Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Blues & boogie

Long Gone Blues: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

By Billie Holiday

  • C major
  • 4/4
  • 100 BPM
  • 1960
  • Easy
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Style

Left hand Velvet jazzRight hand Pausing chordsChords the loop the song repeats most

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 Long Gone Blues without reading music. The left hand plays velvet jazz (lh shell voicings (1-7 / 1-3)) and the right hand pausing chords.

Long Gone Blues accompaniment in letter notes

The G7 – C – F7 – C loop with velvet jazz in the left hand and pausing chords in the right. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
G7
RB4+D5+F5+G5 B4+D5+F5+G5 B4+D5+F5+G5
LB2+F3 B2+G3 B2+F3 B2+G3
Bar 2
C
RE4+G4+Bb4+C5 E4+G4+Bb4+C5 E4+G4+Bb4+C5
LE3+Bb3 E3+C4 E3+Bb3 E3+C4
Bar 3
F7
RA4+C5+Eb5+F5 A4+C5+Eb5+F5 A4+C5+Eb5+F5
LA2+Eb3 A2+F3 A2+Eb3 A2+F3
Bar 4
C
RE4+G4+Bb4+C5 E4+G4+Bb4+C5 Eb5 E5 G5 A5 G5 E5 Eb5 C5
LE3+Bb3 E3+C4 E3+Bb3 E3+C4
Bar 5
G7
RB4+D5+F5+G5 B4+D5+F5+G5 B4+D5+F5+G5
LB2+F3 B2+G3 B2+F3 B2+G3
Bar 6
C
RE4+G4+Bb4+C5 E4+G4+Bb4+C5 E4+G4+Bb4+C5
LE3+Bb3 E3+C4 E3+Bb3 E3+C4
Bar 7
F7
RA4+C5+Eb5+F5 A4+C5+Eb5+F5 A4+C5+Eb5+F5
LA2+Eb3 A2+F3 A2+Eb3 A2+F3
Bar 8
C
RE4+G4+Bb4+C5 E4+G4+Bb4+C5 E4+G4+Bb4+C5
LE3+Bb3 E3+C4 E3+Bb3 E3+C4

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 Long Gone Blues

What are the letter notes for the Long Gone Blues 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 G7 – C – F7 – C, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Long Gone Blues?

The loop is G7 – C – F7 – C (V7 – I – IV7 – I) in C major, and the song ends on F – G – C.

What key is Long Gone Blues in?

C major, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Long Gone Blues?

Velvet jazz: lh shell voicings (1-7 / 1-3), an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Long Gone Blues 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.