Learn a classic tune with You Are My Sunshine violin sheet music, tutorials, and practice tips.

You Are My Sunshine is a classic, comforting song that always reminds me of springtime. Today I have two arrangements, tutorials, and some practice tips to help you learn this song.

Piano Accompaniment

Both arrangements of You Are My Sunshine sound great with piano accompaniment! You can download the mp3 backing tracks here:

Violin Tutorials

You Are My Sunshine is an American old-time and country song, first recorded by The Pine Ridge Boys in 1939. The original writer has been disputed, but it was first published and copyrighted in 1940 by Jimmie Davis and Charles Mitchell.

It’s since been recorded by over 350 artists, and has been translated into various different languages. The song’s theme of love is universally understood, and the easy melody and lyrics make it a fun choice for sing-alongs with loved ones.

Check out my video tutorials with play-alongs, practice tips, and sheet music below:

Beginner Tutorial

Intermediate Tutorial

Practice Tips for Playing Believer on Violin

Ready to start learning You Are My Sunshine on the violin? Here are some practice tips to get you started with a great foundation.

Warm up with the D Major Scale

Both arrangements are in the key of D Major. It’s always helpful to warm up in the same key as the song you’re working on to remind yourself of the finger patterns you’ll encounter in the song. Be sure to download the free D Major scale sheet to give yourself a straightforward warmup!

Keep the tone sweet

Most of the melody of You Are My Sunshine sits on the A and E strings. A clear, sweet sound on these strings can make the whole piece feel calm and warm, but these strings can also sound sharp or thin if you’re not careful.

To keep the tone sweet, make sure your bow isn’t too close to the bridge. You can even bring your bow a little closer to the fingerboard than usual to keep the sound from getting too heavy.

Use a little bit more bow with a light arm on the A and E strings. While pressing harder with your right arm will make the sound louder, it can also make it sound heavy and intense, which isn’t the tone we’re going for in this song. Instead, keep your right arm light and relaxed.

Plan out the bowings

There are a lot of slurs throughout both arrangements. Although the slurs aren’t that long, we still want to approach them methodically. The tone will stay even and sweet if we keep the bow moving at one steady pace.

Plan out how much of the bow you’d like to use for each note within a slur. For example, for a three-note slur, maybe you’ll want to use ⅓ of the bow for each note. Try just that slur with a very even bow speed, being careful to measure out how much of the bow you’re using for each note. Apply the same ideas through the rest of the song, and you’ll hear a beautiful, sweet tone throughout!

Give it a try!

Ready to dive in? Remember to download the D Major scale warmup and accompaniment, then go ahead and purchase the arrangement you’d like to learn:

If you’re interested in learning more folk tunes, you might want to learn Auld Lang Syne or Kum Ba Ya next.

I hope you enjoyed these tutorials for You Are My Sunshine! Which arrangement are you going to try? Keep me updated on your progress in the comments!