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Piano chords · Rock drive

Oleo: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

By John Coltrane

Tuning the piano…
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Style

Left hand Giant stepsRight hand Wobbly chordsChords the loop the song repeats most

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 Oleo without reading music. The left hand plays giant steps (lh chords) and the right hand wobbly chords.

Oleo accompaniment in letter notes

The Bb – Gm – Cm – F loop with giant steps in the left hand and wobbly chords in the right. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
Bb
RBb3+D4+F4 Bb3+D4+F4 Bb3+D4+F4 Bb3+D4+F4
LBb2+F3 F3+Bb3 F3+Bb3
Bar 2
Gm
RG4+Bb4+D5 G4+Bb4+D5 G4+Bb4+D5 G4+Bb4+D5
LG2+D3 D3+G3 D3+G3
Bar 3
Cm
RC4+Eb4+G4 C4+Eb4+G4 C4+Eb4+G4 C4+Eb4+G4
LC3+G3 G3+C4 G3+C4
Bar 4
F
RF4+A4+C5 F4+A4+C5 C7 A6 F6 C6 A5 Ab5 G5 Gb5
LF2+C3 C3+F3 C3+F3
Bar 5
Bb
RBb3+D4+F4 Bb3+D4+F4 Bb3+D4+F4 Bb3+D4+F4
LBb2+F3 F3+Bb3 F3+Bb3
Bar 6
Gm
RG4+Bb4+D5 G4+Bb4+D5 G4+Bb4+D5 G4+Bb4+D5
LG2+D3 D3+G3 D3+G3
Bar 7
Cm
RC4+Eb4+G4 C4+Eb4+G4 C4+Eb4+G4 C4+Eb4+G4
LC3+G3 G3+C4 G3+C4
Bar 8
F
RF4+A4+C5 F4+A4+C5 F4+A4+C5 F4+A4+C5
LF2+C3 C3+F3 C3+F3

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 Oleo

What are the letter notes for the Oleo 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 Bb – Gm – Cm – F, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Oleo?

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

What key is Oleo in?

Bb major, at about 160 beats a minute in 2/2.

What does the left hand play in Oleo?

Giant steps: lh chords, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Oleo 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 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.