Itsy Bitsy Spider notes for recorder, xylophone and kalimba

Toy xylophone

Most toy xylophones have eight bars that run from C to C and are marked with letters. They have no low G, so play the G bar for “The” and “And the”.

1. G C C C D E E E D C D E CThe itsy bitsy spider climbed up the water spout.
2. E E F G G F E F G EDown came the rain and washed the spider out.
3. C C D E E D C D E COut came the sun and dried up all the rain,
4. G G C C C D E E E D C D E CAnd the itsy bitsy spider climbed up the spout again.

Kalimba

These numbers suit a kalimba tuned in C, where 1 is C. Many kalimbas have the numbers printed on the tines. If yours has no low G, use the regular 5.

1. 5 1 1 1 2 3 3 3 2 1 2 3 1The itsy bitsy spider climbed up the water spout.
2. 3 3 4 5 5 4 3 4 5 3Down came the rain and washed the spider out.
3. 1 1 2 3 3 2 1 2 3 1Out came the sun and dried up all the rain,
4. 5 5 1 1 1 2 3 3 3 2 1 2 3 1And the itsy bitsy spider climbed up the spout again.

Recorder

This version is in G, so it uses different letters from the others. D↓ is the low D.

1. D↓ G G G A B B B A G A B GThe itsy bitsy spider climbed up the water spout.
2. B B C D D C B C D BDown came the rain and washed the spider out.
3. G G A B B A G A B GOut came the sun and dried up all the rain,
4. D↓ D↓ G G G A B B B A G A B GAnd the itsy bitsy spider climbed up the spout again.

Fingerings

• B: thumb and first finger of your left hand
• A: thumb and first two fingers of your left hand
• G: thumb and all three fingers of your left hand
• C: thumb and middle finger of your left hand
• D: middle finger of your left hand, with no thumb
• D↓: thumb and all three fingers of your left hand, plus the first two fingers of your right hand

D↓ is the hardest note here. If it squeaks, blow more gently and check that every hole is fully covered. It’s fine to skip it at first and start on the G.

More ways to play it

• Piano notes, with a keyboard to tap
• Guitar chords and tab
• Ukulele chords and tab