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Piano chords · Rock drive

Smashing Thirds: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

By Thomas "Fats" Waller

Tuning the piano…
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Left hand Marching giantRight hand Skipping-stone chordsChords the loop the song repeats most

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 Smashing Thirds without reading music. The left hand plays marching giant (lh triads) and the right hand skipping-stone chords.

Smashing Thirds accompaniment in letter notes

The D7 – G – D7 – G loop with marching giant in the left hand and skipping-stone chords in the right. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
D7
RF#4+A4+D5 F#4+A4+D5 F#4+A4+D5
LD3+F#3+A3 D3+F#3+A3 A2+D3+F#3 A2+D3+F#3
Bar 2
G
RB4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5
LG3+B3+D4 G3+B3+D4 D3+G3+B3 D3+G3+B3
Bar 3
D7
RF#4+A4+D5 F#4+A4+D5 F#4+A4+D5
LD3+F#3+A3 D3+F#3+A3 A2+D3+F#3 A2+D3+F#3
Bar 4
G
RB4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5 G6 D6 B5 G5 F#5 F5 E5 Eb5
LG3+B3+D4 G3+B3+D4 D3+G3+B3 D3+G3+B3
Bar 5
D7
RF#4+A4+D5 F#4+A4+D5 F#4+A4+D5
LD3+F#3+A3 D3+F#3+A3 A2+D3+F#3 A2+D3+F#3
Bar 6
G
RB4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5
LG3+B3+D4 G3+B3+D4 D3+G3+B3 D3+G3+B3
Bar 7
D7
RF#4+A4+D5 F#4+A4+D5 F#4+A4+D5
LD3+F#3+A3 D3+F#3+A3 A2+D3+F#3 A2+D3+F#3
Bar 8
G
RB4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5
LG3+B3+D4 G3+B3+D4 D3+G3+B3 D3+G3+B3

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 Smashing Thirds

What are the letter notes for the Smashing Thirds 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 D7 – G – D7 – G, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Smashing Thirds?

The loop is D7 – G – D7 – G (V7 – I – V7 – I) in G major, and the song ends on A7 – D7 – G.

What key is Smashing Thirds in?

G major, at about 160 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Smashing Thirds?

Marching giant: lh triads, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Smashing Thirds 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.

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