Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday is now in the Public Domain.

Published: 01 Oct 2011 Updated: 01 Feb 2024Visits: 0Code: UL510

Category: TraditionalInstrument: Ukulele Subjects: Beginner • Repertoire

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Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday to You, also known more simply as Happy Birthday, is a song that is traditionally sung to celebrate the anniversary of a person's birth. According to the 1998 Guinness Book of World Records, "Happy Birthday to You" is the most recognized song in the English language, followed by "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow" and "Auld Lang Syne".

Performance Notes for Happy Birthday

Here is how I remember the melody of Happy Birthday:

  • Song starts on the 5th of the key of the song. Plays that note twice and then up a perfect 4th (Here Comes the Bride interval) and down 1/2 step
  • repeat, then up a perfect 5th (Do You Hear What I Here interval and a bell like tone), done 1/2 step) then repeat again and up an octave
  • The octave (8) is the fifth of a descending major triad, the I chord, then descending 1/2 step, then to whole step.
  • up a major sixth. This ones sounds a little dissonant in the context of all the constant melody. Then down 1/2 step and to root of key/scale, up M2 and back - DONE

Happy Birthday…

Happy Birthday is (wikiwand) · NOW in the public domain in the United States and the European Union. Warner Chappell Music had previously claimed copyright on the song in the US and collected licensing fees for its use; in 2015 the copyright claim was declared invalid and Warner Chappell agreed to pay back $14 million in licensing fees.

Open Position Chords

Resources & Links

  • CNBC - Why we can now all sing 'Happy Birthday'
  • USA Today - Judge: 'Happy Birthday To You' in public domain

Main Song Download(s)

The main downloads for this Song.

UL510-C-LS

Happy Birthday - Key of C, Leadsheet

Updated: 01 Feb 2024

Chords and melody lead sheet in the key of C. Standard music notation and TAB for C tuning.

UL510-C-TAB

Happy Birthday - Key of C, with TAB

Updated: 31 Dec 2016

Chords and melody lead sheet in the key of F. Standard music notation and TAB for C tuning.

UL510-F-TAB

Happy Birthday - Key of F, Melody in Standard Notation and TAB

Updated: 27 Jan 2020

Chords and melody lead sheet in the key of F. Melody in standard music notation and TAB.

UL510-G-LS

Happy Birthday - Key of G, Leadsheet

Updated: 31 Dec 2016

Chords and melody lead sheet in the key of C. Standard music notation and TAB for C tuning.

Related Lessons

Related Lessons for Happy Birthday.

UL44

Key Signatures - C Major and A Minor

Updated: 09 Jun 2023

In music, it is important to learn and recognize the key signature for C Major and A Minor. These two keys have corresponding major and natural minor scales, along with basic ukulele chords that can be used with each scale. The key of C Major, also known as the learning key, is particularly easy to memorize and start using.

UL06m

Playing by Ear - Melodies

Updated: 13 May 2024

Playing Melodies, Licks, Riffs, Motifs, and Single Note Lines by ear is all about getting your ear to recognize intervals and train the fingers to follow your inner ear and play these melodies on demand.

Related Lesson Series

Related Lessons Series for Happy Birthday.

Playing by Ear

Updated: 10 Jul 2023

Mastering the art of playing music by ear represents the pinnacle of achievement for any aspiring musician. The objective of this lesson series is to guide you towards attaining this goal. Whether it entails mastering melodies or chords, rest assured that it is within your reach.

Understanding Intervals

Updated: 09 Jun 2023

An interval is the distance between two notes. An interval has a name and a type. Intervals can be played one note (melodic) or two notes (harmonic) at a time, ascending or descending.

Getting Started Series of Ukulele Lessons

Updated: 01 Jul 2023

The aim of this series of lessons is to provide comprehensive guidance for beginners embarking on their ukulele journey.

Reading Music on Ukulele - Primer

Updated: 08 Nov 2023

In the realm of music, there are certain aspects that students and players often tend to avoid. These include skills such as learning to read music and familiarizing themselves with the notes on their instrument. While these tasks may seem challenging, particularly on the fretted string instruments, they are comparatively easier on the ukulele. With the appropriate guidance and a well-defined plan, mastering these skills can be a smooth and achievable process.

Related Songs

Related Songs for Happy Birthday.

UL503

Bingo

Updated: 10 Nov 2022

Bingo, also known as Bingo Was His Name-Oand There Was a Farmer Who Had a Dog, is an English language children's song of obscure origin. In most modern forms, the song involves spelling the name of a dog, and with increasing letters replaced with handclaps on each repetition.

