Piano chords · Old-time stride

How to play Memphis Blues on piano

Tuning the piano…

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Learn Memphis Blues in 5 steps

The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.

1
Chords: C7 – F – F7 – Bb
Memphis Blues sits in F major: F is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: C7 is C, E, G and Bb; F is F, A and C; F7 is F, A, C and Eb; Bb is Bb, D and F. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
C7V7FIF7I7BbIV
- C7C · E · G · Bb
- FF · A · C
- F7F · A · C · Eb
- BbBb · D · F
78 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Kangaroo leaps
Bass, high chord, bass, high chord, fast: the hand leaps like a kangaroo. Musicians call it stride (2/4) (stride & boom-chick), a tricky pattern heard in 107 songs of the library.
Kangaroo leapsStride & boom-chick · StrideLeft handTricky
3
Right hand: Clockwork chords
Four quick, even chords per short bar, ticking like clockwork. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Clockwork chordsSyncopated chords · StrideRight handMedium
4
Both hands at 60 BPM
Put the two hands together over the loop. Start at half speed with the player's speed control, and bring it up once every change is easy.
5
Ending: Bb – C – F
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
BbCF
- CC · E · G

What chords are in Memphis Blues?

The loop is C7 – F – F7 – Bb (V7 – I – I7 – IV) in F major, and the song ends on Bb – C – F.

What key is Memphis Blues in?

F major, at about 60 beats a minute in 2/4.

What does the left hand play in Memphis Blues?

Kangaroo leaps: stride (2/4), a tricky pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Memphis Blues 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.

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