Oh! Susanna on the ocarina

Updated 2026-10-29

Oh! Susanna starts C, D, E, G, G, A and stays on plain notes between C and A, so a 4-hole pendant plays it as well as a 6-hole or 12-hole. This page gives one complete verse, then the chorus.

What are the notes for Oh! Susanna on the ocarina?

Oh! Susanna in C major, 4/4 time, bar by bar: C, D | E, G, G, A | G, E, C, D | E, E, D, C | D, C, D | E, G, G, A | G, E, C, D | E, E, D, D | C | F, F | A, A, A | G, G, E, C | D, C, D | E, G, G, A | G, E, C, D | E, E, D, D | C. Pick your ocarina, then press Play to hear the tune.

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  1. C
  2. D
  3. E
  4. G
  5. G
  6. A
  7. G
  8. E
  9. C
  10. D
  11. E
  12. E
  13. D
  14. C
  15. D
  16. C
  17. D
  18. E
  19. G
  20. G
  21. A
  22. G
  23. E
  24. C
  25. D
  26. E
  27. E
  28. D
  29. D
  30. C
  31. F
  32. F
  33. A
  34. A
  35. A
  36. G
  37. G
  38. E
  39. C
  40. D
  41. C
  42. D
  43. E
  44. G
  45. G
  46. A
  47. G
  48. E
  49. C
  50. D
  51. E
  52. E
  53. D
  54. D
  55. C

What is the tricky spot in Oh! Susanna?

The start of the chorus, where the verse ends on a long C and the tune jumps up to two long F's. On a 12-hole, Oh! Susanna goes from C to F: you lift the right middle, right ring and right pinky.

In these tabs the last C of the verse is held for four beats; hold it before you move: the chorus starts on the beat, with no lead-in notes, and it is easy to come in early. In the verse, the repeated G's and E's are tongued with your fingers still. The short C and D before each line are quick, so let them lead into the next note rather than giving them weight of their own.

Which ocarina can play Oh! Susanna?

Any 12-hole, 6-hole or 4-hole ocarina in C plays Oh! Susanna in this key. On an ocarina in G or F, use the same fingerings: the tune sounds in a different key, which is fine when you play alone. Each linked chart has every fingering for its ocarina, and you can check your notes with a tuner such as our free ocarina tuner.

Who wrote Oh! Susanna?

Stephen Foster, who published it in 1848. It became popular through the blackface minstrel shows of the time, and its verses are in a mock dialect, with a racist slur in the second one, which is one reason this page teaches the tune and leaves out the words. Our tabs follow the tune as printed in Heart Songs (Boston, 1909), which matches a printing from the 1850s in every bar we compared. Foster died in 1864, so it is public domain. Music: Stephen Foster (1826-1864).

More ocarina songs

Next easy song: Ode to Joy. More: easy ocarina songs, songs for a 4-hole ocarina and all the songs.