Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Waltz garden

New York State Of Mind (arr. Phillip Keveren): easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

By Billy Joel

  • C major
  • 3/4
  • 130 BPM
  • 1975
  • Easy
Tuning the piano…
Learn it
Learn it
Style

Left hand Waltz rootsRight hand Waltz 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 New York State Of Mind (arr. Phillip Keveren) without reading music. The left hand plays waltz roots (root bass · 3/4 quarters) and the right hand waltz chords.

The opening of New York State Of Mind (arr. Phillip Keveren) 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
Am7
RG3+A3+C4+E4
LA1 A1 E2
Bar 2
Am
Rrest
LA2 E2 D#2
Bar 3
D7
RF#3+A3+C4+D4
LD2 D2 A2
Bar 4
Em7
Rrest
LD3 G1 G#1

New York State Of Mind (arr. Phillip Keveren) accompaniment in letter notes

The Am7 – Am – D7 – Em7 loop with waltz roots in the left hand and waltz chords in the right. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
Am7
RA3+C4+E4 A3+C4+E4 A3+C4+E4
LA2 A3 A3
Bar 2
Am
RA3+C4+E4 A3+C4+E4 A3+C4+E4
LA2 A3 A3
Bar 3
D7
RD4+F#4+A4 D4+F#4+A4 D4+F#4+A4
LD2 D3 D3
Bar 4
Em7
RE4+G4+B4 E4 G4 B4 D5 E5 G5 B5 D6
LE2 E3 E3
Bar 5
Am7
RA3+C4+E4 A3+C4+E4 A3+C4+E4
LA2 A3 A3
Bar 6
Am
RA3+C4+E4 A3+C4+E4 A3+C4+E4
LA2 A3 A3
Bar 7
D7
RD4+F#4+A4 D4+F#4+A4 D4+F#4+A4
LD2 D3 D3
Bar 8
Em7
RE4+G4+B4 E4+G4+B4 E4+G4+B4
LE2 E3 E3

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.

Play next

Questions about New York State Of Mind (arr. Phillip Keveren)

What are the letter notes for the New York State Of Mind (arr. Phillip Keveren) 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 Am7 – Am – D7 – Em7, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in New York State Of Mind (arr. Phillip Keveren)?

The loop is Am7 – Am – D7 – Em7 (vi7 – vi – II7 – iii7) in C major, and the song ends on F – G – C.

What key is New York State Of Mind (arr. Phillip Keveren) in?

C major, at about 130 beats a minute in 3/4.

What does the left hand play in New York State Of Mind (arr. Phillip Keveren)?

Waltz roots: root bass · 3/4 quarters, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is New York State Of Mind (arr. Phillip Keveren) 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.

Can I hear the real melody of New York State Of Mind (arr. Phillip Keveren)?

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

Made from 3 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.