Oh! Susanna
About this arrangement
Stephen Foster wrote Oh! Susanna in 1847; it was first sung at a concert in Pittsburgh that September and published in Cincinnati in 1848. Minstrel troupes spread it across the country, at least fifteen editions were printed by 1849, and it became a favourite of the miners heading west in the California Gold Rush.
The verse is mostly quarter notes moving by step - follow the fingering and it stays in one hand position. The dotted rhythms on the chorus give it its bounce: clap long-short before you play it. The left hand alternates a low note and a chord, like a banjo.
Start with short loops.
Use the section list as a practice map. Start at 50% tempo, loop one section, then return to the full piece once the hand shape feels stable.
Choose Right or Left to focus on one hand. Wait for note checks the highlighted notes as you play them on the screen or a connected MIDI keyboard.
Before you practice.
01 Who wrote Oh! Susanna?
Stephen Foster, who published it in 1848.
02 Is Oh! Susanna easy on piano?
Yes. The melody stays in one position and the fingering is marked.
03 What key is this edition in?
D major, with two sharps: F sharp and C sharp.