Piano chords · Old-time stride
Chicago: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes
- C major
- 4/4
- 100 BPM
- Easy
Play the full song with sheet music
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 Chicago without reading music. The left hand plays boom-chick (boom-chick) and the right hand offbeat skank.
The intro of Chicago in letter notes
The real notes from a score, both hands, bar by bar. R is the right hand, L the left; C4 is middle C.
Chicago accompaniment in letter notes
The Am – Dm – Am – Am – Dm – Am – Am – Dm – Am – Am – Dm – Am loop with boom-chick in the left hand and offbeat skank in the right. 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.
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Questions about Chicago
What are the letter notes for the Chicago 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 Am – Dm – Am – Am – Dm – Am – Am – Dm – Am – Am – Dm – Am, so the letters repeat with the chords.
What chords are in Chicago?
The loop is Am – Dm – Am – Am – Dm – Am – Am – Dm – Am – Am – Dm – Am (vi – ii – vi – ii – vi – ii – vi – ii – vi – ii – vi – ii) in C major, and the song ends on F – G – C.
What key is Chicago in?
C major, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Chicago?
Boom-chick: boom-chick, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Chicago easy to play on piano?
Yes. Both hands play easy patterns over 12 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.
Can I hear the real melody of Chicago?
Yes: "The part you know" plays the intro of the song from a score, with both hands.
Made from one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.