Easy Trumpet Songs for Beginners
The easiest trumpet songs use three written notes: C (open), D (valves 1 + 3) and E (1 + 2). Hot Cross Buns is the classic first song, and Mary Had a Little Lamb adds G, also open. Next come Ode to Joy and When the Saints with C, D, E, F and G. Below are 10 public-domain songs with note names, valves and a play-along.
Updated · By the Classfern Music Department
Works in the UK and the US. This version uses UK music words (bar, crotchet, stave); the US version uses measure, quarter note and staff. · US version of this page
Key facts
- First notes (written): C, D and E – open, 1 + 3 and 1 + 2.
- 10 songs, all public domain, in order of difficulty.
- Levels 1–2 use written C D E F G; level 3 adds A, low G, F♯ and B or high C′.
- Written for the B♭ trumpet or cornet: every note sounds a tone lower than written.
- The small numbers after each note are the valves to press (0 = open).
What is the easiest song to play on the trumpet?
Hot Cross Buns is the easiest trumpet song: it uses only three written notes, E (valves 1 + 2), D (1 + 3) and C (open), with a slow, simple rhythm. Mary Had a Little Lamb uses the same three notes plus G, which is open like C.
Play the songs in order. Each level adds a note or two, so beginners build up step by step from the first lesson.
What are the first notes to learn on the trumpet?
Most beginners learn written C (open), D (1 + 3), E (1 + 2), F (1) and G (open) – the first five notes of the C major scale. With them you can play six of the ten songs on this page. A (1 + 2) and high C′ (open) come next.
| Written note | Valves | Sounds (concert) |
|---|---|---|
| low G | Valves 1 + 3 | F3 |
| C | Open (no valves) | A♯3/B♭3 |
| D | Valves 1 + 3 | C4 |
| E | Valves 1 + 2 | D4 |
| F | Valve 1 | D♯4/E♭4 |
| F♯ | Valve 2 | E4 |
| G | Open (no valves) | F4 |
| A | Valves 1 + 2 | G4 |
| B | Valve 2 | A4 |
| C′ | Open (no valves) | A♯4/B♭4 |
The trumpet fingering chart has every note from low F♯ to high C with sound, and the trumpet play-along shows the valves for each note as the music scrolls.
Play-along
Sounds are made in your browser. The microphone is used only if you press Listen in the play-along, and stays on this device. Nothing is recorded, saved or sent.
Press a “Play along” button under any song. The notes scroll past and the box shows which valves to press for each one. Slow it down, or switch on wait mode so the music waits for you.
What are some easy trumpet songs?
Good easy trumpet songs are Hot Cross Buns and Mary Had a Little Lamb (C D E), then Ode to Joy, Lightly Row, When the Saints and Jingle Bells (C D E F G). Twinkle, Twinkle and Frère Jacques add A; Au Clair de la Lune and Amazing Grace move to other keys.
All ten work for KS2 and KS3 brass players, brass band beginners and adults starting out. Each song shows the written note names, bar by bar, with the valves in small numbers after each note, and has a play-along.
Hot Cross Buns
Mary Had a Little Lamb
Ode to Joy
Lightly Row
When the Saints Go Marching In
Jingle Bells (chorus)
Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star
Frère Jacques (Are You Sleeping?)
Au Clair de la Lune
Amazing Grace
Why are trumpet songs written in a different key?
The B♭ trumpet sounds a tone lower than written, so trumpet music is written a tone higher than the piano part. That way written C is always open, whatever the instrument's pitch. The songs on this page are written for the B♭ trumpet; the play-along plays them at concert pitch.
So when you play written C D E, a piano plays B♭ C D with you. Brass band cornets and B♭ flugelhorns read the same written notes with the same valves, so every song here works on them too.
How do you play higher notes on the trumpet?
Higher notes come from faster air and slightly firmer lip corners, not from pressing the mouthpiece harder. Practise lip slurs: play open C, then open G, then back, without changing the valves. When G is easy, add high C′ (also open).
Say “too” for low notes and “tee” for higher ones: the tongue rises a little and speeds up the air. Classfern's free trumpet tools on lessonplanner.info run in your browser, and nothing is recorded or sent. Classfern is not connected with or endorsed by any instrument maker or exam board.
Quick quiz: easy trumpet songs
Marked by Classfern 5 multiple-choice questions on the Classfern lesson engine. Your answers stay on this device.
Practice lesson: When the Saints Go Marching In
A short practice lesson on the Classfern lesson engine. Each step says how it is assessed:
- Self-assessed – the playing steps and the “I can” checklist.
- Judged by a teacher or parent (rubric) – a three-line rubric for a grown-up who listens.
- Evidence kept at home – a recording on your own device; Classfern only keeps a list.
More music tools
Mr Chopin and Miss Clara Schumann are Classfern's own cartoon characters, named in honour of the composers Frédéric Chopin and Clara Schumann – they are not portraits of the real people.
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