Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Old-time stride

Expressing Yourself: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

By Elton John

  • B major
  • 4/4
  • 84 BPM
  • 2005
  • Easy
Tuning the piano…
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Left hand Stride jumpsRight hand Wait-a-beat chordsChords 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 Expressing Yourself without reading music. The left hand plays stride jumps (stride) and the right hand wait-a-beat chords.

Expressing Yourself accompaniment in letter notes

The G# – A#m – Bdim – G# loop with stride jumps in the left hand and wait-a-beat chords in the right. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
G#
RB#5+D#5+G#5 B#5+D#5+G#5 B#5+D#5+G#5
LG#2 D#3+G#3 G#2 D#3+G#3
Bar 2
A#m
RC#4+E#4+A#4 C#4+E#4+A#4 C#4+E#4+A#4
LA#2 E#3+A#3 A#2 E#3+A#3
Bar 3
Bdim
RD4+F4+B4 D4+F4+B4 D4+F4+B4
LB2 F3+B3 B2 F3+B3
Bar 4
G#
RB#5+D#5+G#5 G#6 D#6 B#6 G#5 F##5 F#5 E#5 E5
LG#2 D#3+G#3 G#2 D#3+G#3
Bar 5
G#
RB#5+D#5+G#5 B#5+D#5+G#5 B#5+D#5+G#5
LG#2 D#3+G#3 G#2 D#3+G#3
Bar 6
A#m
RC#4+E#4+A#4 C#4+E#4+A#4 C#4+E#4+A#4
LA#2 E#3+A#3 A#2 E#3+A#3
Bar 7
Bdim
RD4+F4+B4 D4+F4+B4 D4+F4+B4
LB2 F3+B3 B2 F3+B3
Bar 8
G#
RB#5+D#5+G#5 B#5+D#5+G#5 B#5+D#5+G#5
LG#2 D#3+G#3 G#2 D#3+G#3

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 Expressing Yourself

What are the letter notes for the Expressing Yourself 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 G# – A#m – Bdim – G#, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Expressing Yourself?

The loop is G# – A#m – Bdim – G# (VI – vii – io – VI) in B major, and the song ends on E – F# – B.

What key is Expressing Yourself in?

B major, at about 84 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Expressing Yourself?

Stride jumps: stride, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Expressing Yourself 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.