Piano chords · Bossa beach
Jim Crow: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes
Written by John Mellencamp
- C major
- 4/4
- 100 BPM
- vi–iii–vi–iii loop
- 2006
- 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 Jim Crow without reading music. The left hand plays island seesaw (root–fifth 1-5-1) and the right hand soft chords.
Jim Crow accompaniment in letter notes
The Am – Em – Am – Em loop with island seesaw in the left hand and soft chords 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 Jim Crow
What are the letter notes for the Jim Crow 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 Am – Em – Am – Em, so the letters repeat with the chords.
What chords are in Jim Crow?
The loop is Am – Em – Am – Em (vi – iii – vi – iii) in C major, and the song ends on F – G – C.
What key is Jim Crow in?
C major, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Jim Crow?
Island seesaw: root–fifth 1-5-1, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Jim Crow 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.