The Washington Post (march)

John Philip Sousa · Level 5 (Advanced) · Romantic · Piano

A public-domain piece from the Mutopia Project catalogue. G major, 6/8, 152 bars (about 3 minutes), complete score.

▶ Play this piece with the interactive score

How to practise it

• Listen first: the site plays it while the score scrolls.
• Wait mode: the score waits for you at every note, at your own pace.
• Tempo challenge: play in time, with a score and a map of the bars you got right.
• In 6/8, count the beats as groups of three eighths (dotted beats) to keep the lilt. One hand sometimes plays two voices: hold the long notes for their full value and let the main line sing louder than the accompaniment. The left hand makes wide leaps: look at the landing note in advance and move early, without rushing the rhythm. For chords, shape the hand in the air before landing, all notes together.

More pieces by John Philip Sousa

• Hands across the Sea
• The Gladiator
• Transit of Venus March
• The Stars and Stripes Forever (march)
• The Liberty Bell (march)
• The Invincible Eagle (march)

Source : Mutopia Project · CC BY-SA 3.0