Play "Mary Had a Little Lamb" and 3 Other Songs on a Phone

Co-authored by James Bell and Nicole Levine, MFA

Last Updated: August 26, 2024 Fact Checked

Want to learn how to play a song using dial tone sounds while you're on a phone call? You can play songs like "Mary Had a Little Lamb," "Itsy Bitsy Spider," "Happy Birthday," and even "Hotline Bling" by Drake using nothing but the number keys on your keypad. This wikiHow article will teach you how to impress your friends and family by playing fun songs on your phone.

1

Turn off silent mode (if you have a cell phone).

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If your smartphone is on silent, you might not hear sounds when you dial numbers. If you're using your home phone/landline, you can skip this step. On your cell phone:
- If you have an iPhone, make sure the silent switch is not turned on. Check the color of the switch on the left side of your iPhone—if you see an orange strip above the switch, move the switch so the orange is no longer visible.^{[1]
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- On an Android, just swipe down from the top of the Home screen and make sure the speaker icon is not grayed or crossed out. If it is, tap the icon to turn off silent mode.^{[2]
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  Research source}

2

Call a friend or family member.

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Get on the phone with somebody you want to impress (or annoy). If you're using a home phone/landline (not a cellphone), make sure you're already on the phone with someone before you start playing the song. Otherwise, if you try playing "Mary Had a Little Lamb" or any other song before placing a call, your phone will try to dial a long-distance number.
- If you're using an iPhone or Android, you can practice before calling someone! Just open the Phone app and make sure your phone isn't silenced.

3

Play Mary Had a Little Lamb.

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"Mary Had a Little Lamb" is one of the easiest songs to play. On your keypad, press these numbers to play the song:
- 6, 5, 4, 5, 6, 6, 6
- 5, 5, 5
- 6, 9, 9
- 6, 5, 4, 5, 6, 6, 6, 6, 5, 5, 6, 5, 4

4

Now try Itsy Bitsy Spider.

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Want to try a slightly longer song that's just as easy to play? "Itsy Bitsy Spider" is a fun one:
- 1, 1, 1, 1, 2, 3, 3, 3, 2, 1, 2, 3, 1
- 3, 3, 6, 9, 9, 6, 3, 6, 9, 3
- 1, 1, 2, 3, 3, 2, 1, 2, 3, 1
- 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 2, 3, 3, 3, 2, 1, 2, 3, 1

5

If it's your friend's birthday, play Happy Birthday!

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Here's another simple song you can play at least once a year. Playing "Happy Birthday" is just as easy as playing "Mary Had a Little Lamb."
- 1, 1, 2, 1, 6, 3
- 1, 1, 2, 1, 9, 6
- 1, 1, #, 9, 6, 3, 2
- 9, 6, 9, 3, 6, 3

6

Play Hotline Bling as your grand finale.

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At this point, your friend or family member is surely begging for an encore. And whether they love or hate Drake, they'll be endlessly impressed that you can play "Hotline Bling" on the keypad:
- 1, 1, 1, 2, 3, 2, 1, 1, 3, 1
- 3, 2, 1, 2, 3, 1, 1
- 1, 1, 1, 2, 3, 2, 1, 1, 3, 1
- 3, 2, 1, 2, 3, 1, 1
- 6, 6, 6, 5, 9, 9, #
- 5, 5, 5, 4, 5, 5, 6
- 6, 6, 6, 5, 9, 9, #
- 5, 5, 5, 4, 5, 5, 6

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Question

How do you play Funky Town on a phone keypad?

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This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

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Press 5-5-4-5-2, 2-5-8-7-5 to play the intro to Funky Town, then press 1-1-1-3-3-3-5-5-5-*-9-8 to play the hook. Getting the rhythm right is key for this one!

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How do you play the Mario theme song on a phone keypad?

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To play the intro to Mario's iconic theme song, press 2-2-2-1-5-3 (pause) 1. If you want to play the longer version, try adding 0-7-4, 5-6-8-4, 2-5-2-8-2, 0-0-0-0-7.

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How do you play Jingle Bells on a phone keypad?

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To play Jingle Bells, press 3-3-3, 3-3-3, 3-5-1-2-3 ("Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way"), then 6-6-6, 6-6-3-3, 3-3-3-2-2-3-2, 9 ("Oh what fun it is to ride in a one-horse open sleigh, Hey!").

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Tips

If you're using an Android and the dial tones are too short, you can make them longer. Just open the Phone app, tap the three dots at the top-right, select Settings, choose Other call settings > DTMF tones, and then tap Long.^{[3]
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