Piano chords · Old-time stride
Chop Suey: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes
Written by Richard Rodgers
- C major
- 2/2
- 160 BPM
- V7–I–V7–I loop
- 1958
- 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 Chop Suey without reading music. The left hand plays stride jumps (stride) and the right hand hopscotch bells.
Chop Suey accompaniment in letter notes
The G7 – C – G7 – C loop with stride jumps in the left hand and hopscotch bells 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 Chop Suey
What are the letter notes for the Chop Suey 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 G7 – C – G7 – C, so the letters repeat with the chords.
What chords are in Chop Suey?
The loop is G7 – C – G7 – C (V7 – I – V7 – I) in C major, and the song ends on F – G – C.
What key is Chop Suey in?
C major, at about 160 beats a minute in 2/2.
What does the left hand play in Chop Suey?
Stride jumps: stride, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Chop Suey 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.