Piano chords · Dreamy ballad
Rocket 88: piano accompaniment sheet music
By Jackie Brenston
- D major
- 4/4
- 120 BPM
- 1951
- Medium
Rocket 88 written out as piano music: the IV7 – I – IV7 – I loop in D major for both hands, with chord names and finger numbers. Press play and follow the cursor. The left hand plays boogie climb (broken chord 1-1-3-3-5-5-6-5) and the right hand skip-and-stroll chords.
Rocket 88 chord chart
The loop once round, bar by bar, in D major. The roman numeral says the chord's place in the key, so the same chart works in any key.
| Bar | Chord | Numeral | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | G7 | IV7 | G B D F |
| 2 | D | I | D F# A |
| 3 | G7 | IV7 | G B D F |
| 4 | D | I | D F# A |
What the sheet music shows
The grand staff: the right hand on the treble staff, the left hand on the bass staff, with the chord names above and a finger number on each note (1 is the thumb). It is the accompaniment: boogie climb (broken chord 1-1-3-3-5-5-6-5) in the left hand and skip-and-stroll chords in the right, over the G7 – D – G7 – D chords.
Press play and a cursor follows the music. Above it, Colours paints each note in its key’s colour and Note names writes its letter on its head.
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Questions about Rocket 88
Does the sheet music for Rocket 88 have finger numbers?
Yes: every note of both hands has its finger number, 1 being the thumb. To read the notes alone, turn Fingers off above the music.
What chords are in Rocket 88?
The loop is G7 – D – G7 – D (IV7 – I – IV7 – I) in D major, and the song ends on G – A – D.
What key is Rocket 88 in?
D major, at about 120 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Rocket 88?
Boogie climb: broken chord 1-1-3-3-5-5-6-5, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Rocket 88 easy to play on piano?
It is a medium one: learn the 4 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.
Made from one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.