Pat-a-pan (Willie, Take Your Little Drum)

Bernard de La Monnoye · Level 2 (Beginner) · traditional · Piano

A Burgundian carol published by Bernard de La Monnoye in 1720: “Guillô, pran ton tamborin”. The “pat-a-pan” imitates the drum and the “tu-re-lu-re-lu” the flute. An easy arrangement in A minor: the right hand plays the tune, the left hand only plays the bass of each chord, one held note at a time.

▶ 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. Mark the marching rhythm clearly, like a little drum.

Source : Arrangement Note after Note d’après le Noël bourguignon de B. de La Monnoye (1720) · Public Domain