Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Pop heartbeat

Manhattan Madness: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

Written by Irving Berlin

  • Eb major
  • 2/2
  • 108 BPM
  • 1931
  • Easy
Tuning the piano…
Learn it
Style

Left hand Lazy footstepsRight hand Steady 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 Manhattan Madness without reading music. The left hand plays lazy footsteps (root bass · 1 · 3 · 4) and the right hand steady chords.

Manhattan Madness accompaniment in letter notes

The Ebm – Cb7 – Bb7 – Eb loop with lazy footsteps in the left hand and steady chords in the right. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
Ebm
RGb4+Bb4+Eb5 Gb4+Bb4+Eb5 Gb4+Bb4+Eb5 Gb4+Bb4+Eb5
LEb2 Eb3 Eb2
Bar 2
Cb7
REb4+Gb4+Cb4 Eb4+Gb4+Cb4 Eb4+Gb4+Cb4 Eb4+Gb4+Cb4
LCb2 Cb3 Cb2
Bar 3
Bb7
RD4+F4+Bb4 D4+F4+Bb4 D4+F4+Bb4 D4+F4+Bb4
LBb2 Bb3 Bb2
Bar 4
Eb
RG4+Bb4+Eb5 G4+Bb4+Eb5 D4 Eb4 F4 G4 Ab4 Bb4 C5 D5
LEb2 Eb3 Eb2
Bar 5
Ebm
RGb4+Bb4+Eb5 Gb4+Bb4+Eb5 Gb4+Bb4+Eb5 Gb4+Bb4+Eb5
LEb2 Eb3 Eb2
Bar 6
Cb7
REb4+Gb4+Cb4 Eb4+Gb4+Cb4 Eb4+Gb4+Cb4 Eb4+Gb4+Cb4
LCb2 Cb3 Cb2
Bar 7
Bb7
RD4+F4+Bb4 D4+F4+Bb4 D4+F4+Bb4 D4+F4+Bb4
LBb2 Bb3 Bb2
Bar 8
Eb
RG4+Bb4+Eb5 G4+Bb4+Eb5 G4+Bb4+Eb5 G4+Bb4+Eb5
LEb2 Eb3 Eb2

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.

Play next

Questions about Manhattan Madness

What are the letter notes for the Manhattan Madness 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 Ebm – Cb7 – Bb7 – Eb, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Manhattan Madness?

The loop is Ebm – Cb7 – Bb7 – Eb (i – bVI7 – V7 – I) in Eb major, and the song ends on Ab – Bb – Eb.

What key is Manhattan Madness in?

Eb major, at about 108 beats a minute in 2/2.

What does the left hand play in Manhattan Madness?

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

Is Manhattan Madness 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.