Piano chords · Dreamy ballad
Backwater Blues: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes
Written by Bessie Smith
- C major
- 4/4
- 92 BPM
- 1927
- Easy
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 Backwater Blues without reading music. The left hand plays happy wiggle (broken chord 1-5-6-5), and the right hand sings the tune.
Backwater Blues accompaniment in letter notes
The C – F7 – C – C7 loop with happy wiggle in the left hand. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.
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.
Play next
More by Bessie Smith
Questions about Backwater Blues
What are the letter notes for the Backwater Blues 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 C – F7 – C – C7, so the letters repeat with the chords.
What chords are in Backwater Blues?
The loop is C – F7 – C – C7 (I – IV7 – I – I7) in C major, and the song ends on C – G7 – C.
What key is Backwater Blues in?
C major, at about 92 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Backwater Blues?
Happy wiggle: broken chord 1-5-6-5, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Backwater Blues 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.