Piano chords · Blues & boogie
My Ship: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes
By Ira Gershwin
- F major
- 4/4
- 100 BPM
- V7–I–VI7–ii loop
- 1941
- Easy
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 My Ship without reading music. The left hand plays jazz walk (walking bass) and the right hand hand-clap chords.
My Ship accompaniment in letter notes
The C7 – F – D7 – Gm loop with jazz walk in the left hand and hand-clap 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 My Ship
What are the letter notes for the My Ship 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 – D7 – Gm, so the letters repeat with the chords.
What chords are in My Ship?
The loop is C7 – F – D7 – Gm (V7 – I – VI7 – ii) in F major, and the song ends on F – C7 – F.
What key is My Ship in?
F major, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in My Ship?
Jazz walk: walking bass, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is My Ship easy to play on piano?
Yes. Both hands play easy patterns over 4 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.
Made from 5 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.