Bobby Shafto’s Gone to Sea

Traditionnel (Angleterre) · Level 2 (Beginner) · traditional · Piano

A song from North-East England (18th century): Bobby Shafto’s gone to sea, silver buckles at his knee, he’ll come back and marry me. An easy arrangement in C major: the right hand plays the tune, the left hand alternates a bass note and a two-note chord (“oom-pah”).

▶ Play this piece with the interactive score

How to practise it

• Listen first: the site plays it while the score scrolls.
• Wait mode: the score waits for you at every note, at your own pace.
• Tempo challenge: play in time, with a score and a map of the bars you got right.
• Learn the tune alone by singing it, then the left hand alone: spot the chord changes before putting hands together in Wait mode, then at a reduced tempo.

More pieces by Traditionnel (Angleterre)

• God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen
• The Holly and the Ivy
• I Saw Three Ships
• Pop! Goes the Weasel
• London Bridge Is Falling Down
• Lavender’s Blue
• Hickory Dickory Dock
• Humpty Dumpty

Source : Arrangement Note after Note d’après l’air traditionnel anglais · Public Domain