Piano chords · Blues & boogie
Parisian Thoroughfare: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes
By Bud Powell
- F major
- 4/4
- 160 BPM
- I–ii–iii–IV loop
- 1953
- 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 Parisian Thoroughfare without reading music. The left hand plays velvet jazz (lh shell voicings (1-7 / 1-3)) and the right hand pop stabs.
Parisian Thoroughfare accompaniment in letter notes
The F – Gm – Am – Bb loop with velvet jazz in the left hand and pop stabs 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 Parisian Thoroughfare
What are the letter notes for the Parisian Thoroughfare 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 F – Gm – Am – Bb, so the letters repeat with the chords.
What chords are in Parisian Thoroughfare?
The loop is F – Gm – Am – Bb (I – ii – iii – IV) in F major, and the song ends on Bb – C – F.
What key is Parisian Thoroughfare in?
F major, at about 160 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Parisian Thoroughfare?
Velvet jazz: lh shell voicings (1-7 / 1-3), an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Parisian Thoroughfare 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.