Frère Jacques
About this arrangement
The melody first appears in a French manuscript from around 1780, under the name Frere Blaise. The tune was printed in 1811, and words and music were published together in Paris in 1869. English speakers know it as Are You Sleeping, Brother John.
Learn the tune in the right hand first - it is four short phrases, each played twice. Then learn the same tune in the left hand. Putting them together is the real exercise: each hand plays its own phrase while the other plays a different one.
Start with short loops.
Use the section list as a practice map. Start at 50% tempo, loop one section, then return to the full piece once the hand shape feels stable.
Choose Right or Left to focus on one hand. Wait for note checks the highlighted notes as you play them on the screen or a connected MIDI keyboard.
Before you practice.
01 Is Frère Jacques good for beginners?
Yes. The tune is four short phrases, each repeated, and it stays in a small range.
02 What is a round?
A song where several voices sing the same melody, each starting later. In this arrangement your two hands are the two voices.
03 What is Frère Jacques in English?
Are You Sleeping (Brother John)?