Piano chords · Dreamy ballad
Surf City: piano accompaniment sheet music
By Jan & Dean
- Ab major
- 4/4
- 136 BPM
- 1963
- Easy
Play the full song with sheet music
Surf City written out as piano music: the bVI – bVII7 – V – I loop in Ab major for both hands, with chord names and finger numbers. Press play and follow the cursor. The left hand plays three-step climb (broken chord 1-5-8) and the right hand pop stabs.
Surf City chord chart
The loop once round, bar by bar, in Ab major. The roman numeral says the chord's place in the key, so the same chart works in any key.
| Bar | Chord | Numeral | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fb | bVI | Fb Ab Cb |
| 2 | Gb7 | bVII7 | Gb Bb Db Fb |
| 3 | Eb | V | Eb G Bb |
| 4 | Ab | I | Ab C Eb |
What the sheet music shows
The grand staff: the right hand on the treble staff, the left hand on the bass staff, with the chord names above and a finger number on each note (1 is the thumb). It is the accompaniment: three-step climb (broken chord 1-5-8) in the left hand and pop stabs in the right, over the Fb – Gb7 – Eb – Ab chords.
Press play and a cursor follows the music. Above it, Colours paints each note in its key’s colour and Note names writes its letter on its head.
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Questions about Surf City
Does the sheet music for Surf City have finger numbers?
Yes: every note of both hands has its finger number, 1 being the thumb. To read the notes alone, turn Fingers off above the music.
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.