Piano chords · Old-time stride
Beale Street Blues: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes
By W.C. Handy
- Bb major
- 2/2
- 100 BPM
- I–V7–I–V7 loop
- 1993
- 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 Beale Street Blues without reading music. The left hand plays stride jumps (stride), and the right hand sings the tune.
Beale Street Blues accompaniment in letter notes
The Bb – F7 – Bb – F7 loop with stride jumps 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
Questions about Beale Street Blues
What are the letter notes for the Beale Street 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 Bb – F7 – Bb – F7, so the letters repeat with the chords.
What chords are in Beale Street Blues?
The loop is Bb – F7 – Bb – F7 (I – V7 – I – V7) in Bb major, and the song ends on Eb – F – Bb.
What key is Beale Street Blues in?
Bb major, at about 100 beats a minute in 2/2.
What does the left hand play in Beale Street Blues?
Stride jumps: stride, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Beale Street 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 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.