Traditional 18th century G major 4/4 Easy 0:46 Both hands
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Auld Lang Syne is the song for the last minutes of the year: at midnight on New Year's Eve, people in many countries join hands and sing it. It is also a good piece for a beginner, because the whole melody uses only five notes of the scale - G, A, B, D and E here - and no F# at all. This easy version is in G major, with the melody in the right hand and one or two long bass notes per bar in the left. The dotted rhythm, long then short, is the heart of the tune. Listen once to hear it, then learn it in Practice mode, the verse first, then the chorus.
The melody runs from the D above middle C to the G just above the treble staff. Play the first note, the low D, with the thumb, then move the thumb to G: G A B take fingers 1-2-3, and D and E above them take 4 and 5, skipping C, which the tune never uses. In bar 7 the thumb goes back down to D for G E E D.
One long note per bar on G, D or C below middle C, following the chords. In bars 7 and 15 it plays C for three beats and D on the last beat, leading back to G; in bar 10 it plays D, then C.
The dotted rhythm in almost every bar: the first note lasts a beat and a half, the second only half a beat (G. G, A. G, D. B). Count "1, 2-and": the long note on 1, held through 2, and the short one on "and". The song also starts with a one-beat pickup, the low D, before the first full bar.
Pickup D with the thumb, then thumb on G: G G G B is 1-1-1-3, A G A B is 2-1-2-3, G G B D is 1-1-3-4, E is 5. Bar 7, thumb on D: G E E D is 4-2-2-1. Chorus, thumb on G: D B B G is 4-3-3-1, A G A E is 2-1-2-5. In bar 12 play the long E with 3 so that 5 is free for the high G.
The right-hand melody of this version, bar by bar, in letter names and in Do Ré Mi. Sharps are written #, flats b; a note held across a bar line is written once.
Melody: D G G G B A G A B G G B D E E D B B G A G A B G …
| Bar | Notes | Do Ré Mi |
|---|---|---|
| Pickup | D | Ré |
| 1 | G G G B | Sol Sol Sol Si |
| 2 | A G A B | La Sol La Si |
| 3 | G G B D | Sol Sol Si Ré |
| 4 | E E | Mi Mi |
| 5 | D B B G | Ré Si Si Sol |
| 6 | A G A B | La Sol La Si |
| 7 | G E E D | Sol Mi Mi Ré |
| 8 | G E | Sol Mi |
| 9 | D B B G | Ré Si Si Sol |
| 10 | A G A E | La Sol La Mi |
| 11 | D B B D | Ré Si Si Ré |
| 12 | E G | Mi Sol |
| 13 | D B B G | Ré Si Si Sol |
| 14 | A G A B | La Sol La Si |
| 15 | G E E D | Sol Mi Mi Ré |
| 16 | G | Sol |
The chords this arrangement holds for at least two bars, read from the score with the root in the bass. Each one opens its page: the notes, every inversion and the fingering, playable on a piano.
The piece is in G major: all the chords of the key
The words are by Robert Burns (1759-1796), Scotland's national poet, who built them on an older Scottish song. "Auld lang syne" is Scots for "old long since", roughly "days gone by". The song asks whether old friends should be forgotten, and answers by raising "a cup o' kindness" to them.
The tune is a traditional Scottish melody, and the custom of singing it to see the old year out began in Scotland, at Hogmanay, before it spread around the world. In Scotland people join hands in a circle and, for the last verse, cross their arms to take the hands of the people on either side.
This transcription: Traditional Scottish tune with words by Robert Burns, the melody as it is sung today: in G major; left hand by GOONS Studio. Transcribed by GOONS Studio from the original work, which is in the public domain.
On guitar: Auld Lang Syne guitar chords and lyrics, with a guitar that strums along.
Easy Version · E minor
Easy Version, Chorus · C major
Easy Version · C major
Easy Version · A minorThe full piano studio opens this score with your MIDI keyboard and sustain pedal, records what you play and exports it as a MIDI file. It comes with the GOONS Studio subscription - start with the 7-day free trial, no card required.
In G major the first line is D, G G G B, A G A B, G G B D, E (Ré, Sol Sol Sol Si, La Sol La Si, Sol Sol Si Ré, Mi). The chorus, "For auld lang syne", goes E, D B B G, A G A E, D B B D, E. Every bar is in the Notes section.
It is Scots for "old long since": roughly "long ago" or "days gone by". The song asks whether old friends and old times should be forgotten, and answers by drinking "a cup o' kindness" to them.
The custom began in Scotland, where it was sung at Hogmanay, the Scottish New Year, and spread from there. It is now sung at midnight on 31 December in many countries, often with everyone holding hands.
Robert Burns wrote the words in the 18th century, drawing on an older Scottish song. The melody is a traditional Scottish tune; nobody knows who composed it.