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Jailhouse Rock: piano accompaniment sheet music
- F major
- 4/4
- 160 BPM
- 1957
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Jailhouse Rock written out as piano music: the I – ii7 – bVI – V – I – ii7 – IV7 – VII loop in F major for both hands, with chord names and finger numbers. Press play and follow the cursor. The left hand plays lazy footsteps (root bass · 1 · 3 · 4) and the right hand ticking clock.
Jailhouse Rock chord chart
The loop once round, bar by bar, in F 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 | F | I | F A C |
| 1 | Gm7 | ii7 | G Bb D F |
| 2 | Db | bVI | Db F Ab |
| 2 | C | V | C E G |
| 3 | F | I | F A C |
| 3 | Gm7 | ii7 | G Bb D F |
| 4 | Bb7 | IV7 | Bb D F Ab |
| 4 | E | VII | E G# B |
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: lazy footsteps (root bass · 1 · 3 · 4) in the left hand and ticking clock in the right, over the F – Gm7 – Db – C – F – Gm7 – Bb7 – E 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 Jailhouse Rock
Does the sheet music for Jailhouse Rock 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 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.