The original cover art for "the stars and stripes forever" with words penned by Sousa himself.

Here is John Phillip Sousa’s famous march, The Stars and Stripes Forever, with words he penned himself. I originally started singing this with an old recording of Sousa’s own band, but don’t always want to haul sound equipment around and I love singing it. The melody covers a two-octave range, so you do need some pipes, but if you’re ukulele is strung with a low-g, you can play the melody solo while having another player fill in on the chords.

• Stars and Stripes Forever – Eb (Original Key) : With this key you could actually sing along with a recording of the march, but I’ve always found a couple of spots high for my voice.
• Stars and Stripes Forever – D (Easier)
• Stars and Stripes Forever – C (Easiest) : Now that I’ve transposed it down, I’m loving how this key feels in my voice (I’m a baritone), and the key makes it super easy to play.

Have fun with it!

Ex amore victoria!
Ryan

Post filed under All UkulelePlay! Blog Posts, Ukulele Arrangements.