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Jailhouse Rock: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

By Elvis Presley

  • F major
  • 4/4
  • 160 BPM
  • 1957
  • Medium
Tuning the piano…
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Left hand Lazy footstepsRight hand Ticking clockChords worked out from the notes of the famous part

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 Jailhouse Rock without reading music. The left hand plays lazy footsteps (root bass · 1 · 3 · 4) and the right hand ticking clock.

The main tune of Jailhouse Rock 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.

Bar 1
F → Gm7
RA3+C4+Ab4 A4 F4 D4 F4 G4 F4 D4
LF2
Bar 2
Db → C
RCb3+F4+Ab4 Cb3+F4+Ab4 Bb3+Fb4+G4 Ab4
LDb3 Db3 C3 C2
Bar 3
F → Gm7
RA3+C4+Ab4 A4 F4 D4 F4 G4 F4 D4
LF2
Bar 4
Bb7 → E
RF4 F4 Ab4 G#3+B3+E4 G#4
LE2

Jailhouse Rock accompaniment in letter notes

The F – Gm7 – Db – C – F – Gm7 – Bb7 – E loop with lazy footsteps in the left hand and ticking clock in the right. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
F → Gm7
RF4 F4 F4 F4 G4 G4 G4 G4
LF2 G3 G2
Bar 2
Db → C
RDb4 Db4 Db4 Db4 C4 C4 C4 C4
LDb3 C4 C3
Bar 3
F → Gm7
RF4 F4 F4 F4 G4 G4 G4 G4
LF2 G3 G2
Bar 4
Bb7 → E
RBb3 Bb3 Bb3 Bb3 E4 F4 G4 A4 A#4 C5 D5 E5
LBb2 E3 E2
Bar 5
F → Gm7
RF4 F4 F4 F4 G4 G4 G4 G4
LF2 G3 G2
Bar 6
Db → C
RDb4 Db4 Db4 Db4 C4 C4 C4 C4
LDb3 C4 C3
Bar 7
F → Gm7
RF4 F4 F4 F4 G4 G4 G4 G4
LF2 G3 G2
Bar 8
Bb7 → E
RBb3 Bb3 Bb3 Bb3 E4 E4 E4 E4
LBb2 E3 E2

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 Jailhouse Rock

What are the letter notes for the Jailhouse Rock 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 F – Gm7 – Db – C – F – Gm7 – Bb7 – E, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Jailhouse Rock?

The loop is F – Gm7 – Db – C – F – Gm7 – Bb7 – E (I – ii7 – bVI – V – I – ii7 – IV7 – VII) in F major, and the song ends on Bb – C – F.

What key is Jailhouse Rock in?

F major, at about 160 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Jailhouse Rock?

Lazy footsteps: root bass · 1 · 3 · 4, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Jailhouse Rock easy to play on piano?

It is a medium one: learn the 8 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.

Can I hear the real melody of Jailhouse Rock?

Yes: "The part you know" plays the main tune 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.