Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Blues & boogie

Satin Doll: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

By Duke Ellington

  • C major
  • 4/4
  • 112 BPM
  • 1953
  • Easy
Tuning the piano…
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Left hand Jazz walkRight hand Steady chordsChords worked out from the notes of the famous part

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 Satin Doll without reading music. The left hand plays jazz walk (walking bass) and the right hand steady chords.

The main tune of Satin Doll 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
Dm7 → Dm
RC4+D4+F4+A4 G4 A4 C4+D4+F4+G4 C4+D4+F4+A4
LD2 F2 A2 F2
Bar 2
Dm → G7
RC4+D4+F4+A4 G4 B3+F4+A4
LD2 F2 G2 C#2
Bar 3
C → Em
RD4+E4+G4+B4 A4 B4 D4+E4+G4+A4 D4+E4+G4+B4
LC2 E2 G2 E2
Bar 4
Am → A7
RD4+E4+G4+B4 C#4+G4+A4 C#4+G4+B4
LA2 E2 A2 E2 D#2

Satin Doll accompaniment in letter notes

The Dm7 – Dm – Dm – G7 – C – Em – Am – A7 loop with jazz walk in the left hand and steady chords in the right. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
Dm7 → Dm
RF4+A4+C5+D5 F4+A4+C5+D5 F4+A4+C5+D5 F4+A4+C5+D5
LD2 E2 F2 F2
Bar 2
Dm → G7
RF4+A4+C5+D5 F4+A4+C5+D5 B4+D5+F5+G5 B4+D5+F5+G5
LD2 E2 Bb2 B2
Bar 3
C → Em
RE4+G4+Bb4+C5 E4+G4+Bb4+C5 G4+B4+D5+E5 G4+B4+D5+E5
LC3 D3 G2 G2
Bar 4
Am → A7
RC4+E4+G4+A4 C4+E4+G4+A4 C5 C#5 E5 F#5 E5 C#5 C5 A4
LA2 B2 C3 C#3
Bar 5
Dm7 → Dm
RF4+A4+C5+D5 F4+A4+C5+D5 F4+A4+C5+D5 F4+A4+C5+D5
LD2 E2 F2 F2
Bar 6
Dm → G7
RF4+A4+C5+D5 F4+A4+C5+D5 B4+D5+F5+G5 B4+D5+F5+G5
LD2 E2 Bb2 B2
Bar 7
C → Em
RE4+G4+Bb4+C5 E4+G4+Bb4+C5 G4+B4+D5+E5 G4+B4+D5+E5
LC3 D3 G2 G2
Bar 8
Am → A7
RC4+E4+G4+A4 C4+E4+G4+A4 C#4+E4+G4+A4 C#4+E4+G4+A4
LA2 B2 C3 C#3

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 Satin Doll

What are the letter notes for the Satin Doll 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 Dm7 – Dm – Dm – G7 – C – Em – Am – A7, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Satin Doll?

The loop is Dm7 – Dm – Dm – G7 – C – Em – Am – A7 (ii7 – ii – V7 – I – iii – vi – VI7 – ii7) in C major, and the song ends on F – G – C.

What key is Satin Doll in?

C major, at about 112 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Satin Doll?

Jazz walk: walking bass, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Satin Doll 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 Satin Doll?

Yes: "The part you know" plays the main tune of the song from a score, with both hands.

Made from 5 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.