How to play Drunken Sailor on piano
A rollicking D Dorian sea shanty, three verses and 'Way hay' choruses, with the melody climbing step by step over a driving root-fifth bass. Learn it step by step in your browser: the music waits for you on every note, then you speed it up.
Play Drunken Sailor with Premium
Works with a MIDI keyboard, the on-screen keys or your computer keyboard.
Level2 of 5
ComposerTraditional sea shanty
KeyD minor
Time signature4/4
Tempo120 bpm
HandsBoth hands
VersionFull song
AccessPremium
The first notes
Right hand, first bars. The small numbers are finger numbers (1 = thumb, 5 = little finger).
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In the app you see these notes falling onto the keyboard and on sheet music at the same time, with the right key lit up.
How to learn it fast
- Listen first: Listen mode plays the whole piece.
- Learn mode: the music stops and waits until you press the right key, one hand at a time.
- Play mode at 60–70% speed: real-time feedback on every note, early or late.
- Loop the hard bars: the coach finds them for you and speeds them up as you improve.
- Hands together at full speed.
New to piano? This song fits best after Unit 4: Hands Together of the free course path.
More songs at level 2
- Amazing Grace Traditional (tune "New Britain")
- Au Clair de la Lune Traditional (French)
- Auld Lang Syne Traditional Scottish (words Robert Burns)
- Aura Lee George R. Poulton (1861); words W. W. Fosdick
- Danny Boy (Easy) Traditional Irish (Londonderry Air); words Fred Weatherly
- Deck the Halls Traditional (Welsh)
- Frère Jacques (Round) Traditional (French)
- Jingle Bells (Chorus) James Lord Pierpont
Works on phone, tablet and computer. Free to start, no download.