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Poison Ivy: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

By Samuel Barber

  • F minor
  • 4/4
  • 120 BPM
  • Easy
Tuning the piano…
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Style

Left hand Push and landRight hand Offbeat skankChords from the chord symbols in the score

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 push and land (root bass · 1 · 2& · 3 · 4) and the right hand offbeat skank.

The catchy part 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.

Bar 1
Fm
RAb4+C5+F5 Ab4+C5+F5 Ab5 F5 E5
LF2 F2 Ab2 C3 F2 F2 Ab2 C3
Bar 2
Fm
RAb4+C5+F5 Ab4+C5+F5 Eb5 F4+Ab4+C5
LF2 F2 Ab2 C3 F2 F2 Ab2 C3
Bar 3
Cm
REb4+G4+C5 Eb4+G4+C5 Eb5 C5 B4
LC2 C2 Eb2 G2 C2 C2 Eb2 G2
Bar 4
Cm
REb4+G4+C5 F5 F5 Ab4+C5+F5
LC2 C2 Eb2 G2 C2 C2 Eb2 G2

Poison Ivy accompaniment in letter notes

The Fm – Fm – Cm – Cm loop with push and land in the left hand and offbeat skank in the right. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
Fm
RAb4+C5+F5 Ab4+C5+F5 Ab4+C5+F5 Ab4+C5+F5
LF2 F2 F2 F2
Bar 2
Fm
RAb4+C5+F5 Ab4+C5+F5 Ab4+C5+F5 Ab4+C5+F5
LF2 F2 F2 F2
Bar 3
Cm
REb4+G4+C5 Eb4+G4+C5 Eb4+G4+C5 Eb4+G4+C5
LC3 C3 C3 C3
Bar 4
Cm
REb4+G4+C5 Eb4+G4+C5 Eb4 F4 G4 Ab4 Bb4 C5 Db5 Eb5
LC3 C3 C3 C3
Bar 5
Fm
RAb4+C5+F5 Ab4+C5+F5 Ab4+C5+F5 Ab4+C5+F5
LF2 F2 F2 F2
Bar 6
Fm
RAb4+C5+F5 Ab4+C5+F5 Ab4+C5+F5 Ab4+C5+F5
LF2 F2 F2 F2
Bar 7
Cm
REb4+G4+C5 Eb4+G4+C5 Eb4+G4+C5 Eb4+G4+C5
LC3 C3 C3 C3
Bar 8
Cm
REb4+G4+C5 Eb4+G4+C5 Eb4+G4+C5 Eb4+G4+C5
LC3 C3 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 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 Fm – Fm – Cm – Cm, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Poison Ivy?

The loop is Fm – Fm – Cm – Cm (i – v – i – v) in F minor, and the song ends on Db – Eb – Fm.

What key is Poison Ivy in?

F minor, at about 120 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Poison Ivy?

Push and land: root bass · 1 · 2& · 3 · 4, 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 4 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 catchy part 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.