Aalu Khaune Ali Ali

Aalu Khaune Ali Ali is a Nepali children's traditional — the song every kid in the country has clapped along to at some point. The chord progression is the absolute simplest place to start: C, F, G, Am, no capo, no barre chords required (F can be played as Fmaj7 if the full barre is still rough).

How to play it

Four chords arranged in two predictable cycles. C-F-G-C for the verse, Am-F-C-G for the chorus. 100 BPM gives it a bouncy children's-song feel. Strumming is the simplest D D U U D U.

The F is the only chord that gives beginners trouble. Use the Fmaj7 voicing (no index finger, just three fingers on the top three strings) until full-barre F is comfortable. The song doesn't need the low F bass note to land — the children's-song character is preserved either way.

What this song teaches

The C-F-G-Am family is the foundation of Western pop music and a huge chunk of the Nepali pop catalogue. Get this song clean and you've unlocked dozens of others — including Maitighar in C, most of Bartika Eam Rai's slower tracks, and every karaoke wedding song you'll ever sit in on.

Public-domain children's traditional — no living rights holder. Record it, teach it, arrange it any way you like.