Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Rock drive

Baltimore Oriole: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

By Hoagy Carmichael

  • Bb major
  • 4/4
  • 80 BPM
  • 1942
  • Easy
Tuning the piano…
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Style

Left hand Marching giantThe right hand sings the tuneChords the loop the song repeats most

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 Baltimore Oriole without reading music. The left hand plays marching giant (lh triads), and the right hand sings the tune.

Baltimore Oriole accompaniment in letter notes

The Gm – C7 – D – Gm loop with marching giant in the left hand. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
Gm
RG4+Bb4+D5
LG3+Bb3+D4 G3+Bb3+D4 D3+G3+Bb3 D3+G3+Bb3
Bar 2
C7
RC4+E4+G4
LC4+E4+G4 C4+E4+G4 G3+C4+E4 G3+C4+E4
Bar 3
D
RD4+F#4+A4
LD3+F#3+A3 D3+F#3+A3 A2+D3+F#3 A2+D3+F#3
Bar 4
Gm
RG4+Bb4+D5 G6 D6 Bb5 G5 F#5 F5 E5 Eb5
LG3+Bb3+D4 G3+Bb3+D4 D3+G3+Bb3 D3+G3+Bb3
Bar 5
Gm
RG4+Bb4+D5
LG3+Bb3+D4 G3+Bb3+D4 D3+G3+Bb3 D3+G3+Bb3
Bar 6
C7
RC4+E4+G4
LC4+E4+G4 C4+E4+G4 G3+C4+E4 G3+C4+E4
Bar 7
D
RD4+F#4+A4
LD3+F#3+A3 D3+F#3+A3 A2+D3+F#3 A2+D3+F#3
Bar 8
Gm
RG4+Bb4+D5
LG3+Bb3+D4 G3+Bb3+D4 D3+G3+Bb3 D3+G3+Bb3

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 Baltimore Oriole

What are the letter notes for the Baltimore Oriole 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 Gm – C7 – D – Gm, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Baltimore Oriole?

The loop is Gm – C7 – D – Gm (vi – II7 – III – vi) in Bb major, and the song ends on Eb – F – Bb.

What key is Baltimore Oriole in?

Bb major, at about 80 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Baltimore Oriole?

Marching giant: lh triads, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Baltimore Oriole 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 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.