Piano chords · Dreamy ballad
Surf City: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes
By Jan & Dean
- Ab major
- 4/4
- 136 BPM
- 1963
- 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 Surf City without reading music. The left hand plays three-step climb (broken chord 1-5-8) and the right hand pop stabs.
Surf City accompaniment in letter notes
The Fb – Gb7 – Eb – Ab loop with three-step climb in the left hand and pop stabs 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 Surf City
What are the letter notes for the Surf City 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 Fb – Gb7 – Eb – Ab, so the letters repeat with the chords.
What chords are in Surf City?
The loop is Fb – Gb7 – Eb – Ab (bVI – bVII7 – V – I) in Ab major, and the song ends on Db – Eb – Ab.
What key is Surf City in?
Ab major, at about 136 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Surf City?
Three-step climb: broken chord 1-5-8, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Surf City 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.