Early One Morning — Free Piano Sheet Music for Kids, With a Play Button

The chords in this piece

Your left hand plays four chords in this piece. The shaded keys are the notes of each chord, and the numbers under them are the left-hand fingers (1 is the thumb). A chord on each beat, and in some bars the oom-pah: low C on beat 1, then E and G together. All the common piano chords, with diagrams →

C C

C – E – G · Left hand 5 3 1

C, E and G: the home chord. Little finger on C, middle finger on E, thumb on G.

F F (C position)

C – F – A · Left hand 5 2 1

C, F and A. The same three notes as F major, rearranged so the little finger stays on C; the thumb stretches up one key to A.

G G (C position)

B – D – G · Left hand 5 3 1

B, D and G. The same three notes as G major, rearranged so the hand barely moves: the little finger slides down one key from C to B.

G7 G7 (C position)

B – D – F · Left hand 5 3 2

B, D and F: G7 without its bottom G. Little finger down to B, finger 3 on D, finger 2 on F.

About this arrangement

An English folk song that climbs: the first phrase runs from middle C up to G and A and down again, and the second half (“how could you use”) walks up to the C above. Several words are sung over two notes, “morn-ing” on C and E, “sing” on C and E again, “how” on C and E, so the words are written with a hold line and the two notes are slurred. The tune also drops below middle C to G and B at “ris-ing” and “be-low”, so the thumb reaches down. The left hand uses C, F, G and G7, with oom-pah bass under the first phrase.

Practice tip: Learn bars 9 to 12 first: “Oh, don’t deceive me” and “oh, never leave me” are the same six notes twice. Then the climb in bar 13 is just C, E, G, C, one finger on each.

The words

Early one morning, just as the sun was rising, I heard a maid sing in the valley below. Oh, don't deceive me, oh, never leave me, how could you use a poor maiden so?

A short history

“Early One Morning” is an English folk song whose tune was first printed by William Chappell in A Collection of National English Airs (1838–40) and again in his Popular Music of the Olden Time (1855–59), though the words, a maiden’s lament for a false lover, had appeared on broadside ballad sheets long before that. Chappell said the tune was known all over the country.

It went into the school songbooks, which is how most English and Australian children came to know it.

Benjamin Britten made a well-known arrangement for voice and piano, and the tune opens Fritz Spiegl’s UK Theme, the medley of British tunes that started each day on BBC Radio 4 from 1978 to 2006.

Quick facts

Tune: Traditional (English, 18th century)
Key: C major
Time signature: 4/4
Length: 16 bars
Tempo: Brightly, crotchet = 108
Difficulty: Level 4: Up to the C above (piece 122 of 201)
Type: Folk song
Hands: Both: melody in the right hand, chords in the left
Chords: C, F, G and G7 (diagrams above)
Copyright: Public domain tune; arrangement by Digital Greenhouse, free for personal and classroom use

Questions and answers

What key is Early One Morning in?

C major, in 4/4 time. There are no sharps or flats in the key signature.

How long is it?

C major, 4/4, 16 bars. The tempo marking is Brightly, crotchet = 108.

Is Early One Morning out of copyright?

Yes. The tune is traditional (English, 18th century). Our piano arrangement is free for personal and classroom use.

What is the hardest part?

Learn bars 9 to 12 first: “Oh, don’t deceive me” and “oh, never leave me” are the same six notes twice. Then the climb in bar 13 is just C, E, G, C, one finger on each.

Can I print it?

Yes. Press Print above to put this piece on its own page, or choose Save as PDF as the printer for a file. It prints on A4 paper; if yours is US Letter, choose US Letter in the box beside Print. The notes are the same size as a printed music book.

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