Old MacDonald Had a Farm
About this arrangement
The song is older than the name. A version appears in a 1706 English opera by Thomas d'Urfey, and folk collectors found many farmyard songs like it. The first printed version close to today's song is in Tommy's Tunes, a 1917 collection of First World War songs, where the farmer is called Old Macdougal.
Practise the hand changes on their own first. The left hand plays C C C G, A A G, then rests while the right hand plays E E D D C. The quick repeated notes in bars 11 and 12 are the animal sounds: keep them even rather than fast.
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 Old MacDonald easy on piano?
Yes. It uses only a handful of notes around middle C and the rhythm is mostly quarter notes.
02 Why does the melody start in the left hand?
This arrangement splits the tune between the hands so both get practice. Each hand plays alone, never both at once.
03 What key is this edition in?
C major, with no sharps or flats.