Click on the buttons below to download Happy Birthday sheet music in all twelve keys. There are 4 levels of difficulty, so you can ease yourself into this.
If you send us a video of you playing Happy Birthday in all 12 keys, we will award you with a certificate of accomplishment. You can mix your levels if you like!
These are most easily learned in this order:
- C F & G
- Bb Eb D & A
- Ab Db E & B
- F# and Gb (These are enharmonic – hmm, don’t you wonder what that means? Once you play them, you’ll know!)
Level 1
Right Hand Melody with Single Bass Note for Left Hand
Keys: C, F, G
Keys: Bb, Eb, D, A
Keys: Ab, Db, E, B
Keys: F#, Gb (enharmonic)
Tips
Below is fingering for your right hand. See that between measure 4 and 5, you’ll need to reach (or “hop” up to) an octave (from treble G to the next highest one).
Watch this video to see this happen the THIRD time you would normally sing “Happy Birthday”. If you have big hands, you can stretch that distance. But if you have small hands, just hop up to G with your pinky!
As for you left hand – wait until your right hand is confident. Then learn those bass notes well, after which you may slowly play a couple of measures to see how it feels. Repeat them until you are used to it, then add more measures. Before you know it, you’ll be playing Happy Birthday.
Level 2
Right Hand Melody with Block Chords for Left Hand. There is a video example to help you below.
Keys: C, F, G
Keys: Bb, Eb, D, A
Keys: Ab, Db, E, B
Keys: F#, Gb (enharmonic)
Tips
For the second level, the melody and the fingering are the same as the first level except that you’ll be playing chords in your left hand – specifically, the primary chords.
For example, in the key of C, the I cadence chord is C, E, G in the left-hand
The V7 Chord, you’ll find in the third measure
Then the IV Chord which you’ll find in measure 6
Level 4
Right Hand Melody with Broken Open Chords for Left Hand. Make sure to see the video below because I show you how to “pivot” your wrist on the middle note of the “open broken” chords below.
Keys: C, F, G
Keys: Bb, Eb, D, A
Keys: Ab, Db, E, B
Keys: F#, Gb (enharmonic)
Tips
I hope your enjoyed learning this! Remember that someone important to you will be having a birthday soon. Make sure you brush up on this before their birthday, and you’ll be able to play for them no matter what key they sing it in!