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Keyboard letters you can play right now
Each letter is a key on the on-screen piano below. Lowercase letters are white keys, capital letters are black keys. Open the piano and press them in order — no sheet music needed.
Phrase 1 tttyu
Phrase 2 uyuio
Phrase 3 sssooouuuttt
Phrase 4 oiuyt
As note names:
C C C D E · E D E F G · C C C G G G E E E C C C · G F E D CWhy this piece works for practice
Row Row Row Your Boat is the gentlest introduction to compound time. The lilting 6/8 feel is what makes it sound like a boat, and the third phrase jumps up an octave — your first real position shift. If the rhythm is right, half your practice is already done.
How to practise it
- Count 'one-two-three, four-five-six' under the first phrase so the rocking 6/8 pulse is felt, not guessed.
- For the third phrase, move your hand up an octave and keep the same finger pattern — the shape is identical, just higher.
- Play the last phrase slowly; coming back down an octave after a jump is where most people lose the beat.
Frequently asked questions
What are the notes for Row Row Row Your Boat?
C C C D E, E D E F G, C C C G G G E E E C C C, and G F E D C to finish. The third phrase is the same shape an octave higher.
Is Row Row Row Your Boat in 6/8 or 4/4?
6/8 — two groups of three per bar. Feeling those two groups, rather than six separate beats, is what gives the song its rocking motion.
Keep learning
- Piano chords chart — every triad and seventh chord
- Piano scales — major and minor scales with fingerings
- Piano keys explained — how many keys, note names, layout
- Easy piano songs for beginners — the full list
- MIDI piano recorder — record your take and listen back
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