Piano chords · Old-time stride
Puttin' On The Ritz: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes
- F minor
- 4/4
- 160 BPM
- 1928
- 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 Puttin' On The Ritz without reading music. The left hand plays stride jumps (stride) and the right hand bouncy-ball chords.
The main tune of Puttin' On The Ritz 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.
Puttin' On The Ritz accompaniment in letter notes
The Fm – Gm – C7 – Fm loop with stride jumps in the left hand and bouncy-ball 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 Puttin' On The Ritz
What are the letter notes for the Puttin' On The Ritz 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 – Gm – C7 – Fm, so the letters repeat with the chords.
What chords are in Puttin' On The Ritz?
The loop is Fm – Gm – C7 – Fm (i – ii – V7 – i) in F minor, and the song ends on Db – Eb – Fm.
What key is Puttin' On The Ritz in?
F minor, at about 160 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Puttin' On The Ritz?
Stride jumps: stride, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Puttin' On The Ritz 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 Puttin' On The Ritz?
Yes: "The part you know" plays the main tune 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.