Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Blues & boogie

Marrakesh Express: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

By Crosby, Stills & Nash

  • C major
  • 4/4
  • 135 BPM
  • 1969
  • Medium
Tuning the piano…
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Left hand Boogie walkerRight hand Shy chordsChords the loop the song repeats most

Play the full song with sheet music

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 Marrakesh Express without reading music. The left hand plays boogie walker (boogie-woogie line) and the right hand shy chords.

Marrakesh Express accompaniment in letter notes

The Em – A7 – Bb7 – A7 loop with boogie walker in the left hand and shy chords in the right. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
Em
RG4+B4+D5+E5 G4+B4+D5+E5 G4+B4+D5+E5
LE2 B2 D3 B2 C#3 B2 G2 B2
Bar 2
A7
RC#4+E4+G4+A4 C#4+E4+G4+A4 C#4+E4+G4+A4
LA2 E3 G3 E3 F#3 E3 C#3 E3
Bar 3
Bb7
RD4+F4+Ab4+Bb4 D4+F4+Ab4+Bb4 D4+F4+Ab4+Bb4
LBb2 F3 Ab3 F3 G3 F3 D3 F3
Bar 4
A7
RC#4+E4+G4+A4 C5 C#5 E5 F#5 E5 C#5 C5 A4
LA2 E3 G3 E3 F#3 E3 C#3 E3
Bar 5
Em
RG4+B4+D5+E5 G4+B4+D5+E5 G4+B4+D5+E5
LE2 B2 D3 B2 C#3 B2 G2 B2
Bar 6
A7
RC#4+E4+G4+A4 C#4+E4+G4+A4 C#4+E4+G4+A4
LA2 E3 G3 E3 F#3 E3 C#3 E3
Bar 7
Bb7
RD4+F4+Ab4+Bb4 D4+F4+Ab4+Bb4 D4+F4+Ab4+Bb4
LBb2 F3 Ab3 F3 G3 F3 D3 F3
Bar 8
A7
RC#4+E4+G4+A4 C#4+E4+G4+A4 C#4+E4+G4+A4
LA2 E3 G3 E3 F#3 E3 C#3 E3

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 Marrakesh Express

What are the letter notes for the Marrakesh Express 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 Em – A7 – Bb7 – A7, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Marrakesh Express?

The loop is Em – A7 – Bb7 – A7 (iii – VI7 – bVII7 – VI7) in C major, and the song ends on F – G – C.

What key is Marrakesh Express in?

C major, at about 135 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Marrakesh Express?

Boogie walker: boogie-woogie line, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Marrakesh Express easy to play on piano?

It is a medium one: learn the 4 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.

Made from 3 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.