Piano chords · Blues & boogie
I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes
By Elton John
- C major
- 12/8
- 117 BPM
- 1983
- Medium
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 I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues without reading music. The left hand plays rock’n’roll rocker (rock’n’roll 5–6 shuffle), and the right hand sings the tune.
The catchy part of I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues 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.
I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues accompaniment in letter notes
The C – G – Am – Em7 – F – C – G loop with rock’n’roll rocker 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 I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues
What are the letter notes for the I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues 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 – G – Am – Em7 – F – C – G, so the letters repeat with the chords.
What chords are in I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues?
The loop is C – G – Am – Em7 – F – C – G (I – V – vi – iii7 – IV – I – V) in C major, and the song ends on F – G – C.
What key is I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues in?
C major, at about 117 beats a minute in 12/8.
What does the left hand play in I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues?
Rock’n’roll rocker: rock’n’roll 5–6 shuffle, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues easy to play on piano?
It is a medium one: learn the 7 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.
Can I hear the real melody of I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues?
Yes: "The part you know" plays the catchy part of the song from a score, with both hands.
Made from 3 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.