Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
Forty-Second Street: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes
Written by Harry Warren
- E minor
- 4/4
- 100 BPM
- V7–i–V7–i loop
- 1932
- 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 Forty-Second Street without reading music. The left hand plays pop heartbeat (root bass · charleston push (1 · 2& · 3)), and the right hand sings the tune.
Forty-Second Street accompaniment in letter notes
The B7 – Em – B7 – Em loop with pop heartbeat 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.
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Questions about Forty-Second Street
What are the letter notes for the Forty-Second Street 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 B7 – Em – B7 – Em, so the letters repeat with the chords.
What chords are in Forty-Second Street?
The loop is B7 – Em – B7 – Em (V7 – i – V7 – i) in E minor, and the song ends on C – D – Em.
What key is Forty-Second Street in?
E minor, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Forty-Second Street?
Pop heartbeat: root bass · charleston push (1 · 2& · 3), an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Forty-Second Street 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.