Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Old-time stride

Dancing In The Dark: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

Written by Arthur Schwartz

  • C major
  • 2/2
  • 120 BPM
  • 1931
  • Easy
Tuning the piano…
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Style

Left hand Oom-pahRight hand Hopscotch bellsChords 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 Dancing In The Dark without reading music. The left hand plays oom-pah (bass + chords) and the right hand hopscotch bells.

Dancing In The Dark accompaniment in letter notes

The C – Cdim – Dm – G7 loop with oom-pah in the left hand and hopscotch bells in the right. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
C
RC5 E4+G4 E4+G4
LC3 E3+G3 E3+G3
Bar 2
Cdim
RC5 Eb4+Gb4 Eb4+Gb4
LC3 Eb3+Gb3 Eb3+Gb3
Bar 3
Dm
RD5 F4+A4 F4+A4
LD2 F2+A2 F2+A2
Bar 4
G7
RG5 B4+D5 G6 F6 D6 B5 Ab5 G5 F#5 F5
LG2 B2+D3 B2+D3
Bar 5
C
RC5 E4+G4 E4+G4
LC3 E3+G3 E3+G3
Bar 6
Cdim
RC5 Eb4+Gb4 Eb4+Gb4
LC3 Eb3+Gb3 Eb3+Gb3
Bar 7
Dm
RD5 F4+A4 F4+A4
LD2 F2+A2 F2+A2
Bar 8
G7
RG5 B4+D5 B4+D5
LG2 B2+D3 B2+D3

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 Dancing In The Dark

What are the letter notes for the Dancing In The Dark 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 C – Cdim – Dm – G7, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Dancing In The Dark?

The loop is C – Cdim – Dm – G7 (I – io – ii – V7) in C major, and the song ends on F – G – C.

What key is Dancing In The Dark in?

C major, at about 120 beats a minute in 2/2.

What does the left hand play in Dancing In The Dark?

Oom-pah: bass + chords, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Dancing In The Dark 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.