Oh, Susanna:
To play “Oh, Susanna,” you need to know how to play
Cmaj7, Dm7, Em7, Fmaj7, Am7, D7, Dm7, G7, and C chords (see Chapter 4
for C and various sections earlier in this chapter for the different 7th
chords) and how to balance a banjo on your knee while traveling the
Southern United States.
This arrangement of “Oh, Susanna” uses three types of 7th chords: dominant
7ths (D7 and G7), minor 7ths (Dm7, Em7, and Am7), and major 7ths
(Cmaj7 and Fmaj7). Using minor 7ths and major 7ths gives the song a
hip sound. Lest you think this attempt to “jazz up” a simple folk song
comes from out of the blue, listen to James Taylor’s beautiful rendition
of “Oh, Susanna” on the 1970 album Sweet Baby James to hear a similar
approach. He actually says “banjo” without sounding corny. Use all
downstrokes on the strums.
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