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When the Saints Go Marching In: guitar chords and tab for beginners
United States, early 1900s
When the Saints Go Marching In
by Traditional
- Tempo
- 116beats per minute
- Count
- 4beats in each bar
- Key
- C majorthe home note
- Level
- 1 of 3easiest
Level 1. Strum one chord per beat. Start here.
Chord names above, strum arrows below. Down arrow = strum down toward the floor, up arrow = back up.
Hold this chord
How to read it
- Red cross: don’t play that string. Skip it when you strum.
- Green circle: play that string open, with no finger on it.
- Number: press there with that finger. 1 index, 2 middle, 3 ring, 4 pinky.
- Letters: the strings, thickest (low E) on the left to thinnest (high e) on the right.
Space bar plays and pauses. Left and right arrows jump a bar.
The chords
The chords in When the Saints Go Marching In
4 chords, open shapes apart from F: C, G7, C7, F. 4 beats in each bar, 116 beats per minute, in C major.
C major
3 fingers
Fingers, notes, sound →G seven
3 fingers
Fingers, notes, sound →C seven
4 fingers
Fingers, notes, sound →F major
barre, 4 fingers
Fingers, notes, sound →
In words: C major is x 3 2 0 1 0. G seven is 3 2 0 0 0 1. C seven is x 3 2 3 1 0. F major is 1 3 3 2 1 1 (finger 1 flat across fret 1). Numbers are frets, thick string to thin, and x means do not play that string.
About the song
A gospel hymn that became the anthem of New Orleans jazz. The melody is built from one four-note climb, C E F G, repeated with small changes. Learn that climb and you have most of the song.
Questions people ask
- What chords are in When the Saints Go Marching In?
- Four chords: C, G7, C7 and F. F needs a finger laid flat across the neck, which is the hard part of this one.
- What key is When the Saints Go Marching In in?
- C major. The key control on this page moves it up or down, and tells you where to put a capo so you can keep the same easy shapes.
- Is When the Saints Go Marching In easy to play on guitar?
- Yes. It is one of the easier songs here: four chords at 116 beats per minute, and you can slow it to half speed while you learn it.
- What is the strumming pattern for When the Saints Go Marching In?
- Six strums in each bar: down, down, up, up, down, up. There are 4 beats in every bar. The arrows above the chord boxes move with the sound, so you can see the pattern as you hear it.
- How do I play When the Saints Go Marching In on guitar?
- Three ways on this page, all from the same arrangement. Chords mode strums one chord at a time, Melody mode picks the tune from the tab, and Fingerstyle mode plays the bass with your thumb under the tune. Start in Chords mode at 60 percent speed.
- Who wrote When the Saints Go Marching In?
- Traditional. United States, early 1900s. The music is old enough to be in the public domain, so it is free to learn, play and record.
Learn more
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Standard guitar tuning
Standard guitar tuning is E A D G B E, thick string to thin.
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