UL533

Oh! Susanna

Updated: 07 Feb 2020

Oh! Susanna is a minstrel song by Stephen Foster (1826-1864). It was published by W. C. Peters & Co. in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1848. The song was introduced by a local quintette at a concert in Andrews' Eagle Ice Cream Saloon in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on September 11, 1847. Foster was said to have written the song for his men's social club.

UL414

Old MacDonald Had a Farm

Updated: 01 Oct 2011

Old MacDonald Had a Farm is a children's song and nursery rhyme about a farmer named MacDonald (or McDonald, Macdonald) and the various animals he keeps on his farm. Each verse of the song changes the name of the animal and its respective noise. In many versions, the song is cumulative, with the noises from all the earlier verses added to each subsequent verse. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 745.

UL516

This Train

Updated: 28 Nov 2017

This Train (is Bound for Glory) by Woody Guthrie.

UL578

The Lion Sleeps Tonight

Updated: 26 Jan 2016

The Lion Sleeps Tonight, also known as "Wimoweh", "Wimba Way" or "Awimbawe", is a song written and recorded originally by Solomon Linda with the Evening Birds for the South African Gallo Record Company in 1939, under the title "Mbube". Composed in Zulu, it was adapted and covered internationally by many 1950s pop and folk revival artists, including Pete Seeger, the Weavers, Jimmy Dorsey, Yma Sumac, Miriam Makeba and the Kingston Trio.

Related Books & Charts

Related Books for Happy Birthday.

BC1GTR

A Guide to Guitar Chords

Updated: 16 Feb 2024

Covers basic guitar chords for beginning to intermediate guitar students. These are the chords that ALL guitar should know - regardless of style.

BC1UKE2

A Guide to Ukulele Chords, 2nd Edition

Updated: 10 Jan 2020

A Guide to Ukulele Chords, Second Edition is designed as a guide to ukulele chords. Covering the basic ukulele chords that ALL ukulele players SHOULD know. A Guide to Ukulele Chords covers movable chord forms, rock chords, how to transpose chords, learning the ukulele fingerboard and includes an introduction to 4-part, a.k.a jazz chords and more...

A Selection of Books & Reference Charts that are recommended for creating a solid foundation with your chosen instrument and music in general.

Books

Learning the Ukulele Fingerboard – C Tuning

Finally, learn the names of the notes of the fingerboard.

Six Secrets of Ukulele Fingering

Learn the six fingering principles to navigating the ukulele fingerboard. Fingering is one of the most universal topics.

Harmonic Analysis for Scale Selection and Chord Substitution

Harmonic Analysis is the understanding of the functional sequence of chords. It is the process used to analyze the harmonic structure of a progression, song or composition.

Ukulele – Reading Music Series – Primer

Learn to read single note melodies in the first/open position is a lot easier than you might think.

Daily Practice Material for the Contemporary Ukulele

An organized collection of daily practice and reference material for the contemporary ukulele player for developing the vocabulary and knowledge necessary for single note playing.

Checkout the Books for ALL available books.

Reference Charts

Ukulele Fingerboard Chart for C Tuning, Low or High G - G C E A

Ukulele Fingerboard Chart for C Tuning, Low or High G – G C E A

Ukulele Fingerboard Chart for G Tuning, Low or High A – D G B E

Ukulele Fingerboard Chart for G Tuning, Low or High A – D G B E

Key Signatures — Circle of Fourths and Fifths – ANSI A & A4 sizes

A handy reference chart of all 15 major and relative minor key signatures. US Letter 8.5 x 11 sized (ANSI-A) , A4

Checkout the Books for additional Handy, Dandy Reference Charts.

Related Song Files, Resources and Assets

Related Assets for Happy Birthday.

UL510-C-TAB

Happy Birthday - Key of C, with TAB

Updated: 31 Dec 2016

Chords and melody lead sheet in the key of F. Standard music notation and TAB for C tuning.

UL510-C-LS

Happy Birthday - Key of C, Leadsheet

Updated: 01 Feb 2024

Chords and melody lead sheet in the key of C. Standard music notation and TAB for C tuning.

UL510-F-TAB

Happy Birthday - Key of F, Melody in Standard Notation and TAB

Updated: 27 Jan 2020

Chords and melody lead sheet in the key of F. Melody in standard music notation and TAB.

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