Piano chords · Blues & boogie
Stormy Weather: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes
By Lena Horne
- E minor
- 2/2
- 60 BPM
- 1933
- Easy
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 Stormy Weather without reading music. The left hand plays velvet jazz (lh shell voicings (1-7 / 1-3)) and the right hand hopscotch bells.
The main tune of Stormy Weather 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.
Stormy Weather accompaniment in letter notes
The G – C#7 – Am – D7 – G – Em7 – Am7 – Em7 loop with velvet jazz in the left hand and hopscotch bells 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 Stormy Weather
What are the letter notes for the Stormy Weather 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#7 – Am – D7 – G – Em7 – Am7 – Em7, so the letters repeat with the chords.
What chords are in Stormy Weather?
The loop is G – C#7 – Am – D7 – G – Em7 – Am7 – Em7 (III – VI7 – iv – VII7 – III – i7 – iv7 – i7) in E minor, and the song ends on E – A – E.
What key is Stormy Weather in?
E minor, at about 60 beats a minute in 2/2.
What does the left hand play in Stormy Weather?
Velvet jazz: lh shell voicings (1-7 / 1-3), an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Stormy Weather 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 Stormy Weather?
Yes: "The part you know" plays the main tune of the song from a score, with both hands.
Made from 3 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.