When the Saints Go Marching In

A pickup-note tune that teaches you to start before the beat.

Level:
2 of 6
Hands:
Right hand
Key:
C major
Notes:
16
Range:
C4 to G4
One run:
about 12 seconds at 80 bpm

The notes, in order

16 notes, one at a time.

  1. C4
  2. E4
  3. F4
  4. G4
  5. C4
  6. E4
  7. F4
  8. G4
  9. C4
  10. E4
  11. F4
  12. G4
  13. E4
  14. C4
  15. E4
  16. D4

How to practise it

  1. Three quick pickup notes lead into every long note
  2. The long note is where the beat actually lands
  3. Keep the pickups light and the arrival strong

The scale behind it

This one is built on the C Major scale: C D E F G A B (no sharps or flats). Its right-hand fingering runs 1-2-3-1-2-3-4-5, and the scale page has the full diagram if you want to hear the shape on its own first.

How to play it here

Play along on the keys with your mouse, your computer keyboard, a touch screen, or a MIDI keyboard you have plugged in. Every key can show its own name, and the metronome will hold the tempo while you work through the 16 notes.

What it trains

  • folk
  • jazz
  • rhythm

More melodies

Real tunes, so there is something to play once the drills have paid off.

All piano exercises