# Songs that can be played on an eight-note toy xylophone **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 20, 2004, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-can-be-played-on-an-eight-note-toy-xylophone/260747 "2004-08-20T17:37:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2004, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-can-be-played-on-an-eight-note-toy-xylophone/260747/1 "2004-08-20T17:37:57Z")
My daughter has got a little toy xylophone. It’s got eight keys, going from low-pitched to high-pitched from left to right (I’ll refer to these as keys A [low] through H [highest]). My sister-in-law showed us how to play part of “Joy to the World”, like so (in time to the music): _Joy to the world_ **H-G-F-E** _The Lord has come_ **D-C-B-A** _Let earth receive her king_ **A-B B-C C-D** _Let every heart prepare Him room_ **E-F-G-H …** … And that’s about as far as we can remember. We haven’t been able to work out the other notes on our own. How would the rest of the first stanza go (through _And heaven, and heaven, and nature sing_)? Also, can the house suggest some more songs we could noodle out on the xylophone? ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2004, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-can-be-played-on-an-eight-note-toy-xylophone/260747/2 "2004-08-20T17:48:36Z")
“Twinkle twinkle little star” ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2004, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-can-be-played-on-an-eight-note-toy-xylophone/260747/3 "2004-08-20T17:52:25Z")
Ooh! I know this one. Louie Louie B-B-B-C-C-D-D-D-C-C Rinse. Repeat. ---
**Author:** ![Gulo\_gulo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bcef8e/32.png) [@Gulo\_gulo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gulo_gulo)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2004, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-can-be-played-on-an-eight-note-toy-xylophone/260747/4 "2004-08-20T18:28:11Z")
My husband and I were on a road trip and for a joke he bought me one of those little xylophones to keep me amused. (Yeah, like _that_ was a smart idea!) Within a few minutes I had mastered the opening notes of “Those Endearing Young Charms”. I’m not sure if that’s the title of the song but it’s the one that is always played in the cartoons with the stick of dynamite attached to one of the keys that only seems to go off then Wile E. Coyote or another WB baddie plays the tune. I’d work out the notes for you but the xylophone mysteriously disappeared after that road trip. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![keeper0](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b19c9b/32.png) [@keeper0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/keeper0)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2004, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-can-be-played-on-an-eight-note-toy-xylophone/260747/5 "2004-08-20T18:39:49Z")
I recently challenged my students to build and program a robot to play an eight note xylophone. (Probably the same one you have, there was only one at Toys R Us. Purple plastic shell, you could play on keys or by hitting the bars yourself.) The notes are Middle C through High C, with no sharps. It came with four songs on the back: Mary Had A Little Lamb Twinkle Twinkle Frere Jacques and I forget the fourth. One team’s robot played “Take Me Out to the Ballgame”, which was really impressive. The rest of them kind of played the scales, and not that well mostly. ---
**Author:** ![Jpeg\_Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/4bbf92/32.png) [@Jpeg\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jpeg_Jones)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2004, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-can-be-played-on-an-eight-note-toy-xylophone/260747/6 "2004-08-20T18:44:36Z")
I’ll try to ignore that the keys are named alphabetically (A-H), instead of musically (C-C). You need to make some changes to your Joy of the World routine: _Joy to the world_ H-G-F-E _The Lord has come_ D-C-B-A _Let earth receive her king_ **E-F F-G G-H** _Let every heart prepare Him room_ **H H-G-F-E E-D-C…** ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2004, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-can-be-played-on-an-eight-note-toy-xylophone/260747/7 "2004-08-20T18:46:57Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > _Joy to the world_ > **H-G-F-E** > > _The Lord has come_ > **D-C-B-A** > > _Let earth receive her king_ > **A-B B-C C-D** Okay, you’re going wrong there. It should be: _Let earth receive her king_ **E-F F-G G-H** _Let ev’ry heart prepare him room_ **H-H-G-F-E-E D-C** (repeat) _And heav’n and natu-ure sing_ **C-C-C-C-C-D-E** _A-and heav’n and natu-ure sing_ **D-C-B-B-B-B-C-D** _A-and heaven_ **C-B-A-H** _And hea-eaven and nature sing_ **F E D-C D C B A** ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2004, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-can-be-played-on-an-eight-note-toy-xylophone/260747/8 "2004-08-20T18:53:37Z")
Doesn’t “Take Me Out To The Ballgame” have an accidental in it? I’m thinking right around the “If they don’t win it’s a shame” part. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2004, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-can-be-played-on-an-eight-note-toy-xylophone/260747/9 "2004-08-20T19:12:01Z")
Hey, how about this one: _What would you do if I sang out of tune?_ **C D E E D C B C D D** _Would you stand up and walk out on me?_ **D D C B B B A B C** (repeat for next two lines) _Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends_ **E A C B A-A A-A A A A A** (play three times)\* _Do you need anybody?_ **C E H H H G F** _I just need someone to love._ **B C C B C B A** (repeat above two lines) Fancy ending: _Yes, I get by with a little help from my friends_ **C B C B A-A A-A A A A A** _With a little help from my frie-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-ends!_ **A-A A-A A A A H G F E B B B A-B C** - You can get away with playing those "A-A"s as just one A each, and it will probably sound better. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2004, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-can-be-played-on-an-eight-note-toy-xylophone/260747/10 "2004-08-20T19:17:47Z")
