Piano chords · Slow dance ’50s
Summertime: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes
- E minor
- 12/8
- 90 BPM
- 1935
- 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 Summertime without reading music. The left hand plays slow-dance heartbeat (root bass · 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 (12/8)), and the right hand sings the tune.
Summertime accompaniment in letter notes
The Am – B7 – Em – G loop with slow-dance heartbeat in the left hand. 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 Summertime
What are the letter notes for the Summertime 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 Am – B7 – Em – G, so the letters repeat with the chords.
What chords are in Summertime?
The loop is Am – B7 – Em – G (iv – V7 – i – bIII) in E minor, and the song ends on C – D – Em.
What key is Summertime in?
E minor, at about 90 beats a minute in 12/8.
What does the left hand play in Summertime?
Slow-dance heartbeat: root bass · 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 (12/8), an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Summertime 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.