Piano chords · Old-time stride
Maple Leaf Rag: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes
By Scott Joplin
- Ab major
- 2/4
- 90 BPM
- Tricky
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 Maple Leaf Rag without reading music. The left hand plays kangaroo leaps (stride (2/4)), and the right hand sings the tune.
The main tune of Maple Leaf Rag 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.
Maple Leaf Rag accompaniment in letter notes
The Ab – Eb7 – Ab – Eb7 loop with kangaroo leaps in the left hand. 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 Maple Leaf Rag
What are the letter notes for the Maple Leaf Rag 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 Ab – Eb7 – Ab – Eb7, so the letters repeat with the chords.
What chords are in Maple Leaf Rag?
The loop is Ab – Eb7 – Ab – Eb7 (I – V7 – I – V7) in Ab major, and the song ends on Ab – Eb7 – Ab.
What key is Maple Leaf Rag in?
Ab major, at about 90 beats a minute in 2/4.
What does the left hand play in Maple Leaf Rag?
Kangaroo leaps: stride (2/4), a tricky pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Maple Leaf Rag easy to play on piano?
It is a tricky one: learn the 4 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.
Can I hear the real melody of Maple Leaf Rag?
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.