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Poison Ivy: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes
Written by Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller
- F major
- 2/2
- 120 BPM
- 1959
- Easy
Play the full song with sheet music
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 Poison Ivy without reading music. The left hand plays stair steps (broken chord 1-3-5) and the right hand eager chords.
The bass riff of Poison Ivy 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.
Poison Ivy accompaniment in letter notes
The F – F – Eb – F – F – F – Eb – F loop with stair steps in the left hand and eager 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 Poison Ivy
What are the letter notes for the Poison Ivy 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 – F – Eb – F – F – F – Eb – F, so the letters repeat with the chords.
What chords are in Poison Ivy?
The loop is F – F – Eb – F – F – F – Eb – F (I – bVII – I – bVII – I – bVII – I – bVII) in F major, and the song ends on F – Eb – F.
What key is Poison Ivy in?
F major, at about 120 beats a minute in 2/2.
What does the left hand play in Poison Ivy?
Stair steps: broken chord 1-3-5, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Poison Ivy easy to play on piano?
Yes. Both hands play easy patterns over 8 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.
Can I hear the real melody of Poison Ivy?
Yes: "The part you know" plays the bass riff of the song from a score, with both hands.
Made from one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.