My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean: piano notes in G major
This version of My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean uses six white keys and one black key: B3, D4, E4, F♯4, G4, A4 and B4. The verse swings in three, and the chorus keeps the same tempo but moves in long notes, mostly a whole bar each, that are easy to hold.
Key: G major. Time: 3/4. Range: B3–B4. Hand: right hand for the melody. This page contains the melody without a left-hand accompaniment.
Find G and the black key F♯
Look for a group of three black keys near the middle of the keyboard. G4 is the white key between the first and second of them, and F♯4 is the first black key of the group, just left of G4. A4 and B4 are the next two white keys to the right of G4. D4 is the white key between the two black keys of the group just below, with E4 to its right. B3 is two white keys below D4.
One comfortable position is thumb on D4 and little finger on B4, with E4, G4 and A4 under the middle fingers. For F♯4 a finger reaches in towards the black keys; for B3 the hand moves down a little.
The complete melody, with beat counts
Each row below is one bar with three beats. The number after a note is its length in beats: (1) one beat, (2) two beats, (3) three beats, (1.5) one and a half beats and (0.5) half a beat. Rest(1) is one beat of silence. A plus sign, as in (+2), means the note goes on from the bar before: keep the key down and do not play it again. The song begins with a pickup, a single D4 before bar 1.
Bars 1–16 are the verse. It opens with B4 A4 G4 and comes back to the same start in bars 5 and 9. Bars 17–32 are the chorus: long notes of three beats, D4, G4, E4 and G4, then F♯4 three times; bars 25–32 follow a similar line and finish on a long G4.
| Bar | Notes and beats |
|---|---|
| Pickup |
D(1)
|
| 1 |
B(1.5)
A(0.5)
G(1)
|
| 2 |
A(1)
G(1)
E(1)
|
| 3 |
D(1)
B(2)
|
| 4 |
B(+1)
Rest(1)
D(1)
|
| 5 |
B(1.5)
A(0.5)
G(1)
|
| 6 |
G(1)
F♯(1)
G(1)
|
| 7 |
A(3)
|
| 8 |
A(+2)
D(1)
|
| 9 |
B(1.5)
A(0.5)
G(1)
|
| 10 |
A(1)
G(1)
E(1)
|
| 11 |
D(1)
B(2)
|
| 12 |
B(+1)
Rest(1)
D(1)
|
| 13 |
E(1)
A(1)
G(1)
|
| 14 |
F♯(1)
E(1)
F♯(1)
|
| 15 |
G(3)
|
| 16 |
G(+2)
Rest(1)
|
| 17 |
D(3)
|
| 18 |
G(3)
|
| 19 |
E(3)
|
| 20 |
G(3)
|
| 21 |
F♯(1)
F♯(1)
F♯(1)
|
| 22 |
F♯(1)
E(1)
F♯(1)
|
| 23 |
G(2)
A(1)
|
| 24 |
B(3)
|
| 25 |
D(3)
|
| 26 |
G(3)
|
| 27 |
E(3)
|
| 28 |
A(2)
G(1)
|
| 29 |
F♯(1)
F♯(1)
F♯(1)
|
| 30 |
F♯(1)
E(1)
F♯(1)
|
| 31 |
G(3)
|
| 32 |
G(+3)
|
Try one small part at a time
- Start with the pickup and bar 1: D4, then B4 for one and a half beats, a quick A4 and G4. Count one-two-three.
- Play bars 2–4: A4 G4 E4, then D4 and a long B3 that is held on into bar 4. Count the held beat and the rest before the next D4.
- Try bars 13–16: E4 A4 G4, then F♯4 E4 F♯4, and a G4 held for five beats over the bar line.
- Play the chorus in bars 17–24 slowly: one long note per bar, then F♯4 F♯4 F♯4, F♯4 E4 F♯4, G4 A4 and a long B4. Put the parts together only when your child is ready.
The key signature, ties and rests
The sharp at the start of each staff line is the key signature of G major. It raises one note of the scale for the whole song, so the melody’s F♯4 is a black key without a sign in front of the note. A small curve between two notes of the same pitch is a tie: play the first note and hold it through the second.
The table shows rests as Rest with their length in beats. You can print this page using your browser’s print command and keep the beat-count table with the score.
Questions about this version
How many keys does the tune use?
Seven: six white keys, B3, D4, E4, G4, A4 and B4, and one black key, F♯4.
What does (+2) in the table mean?
It is the second part of a tied note. A long note that runs over a bar line is written as two notes joined by a tie. Play it once and hold it for both parts: in bars 7–8, A4 lasts three beats plus two.
Why are there different versions online?
The same tune can be written in different keys and rhythms. This page follows The Golden Book of Favorite Songs, moved to G major, with the beat counts shown above.
Continue with guided practice
My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean is one of the songs in the Soitilo song library. Each playing task begins with Practice, where the accompaniment waits for your child, before Play with the accompaniment. Soitilo works on the screen, with a MIDI keyboard (USB cable or Bluetooth, on a device that supports it) or with a piano heard through the microphone.
For parents: explore how the learning path works and what is included for free.
Start with the basics and Chapter 1 at no cost. Optional subscriptions open more learning and songs. The iPhone and iPad version is coming soon to the App Store.
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