Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Blues & boogie

Misty: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

By Erroll Garner

  • Eb major
  • 4/4
  • 75 BPM
  • 1938
  • Easy
Tuning the piano…
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Left hand Velvet jazzRight hand Sprint-and-stop chordsChords worked out from the notes of the famous part

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 Misty without reading music. The left hand plays velvet jazz (lh shell voicings (1-7 / 1-3)) and the right hand sprint-and-stop chords.

The main tune of Misty 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.

Bar 1
Eb
RG3+Bb3+D4 Bb3 C4
LEb2 Bb2 G3 Bb2 Eb2
Bar 2
Bbm7 → Eb
RDb4+Db4 C5 C5 C5 Db4+Fb4+C5 Bb4 G4 Eb4
LBb2+F3+Ab3 Eb2+Bb2+G3
Bar 3
Ab → Fm
RC4 G3 Ab3 C4 Eb4 G4
LAb2 Bb3 G3 Eb3 F3
Bar 4
Abm → Db7
RCb3+Eb4+Bb4 Bb4 Bb4 Ab4 Cb3+Eb4+F4+Bb4 Ab4
LAb2+Eb3 Db2 Ab2 F3

Misty accompaniment in letter notes

The Eb – Bbm7 – Eb – Ab – Fm – Abm – Db7 loop with velvet jazz in the left hand and sprint-and-stop chords in the right. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
Eb
RG4+Bb4+Db5+Eb5 G4+Bb4+Db5+Eb5 G4+Bb4+Db5+Eb5 G4+Bb4+Db5+Eb5
LEb3+Db4 Eb3+G3 Eb2
Bar 2
Bbm7 → Eb
RDb4+F4+Ab4+Bb4 Db4+F4+Ab4+Bb4 Db4+F4+Ab4+Bb4 Db4+F4+Ab4+Bb4
LBb3+Ab4 Eb3+G3 Eb2
Bar 3
Ab → Fm
RC5+Eb5+Gb5+Ab5 C5+Eb5+Gb5+Ab5 C5+Eb5+Gb5+Ab5 C5+Eb5+Gb5+Ab5
LAb3+Gb4 F3+Ab3 F2
Bar 4
Abm → Db7
RCb4+Eb5+Gb5+Ab5 Cb4+Eb5+Gb5+Ab5 Cb4+Eb5+Gb5+Ab5 Cb4+Eb5+Gb5+Ab5 Fb5 F5 Ab5 Bb5 Ab5 F5 Fb5 Db5
LAb3+Gb4 Db4+F4 Db3
Bar 5
Eb
RG4+Bb4+Db5+Eb5 G4+Bb4+Db5+Eb5 G4+Bb4+Db5+Eb5 G4+Bb4+Db5+Eb5
LEb3+Db4 Eb3+G3 Eb2
Bar 6
Bbm7 → Eb
RDb4+F4+Ab4+Bb4 Db4+F4+Ab4+Bb4 Db4+F4+Ab4+Bb4 Db4+F4+Ab4+Bb4
LBb3+Ab4 Eb3+G3 Eb2
Bar 7
Ab → Fm
RC5+Eb5+Gb5+Ab5 C5+Eb5+Gb5+Ab5 C5+Eb5+Gb5+Ab5 C5+Eb5+Gb5+Ab5
LAb3+Gb4 F3+Ab3 F2
Bar 8
Abm → Db7
RCb4+Eb5+Gb5+Ab5 Cb4+Eb5+Gb5+Ab5 Cb4+Eb5+Gb5+Ab5 Cb4+Eb5+Gb5+Ab5
LAb3+Gb4 Db4+F4 Db3

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 Misty

What are the letter notes for the Misty 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 Eb – Bbm7 – Eb – Ab – Fm – Abm – Db7, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Misty?

The loop is Eb – Bbm7 – Eb – Ab – Fm – Abm – Db7 (I – v7 – I – IV – ii – iv – bVII7) in Eb major, and the song ends on Ab – Bb – Eb.

What key is Misty in?

Eb major, at about 75 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Misty?

Velvet jazz: lh shell voicings (1-7 / 1-3), an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Misty easy to play on piano?

Yes. Both hands play easy patterns over 7 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.

Can I hear the real melody of Misty?

Yes: "The part you know" plays the main tune of the song from a score, with both hands.

Made from 4 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.