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Overjoyed: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

By Stevie Wonder

  • Eb major
  • 9/8
  • 160 BPM
  • 1983
  • Easy
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Left hand Leapfrog pulseThe right hand sings the tuneChords worked out from the notes of the famous part

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 Overjoyed without reading music. The left hand plays leapfrog pulse (root bass · 1 · 2a · 3), and the right hand sings the tune.

The main tune of Overjoyed 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
Bbm
RF4+Bb4 Ab4 Bb4 Ab4
LDb3+Bb3
Bar 2
C7
RE4+Bb4 Ab4 Bb4 Ab4
LC3+Bb3
Bar 3
Cb
REb4+Bb4 Ab4 Bb4 Ab4
LCb2+Bb3
Bar 4
C7
RE4+Bb4 Ab4 Bb4 F#4 Ab4 Bb4
LC3+Bb3

Overjoyed accompaniment in letter notes

The Bbm – C7 – Cb – C7 loop with leapfrog pulse in the left hand. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
Bbm
RBb3+Db4+F4
LBb2 Bb2 Bb2
Bar 2
C7
RC4+E4+G4
LC3 C3 C3
Bar 3
Cb
RCb3+Eb4+Gb4
LCb2 Cb2 Cb2
Bar 4
C7
RC4+E4+G4 Eb4 F4 G4 Ab4 Bb4 C5 D5 Eb5
LC3 C3 C3
Bar 5
Bbm
RBb3+Db4+F4
LBb2 Bb2 Bb2
Bar 6
C7
RC4+E4+G4
LC3 C3 C3
Bar 7
Cb
RCb3+Eb4+Gb4
LCb2 Cb2 Cb2
Bar 8
C7
RC4+E4+G4
LC3 C3 C3

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 Overjoyed

What are the letter notes for the Overjoyed 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 Bbm – C7 – Cb – C7, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Overjoyed?

The loop is Bbm – C7 – Cb – C7 (v – VI7 – bVI – VI7) in Eb major, and the song ends on Ab – Bb – Eb.

What key is Overjoyed in?

Eb major, at about 160 beats a minute in 9/8.

What does the left hand play in Overjoyed?

Leapfrog pulse: root bass · 1 · 2a · 3, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Overjoyed 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 Overjoyed?

Yes: "The part you know" plays the main tune 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.