Piper's SongbookHow to play Swing Low, Sweet Chariot on recorder
Swing Low, Sweet Chariot (the chorus) uses 6 notes on the soprano recorder: B, A, G, high D, low E and low D. The first line goes B G B G G E D G G G G B D′ D′ D′.
- Notes
- 6: B, A, G, high D, low E, low D
- Level
- Both hands
- Time
- 4/4, about 72 beats a minute
- Source
- African American spiritual; first printed by the Fisk Jubilee Singers, 1872
Swing Low, Sweet Chariot recorder notes with letters
Each box is one note, with its fingering underneath: filled holes are covered, a half-filled hole is half covered or pinched. Wider boxes are longer notes. A ′ mark means the higher octave, so D′ is high D. Bar lines are drawn as thin rules.
Line 1
Line 2
Letters only, for printing or copying
- B G B | G G E D | G G G G B D′ D′ | D′
- D′ B D′ | G G E D | G G G G B B A | G
Sheet music
Written pitch for soprano recorder, which sounds an octave higher. Press play to hear it on a recorder sound; the slow setting plays at 60% speed.
Fingerings for the notes in Swing Low, Sweet Chariot
Hole 0 is the thumb hole on the back. Holes 1 to 3 are for the left hand, 4 to 7 for the right. These are Baroque (English) fingerings.
How to practise it
In "chariot" the quick E falls to a long low D: play E short and lean on the D. Lift your right ring finger for E and cover all three right-hand holes for D. Hold "low" in the first bar for its full two beats, where the old score has a pause.
Learn one line at a time. Play it slowly until every note is clean, then join it to the next line.
About the tune
The spiritual is usually credited to Wallace Willis and his daughter Minerva, Choctaw Freedmen in what is now Oklahoma, some time after 1865. The Fisk Jubilee Singers printed it in 1872 and sang it on their tours to raise money for Fisk University.
Questions
Is Swing Low, Sweet Chariot easy on recorder?
It is a good second or third tune. Both hands play, and the low notes need gentle air.
What notes do you need for Swing Low, Sweet Chariot on recorder?
B, A, G, high D, low E and low D. Tap a note to see its fingering on its own page.
Do these fingerings work on a German recorder?
Yes. Every note in Swing Low, Sweet Chariot uses the same fingering on Baroque and German recorders.
More recorder songs
Notes checked against the Fisk Jubilee Singers' score as reprinted in J. B. T. Marsh's The Story of the Jubilee Singers, compared with the John C. Campbell Folk School version transcribed by Thornton Rose; transposed to G. Last checked 6 October 2026.