Piano chords · Old-time stride
Old Joe Clark: piano accompaniment sheet music
Written by Tennessee Folksong
- D major
- 2/4
- 100 BPM
- bVII–I–bVII–I loop
- Tricky
Play the full song with sheet music
Old Joe Clark written out as piano music: the bVII – I – bVII – I loop in D major for both hands, with chord names and finger numbers. Press play and follow the cursor. The left hand plays kangaroo leaps (stride (2/4)) and the right hand marching clock.
Old Joe Clark chord chart
The loop once round, bar by bar, in D 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 | C | bVII | C E G |
| 2 | D | I | D F# A |
| 3 | C | bVII | C E G |
| 4 | D | I | D F# A |
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: kangaroo leaps (stride (2/4)) in the left hand and marching clock in the right, over the C – D – C – D 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 Old Joe Clark
Does the sheet music for Old Joe Clark 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 Old Joe Clark?
The loop is C – D – C – D (bVII – I – bVII – I) in D major, and the song ends on D – C – D.
What key is Old Joe Clark in?
D major, at about 100 beats a minute in 2/4.
What does the left hand play in Old Joe Clark?
Kangaroo leaps: stride (2/4), a tricky pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Old Joe Clark easy to play on piano?
It is a tricky 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.