Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Slow dance ’50s

Baby Grand: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

Written by Billy Joel

  • F major
  • 12/8
  • 100 BPM
  • 1986
  • Easy
Tuning the piano…
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Left hand Rocking chairThe right hand sings the tuneChords the loop the song repeats most

Play the full song with sheet music

The accompaniment with every note named, bar by bar: the bar sheet shows each note as a bar on the staff with its letter inside, so you can accompany Baby Grand without reading music. The left hand plays rocking chair (rocking octaves (12/8)), and the right hand sings the tune.

Baby Grand accompaniment in letter notes

The D7 – C – D7 – Gm loop with rocking chair in the left hand. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
D7
RD4+F#4+A4
LD2 D3 D2 D3
Bar 2
C
RC4+E4+G4
LC3 C4 C3 C4
Bar 3
D7
RD4+F#4+A4
LD2 D3 D2 D3
Bar 4
Gm
RG4+Bb4+D5 G4 Bb4 D5 G5 Bb5 D6 G6 Bb6 D7
LG2 G3 G2 G3
Bar 5
D7
RD4+F#4+A4
LD2 D3 D2 D3
Bar 6
C
RC4+E4+G4
LC3 C4 C3 C4
Bar 7
D7
RD4+F#4+A4
LD2 D3 D2 D3
Bar 8
Gm
RG4+Bb4+D5
LG2 G3 G2 G3

How to read the bar sheet

The player above shows the treble staff (right hand) over the bass staff (left hand). Every note is a bar as long as it sounds, at its place on the staff, with its name inside, and the music scrolls past a line that marks now. The chord names run along the top.

Start with the left hand alone at a slow speed, then the right, then both. When the letters feel easy, try the sheet music.

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Questions about Baby Grand

What are the letter notes for the Baby Grand piano accompaniment?

Bar by bar, both hands: the bar sheet on this page names every note of the accompaniment (C4 is middle C) and plays along. The loop is D7 – C – D7 – Gm, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Baby Grand?

The loop is D7 – C – D7 – Gm (VI7 – V – VI7 – ii) in F major, and the song ends on Bb – C – F.

What key is Baby Grand in?

F major, at about 100 beats a minute in 12/8.

What does the left hand play in Baby Grand?

Rocking chair: rocking octaves (12/8), an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Baby Grand easy to play on piano?

Yes. Both hands play easy patterns over 4 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.

Made from one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.