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β€Ή Marimba songs
SongsWhen the Saints Go Marching In
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Traditional American spiritual, published 1896. Public domain.

61 bars Β· C2–C7, 61 bars Β· The concert and solo marimba β€” the full five octaves, down to the low C a cello plays.

Tap a bar, or drag across them for a glissando. On a keyboard the letters on the bars are the ones to press β€” they run up the bars from middle C.

MarimbaFree Β· printable Β· plays in your browser

When the Saints Go Marching In β€” Marimba Letter Notes

When the Saints Go Marching In, written out for the marimba as letter notes, phrase by phrase and set up above on the 5 octaves. Press Play to hear it, Practice to learn it one note at a time β€” the marimba waits for you β€” or Play along to keep time with it.

  • Notes33, 5 pitches
  • RangeC4–G4
  • Key hereC major
  • Tempo124 bpm Β· about 28 s
  • LevelEasy

Can a marimba play When the Saints Go Marching In?

Yes β€” every size on this page plays it. The check is made note by note against what each one can actually sound. Where the tune does not fit as the library writes it, another key or octave is tried, and the table says which; where nothing fits, it names the notes that are missing.

  • 5 octavesβœ“ Plays as writtenIn C major, C4–G4 Β· loaded above
  • 4.3 octavesβœ“ Plays as writtenIn C major, C4–G4 Β· load it

When the Saints Go Marching In: marimba letter notes

The large line is the note printed on the bar; the small line under it is its number in the scale. A dash holds the note another beat, an underline is half a beat, and a dot beside a note makes it half as long again. Each line is one phrase.

β–Ά Play it above

When the Saints Go Marching In β€” marimba letter notes (5 octaves) Β· tonalics.com

The 5 notes it uses

Lowest to highest, with how many times each is played. Learn these 5 and you can play the whole tune.

  • C1Γ—8
  • D2Γ—3
  • E3Γ—10
  • F4Γ—5
  • G5Γ—7

What to expect on a marimba

  • It runs from C4 to G4, a fifth, using 5 different notes. That leaves 24 semitones unused below and 29 above.
  • 63% of its moves are a step or a repeated note. The widest is a fifth, G4 to C4, at note 5.
  • It uses only the front row β€” no sharps or flats in this key.

About the tune

An American spiritual of uncertain authorship, in print by the 1890s. In New Orleans it was played slowly on the way to a funeral and fast on the way back, and after Louis Armstrong recorded it in 1938 it became one of the best-known tunes in jazz.

Traditional American spiritual, published 1896. Public domain. More about When the Saints Go Marching In β†’

When the Saints Go Marching In on other instruments

The same melody, in each instrument’s own notation. It is not offered for the guzheng, which does not have the notes.

More songs for the marimba

All 36 marimba songs Β· Christmas songs for marimba Β· The online marimba on its own

Playing it on a real marimba?

If it sounds wrong, check the instrument before the notes. The marimba tuner listens through your microphone and names what each note is actually sounding.

πŸŽ™ Open the Marimba Tuner