Standards

When The Saints Go Marching In chords & key

Key: F major
Form: A
Bars: 16
Groove: Medium swing
Time signature: 4/4

“When The Saints Go Marching In” is a jazz standard. It is usually played in F major as a medium swing, and the 16-bar A form repeats as one section. In this atlas it appears on 24 album tracks.

Chord changes

to key

Showing in: Concert (C) — F major

C⁷

F⁷

B♭

B♭^m

G⁷C⁷

C⁷

Changes as commonly played (concert pitch). Your band's version may differ.

Harmonic analysis

0Major ii–V–I

0Minor ii–V–i

0ii–V moves

0Tritone substitutions

1Dominant chains

6Different chords

Most used chords

F×9
C⁷×4
F⁷×1
B♭×1
B♭^m×1
G⁷×1

Recorded on these albums

1951	Sidney Bechet and His Blue Note Jazz Men Sidney Bechet · “When the Saints Go Marching In”
1953	Jazz Funeral in New Orleans George Lewis · “When the Saints Go Marching In”
1957	Hamp's Big Four Lionel Hampton
1957	The Call of the Wildest Louis Prima, Keely Smith with Sam Butera & the Witnesses · “When the Saints Go Marching In”
1957	Dixieland Jazz Bud Freeman · “When the Saints Go Marching In”
1957	Plays Hi-Fi Jazz Charlie Ventura · “When the Saints Go Marching In”
1958	Jack Teagarden at the Roundtable Jack Teagarden · “When the Saints Go Marching In”
1959	Let’s Play Fats Domino Fats Domino · “When the Saints Go Marching In”
1959	Hey Boy! Hey Girl! Louis Prima and Keely Smith with Sam Butera & the Witnesses · “When the Saints Go Marching In”
1959	Out of the Blue Blue Mitchell · “When the Saints Go Marching In”
1960	Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me Cootie Williams · “When the Saints Go Marching In”
1960	The Crew Cuts Have a Ball / Bowling Tips The Crew Cuts / Junior Powell & Charlotte Grubic · “When the Saints Go Marching In”
1960	Graeme Bell at The Sylvania Graeme Bell · “When the Saints Go Marching In”
1962	So Long! Anneke Grönloh · “When the Saints Go Marching In”
1962	Doing the Dixie Twist King Curtis · “When the Saints Go Marching In”
1963	Our Man in New Orleans Al Hirt · “When the Saints Go Marching In”
1963	Broadway to Bourbon Street - The Original New Orleans Sound Pete Fountain · “When the Saints Go Marching In”
1964	Prayer Meetin’ Jimmy Smith with Stanley Turrentine · “When the Saints Go Marching In”
1966	Satchmo Sings Evergreens Louis Armstrong · “When the Saint Go Marchin' In”
1967	Creole Cookin Bobby Hackett · “When the Saints Go Marching In”
1971	Souvenirs de La Nouvelle Orleans Sidney Bechet, Teddy Buckner, Joe Darensbourg & Kid Ory · “When the Saints Go Marchin' In”
1971	Swing Low Sweet Spiritual Albert Ayler · “When the Saints Go Marching In”
1974	Hello Josephine: Fats Domino Live at Montreux Fats Domino · “When the Saints Go Marching In”
1976	Muggsy Spanier, Volume II Muggsy Spanier · “When the Saints Go Marchin' In”

Historic 78 rpm recordings

When the Saints Go Marching In Sharkey Bonano and His Kings of Dixieland · Sharkey Bonano · Santo… archive.org ↗
"WHEN THE SAINTS GO MARCHING IN" Celestin's Tuxedo Jazz Band · Oscar Celestin · Bill Matthews ·… archive.org ↗
WHEN THE SAINTS GO MARCHING IN DIXIELAND RYTHM KINGS · Carl Halen · Chas. Sonnanstine · Jim… archive.org ↗
WHEN THE SAINTS GO MARCHING IN BOB WILBER & HIS JAZZ BAND · Henry Goodwin · Bob Wilber · Jimmy… archive.org ↗
WHEN THE SAINTS GO MARCHING IN CELESTIN's TUXEDO JAZZ BAND · Oscar "Papa" Celestin · Bill Matthews… archive.org ↗
WHEN THE SAINTS GO MARCHING IN CELESTIN's TUXEDO JAZZ BAND · Oscar "Papa" Celestin · Bill Matthews… archive.org ↗
When the Saints Go Marching In BUNK JOHNSON'S BAND · 1944 archive.org ↗
When the Saints Go Marching in Bunk Johnson and His New Orleans Band · 1946 archive.org ↗

Standards with similar changes

Similarity of the chord progression, independent of key.

Title	Composer	Key	Form	Groove
Copenhagen 39%	Davis-Melrose	B♭ major	AABA · 40	Medium swing
52nd Street Theme 33%	Thelonious Monk	C major	AABA · 32	Up-tempo swing
Across The Alley From The Alamo 33%	Joe Greene	F major	AABA · 32	Medium swing
Down By The Riverside 31%	Traditional	F major	AB · 32	Medium swing
A Tisket A Tasket 30%	Traditional	E♭ major	AABA · 32	Medium swing
The Inch Worm 27%	Frank Loesser	F major	ABAA · 22	Jazz waltz
Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive 26%	Harold Arlen	F major	AABA · 32	Medium swing
La Vie En Rose 26%	Guglielmi-Piaf-David	C major	ABC · 20	Ballad

Frequently asked questions

What key is When The Saints Go Marching In in?

When The Saints Go Marching In is usually played in F major. For B♭ instruments that is G major, for E♭ instruments D major.

What is the form of When The Saints Go Marching In?

When The Saints Go Marching In has 1 sections (A) with 16 bars in total.

How fast is When The Saints Go Marching In played?

The usual groove is Medium swing.

What are the chord changes to When The Saints Go Marching In?

The opening bars are F | F | F | F. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.