Piano chords · Blues & boogie
Strike Up The Band: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes
Written by George Gershwin & Ira Gershwin
- Bb major
- 2/2
- 72 BPM
- i–iv–i–iv loop
- 1927
- 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 Strike Up The Band without reading music. The left hand plays jazz walk (walking bass) and the right hand steady chords.
Strike Up The Band accompaniment in letter notes
The Bbm – Ebm – Bbm – Ebm 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.
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 Strike Up The Band
What are the letter notes for the Strike Up The Band 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 Bbm – Ebm – Bbm – Ebm, so the letters repeat with the chords.
What chords are in Strike Up The Band?
The loop is Bbm – Ebm – Bbm – Ebm (i – iv – i – iv) in Bb major, and the song ends on Eb – F – Bb.
What key is Strike Up The Band in?
Bb major, at about 72 beats a minute in 2/2.
What does the left hand play in Strike Up The Band?
Jazz walk: walking bass, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Strike Up The Band 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 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.