Piano chords · Slow dance ’50s
Ball And Chain: piano accompaniment sheet music
By Janis Joplin
- D major
- 12/8
- 90 BPM
- IV7–I7–V7–IV7 loop
- 1968
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Ball And Chain written out as piano music: the IV7 – I7 – V7 – IV7 loop in D major for both hands, with chord names and finger numbers. Press play and follow the cursor. The left hand plays slow-dance heartbeat (root bass · 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 (12/8)) and the right hand doo-wop chords.
Ball And Chain chord chart
The loop once round, bar by bar, in D 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 | G7 | IV7 | G B D F |
| 2 | D7 | I7 | D F# A C |
| 3 | A7 | V7 | A C# E G |
| 4 | G7 | IV7 | G B D F |
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: slow-dance heartbeat (root bass · 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 (12/8)) in the left hand and doo-wop chords in the right, over the G7 – D7 – A7 – G7 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 Ball And Chain
Does the sheet music for Ball And Chain 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 Ball And Chain?
The loop is G7 – D7 – A7 – G7 (IV7 – I7 – V7 – IV7) in D major, and the song ends on G – A – D.
What key is Ball And Chain in?
D major, at about 90 beats a minute in 12/8.
What does the left hand play in Ball And Chain?
Slow-dance heartbeat: root bass · 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 (12/8), an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Ball And Chain easy to play on piano?
It is a medium one: learn the 4 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.
Made from one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.