Piano chords · Old-time stride
Memphis Blues: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes
By W.C. Handy
- F major
- 2/4
- 60 BPM
- V7–I–I7–IV loop
- 2009
- 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 Memphis Blues without reading music. The left hand plays kangaroo leaps (stride (2/4)) and the right hand clockwork chords.
Memphis Blues accompaniment in letter notes
The C7 – F – F7 – Bb loop with kangaroo leaps in the left hand and clockwork chords in the right. 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 Memphis Blues
What are the letter notes for the Memphis 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 C7 – F – F7 – Bb, so the letters repeat with the chords.
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.