Swanee, piano arrangement

George Gershwin · Level 4 (Intermediate) · jazz and blues · Piano

His first big hit (1919), made popular by the singer Al Jolson: a lively march that made Gershwin known all over America. A piece by George Gershwin, the American composer between jazz and classical music. F major, 2/4, 34 bars (about one minute), 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.
• A steady march tempo, a well-marked left hand and a cheerful melody, with clear accents on the syncopations. One hand sometimes plays two voices: hold the long notes for their full value and let the main line sing louder than the accompaniment. Triplets and other tuplets must be perfectly even: count them aloud with the metronome. The left hand makes wide leaps: look at the landing note in advance and move early, without rushing the rhythm.

More pieces by George Gershwin

• I Got Rhythm, piano arrangement

Source : PDMX / MuseScore · CC0 1.0