Piano chords · Blues & boogie
Mess Around: piano accompaniment sheet music
Written by Ahmet Ertegun
- C major
- 2/2
- 135 BPM
- V7–ii–V7–I loop
- 1954
- Medium
Mess Around written out as piano music: the V7 – ii – V7 – I loop in C major for both hands, with chord names and finger numbers. Press play and follow the cursor. The left hand plays boogie walker (boogie-woogie line) and the right hand freeze-tag chords.
Mess Around chord chart
The loop once round, bar by bar, in C major. The roman numeral says the chord's place in the key, so the same chart works in any key.
| Bar | Chord | Numeral | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | G7 | V7 | G B D F |
| 2 | Dm | ii | D F A |
| 3 | G7 | V7 | G B D F |
| 4 | C | I | C E G |
What the sheet music shows
The grand staff: the right hand on the treble staff, the left hand on the bass staff, with the chord names above and a finger number on each note (1 is the thumb). It is the accompaniment: boogie walker (boogie-woogie line) in the left hand and freeze-tag chords in the right, over the G7 – Dm – G7 – C chords.
Press play and a cursor follows the music. Above it, Colours paints each note in its key’s colour and Note names writes its letter on its head.
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Questions about Mess Around
Does the sheet music for Mess Around have finger numbers?
Yes: every note of both hands has its finger number, 1 being the thumb. To read the notes alone, turn Fingers off above the music.
What chords are in Mess Around?
The loop is G7 – Dm – G7 – C (V7 – ii – V7 – I) in C major, and the song ends on F – G – C.
What key is Mess Around in?
C major, at about 135 beats a minute in 2/2.
What does the left hand play in Mess Around?
Boogie walker: boogie-woogie line, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Mess Around 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 one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.