Piper's SongbookHow to play When the Saints Go Marching In on recorder
When the Saints Go Marching In uses 5 notes on the soprano recorder: B, A, G, high C and high D. The first line goes G B C′ D′ G B C′ D′. The same tune is used for The Saints.
- Notes
- 5: B, A, G, high C, high D
- Level
- Left hand only
- Time
- 4/4, about 132 beats a minute
- Source
- Traditional African-American spiritual; first recorded in 1923
When the Saints Go Marching In 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
Line 3
Line 4
Letters only, for printing or copying
- (rest) G B C′ | D′ | (rest) G B C′ | D′
- (rest) G B C′ | D′ B | G B | A
- (rest) B B A | G | B D′ | D′ C′
- (rest) B C′ | D′ B | G 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 When the Saints Go Marching In
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
Every line starts with a one-beat rest, so count "one" silently and come in on G. The climb C to high D in the first line is the only thumb move: keep your left middle finger down and just lift the thumb off the back hole.
Learn one line at a time. Play it slowly until every note is clean, then join it to the next line.
About the tune
A traditional African-American spiritual whose author is unknown. The first known recording, by the Paramount Jubilee Singers, came out in 1923, and Louis Armstrong's 1938 recording helped make it a New Orleans jazz standard.
Questions
Is When the Saints Go Marching In easy on recorder?
Yes. It uses only the left hand, though it does need the thumb off for high D.
What notes do you need for When the Saints Go Marching In on recorder?
B, A, G, high C and high D. Tap a note to see its fingering on its own page.
Do these fingerings work on a German recorder?
Yes. Every note in When the Saints Go Marching In uses the same fingering on Baroque and German recorders.
More recorder songs
Notes checked against the score on the German and French Wikipedia pages, and the Lester Bailey and musicaviva ABC versions, in G. Last checked 6 October 2026.