Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Blues & boogie

How to play Surfin' Snoopy on piano

By Vince Guaraldi

Tuning the piano…
Learn it
Style

Left hand Jazz walkRight hand Sleep-in chordsChords the loop the song repeats most

Learn Surfin' Snoopy in 5 steps

The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.

  1. 1

    Chords: C – G7 – C – G7

    Surfin' Snoopy sits in C major: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: C is C, E and G; G7 is G, B, D and F. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.

    CIG7V7CIG7V7
    • CC · E · G
    • G7G · B · D · F
    222 songs go round the same chords
  2. 2

    Left hand: Jazz walk

    One note per beat, strolling like a jazz bassist. Musicians call it walking bass (walking bass), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.

  3. 3

    Right hand: Sleep-in chords

    Quiet for half the bar, then three chords wake up near the end. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.

  4. 4

    Both hands at 160 BPM

    Put the two hands together over the loop. Start at half speed with the player's speed control, and bring it up once every change is easy.

  5. 5

    Ending: F – G – C

    The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.

    FGC
    • FF · A · C
    • GG · B · D

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Questions about Surfin' Snoopy

What chords are in Surfin' Snoopy?

The loop is C – G7 – C – G7 (I – V7 – I – V7) in C major, and the song ends on F – G – C.

What key is Surfin' Snoopy in?

C major, at about 160 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Surfin' Snoopy?

Jazz walk: walking bass, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Surfin' Snoopy 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.