Piano songs · Beginner
When the Saints Go Marching In on piano
When the Saints is the New Orleans favourite: four notes to start (C, E, F, G), a long held G, and a tune that sounds great slow or swung. Here it is with a simple left hand.
this song
When the Saints Go Marching In sheet music
The same notes as the player above, as a piano score: C major, 4/4 time. Press Play and the notes light up as they sound. Free to print or save as a PDF.
How to read the rhythms · how to read the notes
About the piece
A spiritual from the American South, sung at funerals in New Orleans: slowly on the way to the cemetery, then fast and joyful on the way back. Louis Armstrong's 1938 recording made it a jazz standard.
The notes
The letters above are the tune, played by your right hand: C E F G C; E F G C E; F G E C E; D E E D C; C E G G F; E F G E C; D C. Longer boxes are longer notes. Press Play and follow along, slow it down with the speed slider, or turn on Wait for me and play each note yourself.
How to learn it
- The opening: C, E, F, then a long G. Your thumb on C, then fingers 3, 4 and 5.
- Count the rests: each "Oh when the saints" starts after a rest. Feel the beat before you come in.
- The middle: E E D C, then C E G G F. The hand stays in place.
- Then swing it: once it's steady, play it long-short, like a jazz band.
Learning When the Saints Go Marching In on a real piano? Ivory listens to you play and tells you what's off: a note that's missing, a hand that lands late, a rhythm that runs away. Then it shows you how it should go.
Questions people ask
What are the notes for When the Saints Go Marching In?
C E F G, C E F G, C E F G E C E D, E E D C C E G G F, E F G E C D C.
Is When the Saints easy on piano?
Yes: it stays in C position and uses five notes. The challenge is the timing of the rests.
More songs to play
A simple arrangement of a public-domain melody. Piano sound: Salamander Grand Piano by Alexander Holm, CC BY 3.0.