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I love children’s music. Don’t get me wrong–I’m just like every other parent out there who has been driven mad by endless repeats of “Baby Shark.” But the old school children’s songs, the ones that have been around for decades, are still with us for a very good reason: They’re public domain and you can do whatever you want with them.
Kidding. Well, mostly. But the real reason that these old songs stay in the rotation is because they tend to stick in your head. Why do they stick in your head? Because they use bedrock musical principles, which makes them both catchy and wonderful teaching tools.
Take today’s free TAB – “The Bear Went Over the Mountain.” A simple campfire song? Sure. But it also teaches you about the wonders of 6/8 time.
What is 6/8 time?
A quick review of time signatures:
- The top number tells you the number of beats in a measure (in this case 6).
- The bottom number tells you the type of note that equals one beat (in this case 1/8, or an eighth note)
Songs in 6/8 time have six beats per measure, each beat represented by an eighth note. Those six notes are (most often) arranged into two groups of three (triplets) with emphasis added to the first note of each triplet. You can count it out loud to hear what I mean: ONE-two-three-FOUR-five-six.
It’s like a waltz (ONE-two-three, ONE-two-three), but the songs tend to be less rigid. 6/8 time pops up a lot in folk tunes because it’s great to dance to, especially when you add a bit of a shuffle feel. (Don’t worry about that for now, though. I’ll talk more about playing a shuffle feel when I start posting jigs.)
“The Bear Went Over the Mountain” Playing Tips
The great thing about hiding basic music lessons in children’s songs is that you end up learning things without even realizing it. If you know how to sing “The Bear Went Over the Mountain,” then you already know how to put the emphasis on the first note of triplets in 6/8 time.
Here’s the first line of the song. The yellow highlights are the downbeats. They’re where you naturally put emphasis as you sing the song.
Most of the triplets are missing notes, but the first note (the downbeat) is always there. Putting an an emphasis on these downbeats adds a driving rhythm to the song.
To add emphasis when playing ukulele, just pluck the string slightly harder. It doesn’t need to be a dramatic difference to be able to hear it. If you feel it, anyone listening will be able to feel it too. Use this same downbeat emphasis throughout the entire song.
Note that the second half the song repeats, so when you get to the final measures, only play the notes under the “1” before jumping back up to measure 10. On your second time through, skip the “1” and only play the note under the “2” to end the song.
Click the link or the ‘Download’ button below to see the sheet music if your browser doesn’t display the embedded PDF.
Don’t have a low G uke? Not a problem. I’ve included a standard (high G) TAB for this song as well. Find the link at the bottom on the post. Happy picking!
“The Bear Went Over the Mountain” Low G Sheet Music Download
“The Bear Went Over the Mountain” High G Sheet Music Download
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