Piano chords · Lullaby boat
How to play When Johnny Comes Marching Home on piano
By Patrick Sarsfield Gilmore
- G minor
- 6/8
- 120 BPM
- vi–V–vi–V loop
- 1995
- Medium
Learn When Johnny Comes Marching Home in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Em – D – Em – D
When Johnny Comes Marching Home sits in G minor: G is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Em is E, G and B; D is D, F# and A. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
EmviDVEmviDV- EmE · G · B
- DD · F# · A
- 2
Left hand: Sea-breeze roll
Four notes roll up and float in a gentle sway, light as a sea breeze. Musicians call it open arpeggio 1-5-8-10 (6/8) (open arpeggio), a medium pattern heard in 57 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Cradle chords
A chord, a rock to beat two, a soft pickup back: like a cradle. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 120 BPM
Put the two hands together over the loop. Start at half speed with the player's speed control, and bring it up once every change is easy.
- 5
Ending: Eb – F – Gm
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
EbFGm- EbEb · G · Bb
- FF · A · C
- GmG · Bb · D
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Questions about When Johnny Comes Marching Home
What chords are in When Johnny Comes Marching Home?
The loop is Em – D – Em – D (vi – V – vi – V) in G minor, and the song ends on Eb – F – Gm.
What key is When Johnny Comes Marching Home in?
G minor, at about 120 beats a minute in 6/8.
What does the left hand play in When Johnny Comes Marching Home?
Sea-breeze roll: open arpeggio 1-5-8-10 (6/8), a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is When Johnny Comes Marching Home easy to play on piano?
It is a medium one: learn the 4 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.
Made from 3 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.