Piano chords · Dreamy ballad
Backwater Blues: piano accompaniment sheet music
Written by Bessie Smith
- C major
- 4/4
- 92 BPM
- 1927
- Easy
Play the full song with sheet music
Backwater Blues written out as piano music: the I – IV7 – I – I7 loop in C major for both hands, with chord names and finger numbers. Press play and follow the cursor. The left hand plays happy wiggle (broken chord 1-5-6-5), and the right hand sings the tune.
Backwater Blues chord chart
The loop once round, bar by bar, in C major. The roman numeral says the chord's place in the key, so the same chart works in any key.
| Bar | Chord | Numeral | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | C | I | C E G |
| 2 | F7 | IV7 | F A C Eb |
| 3 | C | I | C E G |
| 4 | C7 | I7 | C E G Bb |
What the sheet music shows
The grand staff: the right hand on the treble staff, the left hand on the bass staff, with the chord names above and a finger number on each note (1 is the thumb). It is the accompaniment: happy wiggle (broken chord 1-5-6-5) in the left hand, with the right hand free for the melody, over the C – F7 – C – C7 chords.
Press play and a cursor follows the music. Above it, Colours paints each note in its key’s colour and Note names writes its letter on its head.
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Questions about Backwater Blues
Does the sheet music for Backwater Blues have finger numbers?
Yes: every note of both hands has its finger number, 1 being the thumb. To read the notes alone, turn Fingers off above the music.
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.