My Father: piano accompaniment sheet music

Bb major
6/8
60 BPM
1968
Medium

Tuning the piano…

Learn it

My Father written out as piano music: the vi – I – IV – ii loop in Bb major for both hands, with chord names and finger numbers. Press play and follow the cursor. The left hand plays swelling 6/8 (open arpeggio 1-5-8-10-8-5 (6/8)), and the right hand sings the tune.

My Father chord chart

The loop once round, bar by bar, in Bb 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	Gm	vi	G Bb D
2	Bb	I	Bb D F
3	Eb	IV	Eb G Bb
4	Cm	ii	C Eb 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: swelling 6/8 (open arpeggio 1-5-8-10-8-5 (6/8)) in the left hand, with the right hand free for the melody, over the Gm – Bb – Eb – Cm 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.

Play next

More by Judy Collins

All 8 songs

Questions about My Father

Does the sheet music for My Father 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 My Father?

The loop is Gm – Bb – Eb – Cm (vi – I – IV – ii) in Bb major, and the song ends on Eb – F – Bb.

What key is My Father in?

Bb major, at about 60 beats a minute in 6/8.

What does the left hand play in My Father?

Swelling 6/8: open arpeggio 1-5-8-10-8-5 (6/8), a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is My Father 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.