Piano chords · Blues & boogie
Sir Duke: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes
- G major
- 4/4
- 104 BPM
- 1976
- 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 Sir Duke without reading music. The left hand plays jazz walk (walking bass) and the right hand sprint-and-stop chords.
The main tune of Sir Duke 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.
Sir Duke accompaniment in letter notes
The G – C#m – C – Bm – Am7 – D7 loop with jazz walk in the left hand and sprint-and-stop 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 Sir Duke
What are the letter notes for the Sir Duke 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 G – C#m – C – Bm – Am7 – D7, so the letters repeat with the chords.
What chords are in Sir Duke?
The loop is G – C#m – C – Bm – Am7 – D7 (I – #iv – IV – iii – ii7 – V7) in G major, and the song ends on C – D – G.
What key is Sir Duke in?
G major, at about 104 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Sir Duke?
Jazz walk: walking bass, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Sir Duke easy to play on piano?
Yes. Both hands play easy patterns over 6 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.
Can I hear the real melody of Sir Duke?
Yes: "The part you know" plays the main tune of the song from a score, with both hands.
Made from 4 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.