Piano chords · Waltz garden
Piano Man: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes
By Billy Joel
- C major
- 3/4
- 80 BPM
- 1973
- 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 Piano Man without reading music. The left hand plays oom-pah-pah (waltz oom-pah-pah) and the right hand waltz chords.
The intro of Piano Man 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.
Piano Man accompaniment in letter notes
The C – F – F – F – C – Dm7 loop with oom-pah-pah in the left hand and waltz chords 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 Piano Man
What are the letter notes for the Piano Man 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 C – F – F – F – C – Dm7, so the letters repeat with the chords.
What chords are in Piano Man?
The loop is C – F – F – F – C – Dm7 (I – IV – I – ii7 – I – IV) in C major, and the song ends on C – Dm – C.
What key is Piano Man in?
C major, at about 80 beats a minute in 3/4.
What does the left hand play in Piano Man?
Oom-pah-pah: waltz oom-pah-pah, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Piano Man easy to play on piano?
Yes. Both hands play easy patterns over 6 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.
Can I hear the real melody of Piano Man?
Yes: "The part you know" plays the intro of the song from a score, with both hands.
Made from 6 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.