Piano chords · Waltz garden
Rocket Man (I Think It's Gonna Be A Long Long Time): easy piano accompaniment in letter notes
By Elton John
- Bb major
- 3/4
- 135 BPM
- 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 Rocket Man (I Think It's Gonna Be A Long Long Time) without reading music. The left hand plays oom-pah-pah (waltz oom-pah-pah), and the right hand sings the tune.
The opening of Rocket Man (I Think It's Gonna Be A Long Long Time) 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.
Rocket Man (I Think It's Gonna Be A Long Long Time) accompaniment in letter notes
The Gm – Gm – C7 – C7 loop with oom-pah-pah in the left hand. 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 Rocket Man (I Think It's Gonna Be A Long Long Time)
What are the letter notes for the Rocket Man (I Think It's Gonna Be A Long Long Time) 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 Gm – Gm – C7 – C7, so the letters repeat with the chords.
What chords are in Rocket Man (I Think It's Gonna Be A Long Long Time)?
The loop is Gm – Gm – C7 – C7 (vi – II7 – vi – II7) in Bb major, and the song ends on Bb – Eb – Bb.
What key is Rocket Man (I Think It's Gonna Be A Long Long Time) in?
Bb major, at about 135 beats a minute in 3/4.
What does the left hand play in Rocket Man (I Think It's Gonna Be A Long Long Time)?
Oom-pah-pah: waltz oom-pah-pah, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Rocket Man (I Think It's Gonna Be A Long Long Time) 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 Rocket Man (I Think It's Gonna Be A Long Long Time)?
Yes: "The part you know" plays the opening of the song from a score, with both hands.
Made from 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.