American song · Free song lesson
How to play Oh! Susanna on Ukulele or Guitar
Stephen Foster, 1848
Stephen Foster published Oh! Susanna in 1848, and within a year the forty-niners had carried it west as the unofficial anthem of the California Gold Rush. It became one of the first true American pop hits, sung in parlors, camps and minstrel halls from coast to coast. Its three-chord bounce still makes it one of the best first strumming songs there is.
Key of C · 4/4 time · Level 1 · Easy · 3 chords
The chords you need
Tap any chord to open its diagram in the chord library, where you can see the fingering and hear how it should sound.
On the ukulele
On the guitar
The progression
One box is one measure of 4/4. Strum through each box, change chords at the start of the next, and you are playing the song. Start way slower than feels cool.
Verse
Chorus
The chorus opens on F, and that one change is what makes it feel like a chorus.
The strum
Bright and bouncy. Start around 90 beats per minute and speed up as your changes get confident.
Full speed sits around 100 to 120 BPM
Start way under that. Speed comes on its own.
Practice setlist
- Verse and chorus share the same last four measures, so you are really only learning a song and a half.
- Watch measure seven: C to G7 inside one measure. Give each chord two beats and keep the strum moving.
- This one loves speed, but earn it. Clean at 90 beats per minute before you race.
Ten focused minutes a day beats one heroic hour on Sunday.
Sounding sour? Get in tune first with the free browser tuner.
Sounds better on real strings
Play it on your own ukulele.
A song this good deserves an instrument that fits your hands. Come in and play a few. New and used ukuleles on the wall, and a crew that will help you find yours without any pressure. And when a chord change fights back, teachers run lessons at the shop 7 days a week.
Never played a note before? Start with Play Your First Song Today, our free step-by-step starter for total beginners. Then come back for this one.
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