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Hey Diddle Diddle

Medium7 notes37 keys to press6/8

Play it by colors: press Listen, then My turn. The next key lights up and waits for you.

You need
  • C
  • D
  • E
  • F
  • G
  • A
  • B
A cow leaping over a crescent moon, a cat playing a fiddle at a grand piano and a dish running off with a spoon
EMiHeyFFadid-EMidleDRedid-CDodle!DRetheEMicatFFaandEMitheDRefid-CDodle,DReTheEMicowEMijumpedGSolo-FFaverEMitheDRemoon;EMiTheFFalit-FFatleEMidogFFalaughedEMitoFFaseeFFatheGSolfineALasport,BSiAndCDotheCDodishGSolranFFaa-EMiwayFFawithDRetheCDospoon.

Same color twice on the piano? the one on the left the one on the right

Sing along

The words of Hey Diddle Diddle

Every syllable sits under its note in the bubbles above. These words are in the public domain.

Hey diddle diddle!

the cat and the fiddle,

The cow jumped over the moon;

The little dog laughed to see the fine sport,

And the dish ran away with the spoon.

For grown-ups

About this song

Hey Diddle Diddle is the silliest rhyme of all: a cat plays the fiddle, a cow jumps over the moon and a dish runs away with a spoon. The tune rocks in 6/8 between E, F, D and C, like a little dance, and stays on the white keys between C and the high C. Each note on this page is a colored bubble with its letter and its word. Press Listen to hear it with the keys lighting up, then My turn: the next key glows and waits for your child. Laugh on "the dish ran away with the spoon".

Where the song comes from

Hey Diddle Diddle is a nonsense rhyme that was already printed in the 1760s, and people have tried for centuries to find a hidden meaning in it without success: it is simply funny. The tune on this page is the one printed on the cover of Walter Crane's songbook The Baby's Opera in 1877.

Playing it together

The first two lines rock back and forth: E F E D C D. Put the thumb on C and let the next three fingers find D, E and F. Count the dance in two: ONE two three, TWO two three.

Where the tune comes from

The tune and the words on this page come from The Baby's Opera, an illustrated songbook by Walter Crane published in 1877 and now in the public domain. The melody is set in an easy key for the rainbow piano, with as few black keys as possible; some old tunes and words differ a little from the versions sung today.

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Nursery rhymes: all 27 songs · All 66 songs · Balloon Pop game · First lessons

Questions

Frequently asked

What are the notes of Hey Diddle Diddle on piano?

It starts E F E D C D, E F E D C D, then climbs E E G F E D for "the cow jumped over the moon". All white keys between C and the high C.

What does Hey Diddle Diddle mean?

Nothing in particular: it is a nonsense rhyme, made to be fun to say and sing. Many hidden meanings have been suggested, none proven.

Is Hey Diddle Diddle easy for kids on piano?

Yes: it moves mostly by neighbouring keys in the five-finger C position, with a gentle swing.

For grown-ups

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