> [@Jpeg Jones](#): > > I’ll try to ignore that the keys are named alphabetically (A-H), instead of musically (C-C). Sorry about that … can’t really read music. But I figure the musically-inclined could effortlessly imagine this little xylophone in their head, and work out rough melodies. However, you could perhaps post a conversion chart. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2004, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-can-be-played-on-an-eight-note-toy-xylophone/260747/11 "2004-08-20T19:17:52Z")
> [@I Love Me](#): > > Doesn’t “Take Me Out To The Ballgame” have an accidental in it? I’m thinking right around the “If they don’t win it’s a shame” part. You’re right; and there’s also one on “Buy **me** some peanuts…” Even worse, it goes outside the one-octave range on “…if I **nev** er get back.” the bots must have cheated. Oh, and the “Endearing Young Charms” tune goes: **C B A B A A C E D F H H** I don’t know the rest; that’s as far as Yosemite Sam ever got. Be sure there’s no dynamite wired to the “H” before attempting this. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2004, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-can-be-played-on-an-eight-note-toy-xylophone/260747/12 "2004-08-20T19:50:16Z")
> [@Biffy the Elephant Shrew](#): > > You’re right; and there’s also one on “Buy **me** some peanuts…” Even worse, it goes outside the one-octave range on “…if I **nev** er get back.” the bots must have cheated. Can’t this be kind of worked around in an eight-note universe? It won’t sound great to musicians, but something in the ballpark ( :smack: ) should be possible. (Biffy … thanks for the Joe Cocker! Very cool.) 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Katisha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bcef8e/32.png) [@Katisha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Katisha)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2004, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-can-be-played-on-an-eight-note-toy-xylophone/260747/13 "2004-08-20T21:16:09Z")
> [@Biffy the Elephant Shrew](#): > > Oh, and the “Endearing Young Charms” tune goes: > > **C B A B A A C E D F H H** > > I don’t know the rest; that’s as far as Yosemite Sam ever got. Be sure there’s no dynamite wired to the “H” before attempting this. Heh. Just for the heck of it, here’s how the whole thing goes, as best as I can remember the tune: **C B A B A A C E D F H H G F E D C B A B C C B A B A A C E D F H H G F E H C B A B A E D C E H H E E F D H H G F E D C B A B C C B A B A A C E D F H H G F E H C B A B A** ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2004, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-can-be-played-on-an-eight-note-toy-xylophone/260747/14 "2004-08-20T21:42:53Z")
- indicates cheated out-of-range notes. Take Me Out To The Ball Game A H F E C E B A H F E C E F E\* F C D E F D B F F F G H G\* G F E C B A H F E C E B B A B C D E F F G H H H G F E D E F G H Brahms’ lullaby C C E C C E C E H G F F E B C D B B C D B D G F E G H A A H F D E C A D E F E A A H F D E C A D C B A Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” C C D E E D C B A A B C C B B C C D E E D C B A A B C B A A B B C A B C D C A B C D C B A B E\* C C D E E D C B A A B C B A A ---
**Author:** ![Jpeg\_Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/4bbf92/32.png) [@Jpeg\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jpeg_Jones)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2004, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-can-be-played-on-an-eight-note-toy-xylophone/260747/15 "2004-08-20T21:57:03Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > Sorry about that … can’t really read music. But I figure the musically-inclined could effortlessly imagine this little xylophone in their head, and work out rough melodies. > > However, you could perhaps post a conversion chart. Your toy xylophone is based on a major scale. On a piano, the major scale played on only white keys is a C Major scale. And once you get to G, you cycle around again and start with the letter A. So, here’s your conversion chart: ```auto A B C D E F G H **C D E F G A B C** ``` Now, we can’t guarantee that the eight notes on your toy xylophone actually correspond to the key of C. But if you want to talk musicianspeak, it’s just convenient to say that the top and bottom keys are each a C, an octave apart. And, just a note to other theory nuts reading this, I don’t want to hear a word about H being the same as B in German! ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2004, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-can-be-played-on-an-eight-note-toy-xylophone/260747/16 "2004-08-21T18:19:45Z")
**Do-ReMi** (“Doe, A Deer” from **The Sound of Music** ) can be done without sharps or flats, and I think in only a single octave. You can _almost_ do the “Colonel Bogey March” (the one from **Bridge on the Rivr Kwai** ). ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2004, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-can-be-played-on-an-eight-note-toy-xylophone/260747/17 "2004-08-21T18:37:47Z")
> [@Biffy the Elephant Shrew](#): > > Be sure there’s no dynamite wired to the “H” before attempting this. Oh, the dynamite can be on H; just keeping hitting G by accident until the person who rigged the dynamite is sufficiently irritated to intervene. ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2004, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-can-be-played-on-an-eight-note-toy-xylophone/260747/18 "2004-08-21T21:28:04Z")
My little brother, age 4 then, got a toy piano for Christmas in 1965. It had the black keys painted on; the range was approximately 1 1/2 octaves. My sister, age 14 at the time, used to play simple tunes on it. ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2004, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-can-be-played-on-an-eight-note-toy-xylophone/260747/19 "2004-08-21T22:14:05Z")
A xylophone can also play that little fanfare they play at the start of horse races. ---
**Author:** ![Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bc8723/32.png) [@Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fish)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2004, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-can-be-played-on-an-eight-note-toy-xylophone/260747/20 "2004-08-21T22:27:05Z")
Billy Joel’s “We Didn’t Start the Fire” could be: b b-b c e f g , c e f g f e c e f g f e if I’ve got the conversion right. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-can-be-played-on-an-eight-note-toy-xylophone/260747.md?page=2)