamb
- The full song; its second phrase reaches the new high note.
- Lightly Row
- Hold each long note.
When the arch and song sound clear, with one silent count at each rest, move on to Lesson 4.
High note squawking? See troubleshooting.