Piano chords · Waltz garden
Ism: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes
By Sheldon Harnick
- F major
- 3/4
- 100 BPM
- ii–V7–I–ii loop
- 1960
- 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 Ism without reading music. The left hand plays oom-pah-pah (waltz oom-pah-pah) and the right hand waltz bells.
Ism accompaniment in letter notes
The Gm – C7 – F – Gm loop with oom-pah-pah in the left hand and waltz bells in the right. 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 Ism
What are the letter notes for the Ism 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 Gm – C7 – F – Gm, so the letters repeat with the chords.
What chords are in Ism?
The loop is Gm – C7 – F – Gm (ii – V7 – I – ii) in F major, and the song ends on Gm – C7 – F.
What key is Ism in?
F major, at about 100 beats a minute in 3/4.
What does the left hand play in Ism?
Oom-pah-pah: waltz oom-pah-pah, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Ism 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.