Piano chords · Old-time stride
If I Were A Rich Man: piano accompaniment sheet music
- C major
- 4/4
- 140 BPM
- 1964
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
If I Were A Rich Man written out as piano music: the iv – bVII7 – bIII – bvii loop in C major for both hands, with chord names and finger numbers. Press play and follow the cursor. The left hand plays stride jumps (stride) and the right hand ticking clock.
If I Were A Rich Man chord chart
The loop once round, bar by bar, in C major. The roman numeral says the chord's place in the key, so the same chart works in any key.
| Bar | Chord | Numeral | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fm | iv | F Ab C |
| 2 | Bb7 | bVII7 | Bb D F Ab |
| 3 | Eb | bIII | Eb G Bb |
| 4 | Bbm | bvii | Bb Db F |
What the sheet music shows
The grand staff: the right hand on the treble staff, the left hand on the bass staff, with the chord names above and a finger number on each note (1 is the thumb). It is the accompaniment: stride jumps (stride) in the left hand and ticking clock in the right, over the Fm – Bb7 – Eb – Bbm chords.
Press play and a cursor follows the music. Above it, Colours paints each note in its key’s colour and Note names writes its letter on its head.
To see the real melody written out, play “The part you know”: the sheet music changes to it.
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Questions about If I Were A Rich Man
Does the sheet music for If I Were A Rich Man have finger numbers?
Yes: every note of both hands has its finger number, 1 being the thumb. To read the notes alone, turn Fingers off above the music.
What chords are in If I Were A Rich Man?
The loop is Fm – Bb7 – Eb – Bbm (iv – bVII7 – bIII – bvii) in C major, and the song ends on C – G7 – C.
What key is If I Were A Rich Man in?
C major, at about 140 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in If I Were A Rich Man?
Stride jumps: stride, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is If I Were A Rich Man easy to play on piano?
It is a medium one: learn the 4 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.
Can I hear the real melody of If I Were A Rich Man?
Yes: "The part you know" plays the main tune of the song from a score, with both hands.
Made from 4 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.