Piano chords · Bossa beach
The Darktown Strutters’ Ball: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes
By Shelton Brooks
- C major
- 4/4
- 120 BPM
- 1995
- 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 The Darktown Strutters’ Ball without reading music. The left hand plays island seesaw (root–fifth 1-5-1), and the right hand sings the tune.
The Darktown Strutters’ Ball accompaniment in letter notes
The G7 – C – A7 – D7 loop with island seesaw 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 The Darktown Strutters’ Ball
What are the letter notes for the The Darktown Strutters’ Ball 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 G7 – C – A7 – D7, so the letters repeat with the chords.
What chords are in The Darktown Strutters’ Ball?
The loop is G7 – C – A7 – D7 (V7 – I – VI7 – II7) in C major, and the song ends on C – G7 – C.
What key is The Darktown Strutters’ Ball in?
C major, at about 120 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in The Darktown Strutters’ Ball?
Island seesaw: root–fifth 1-5-1, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is The Darktown Strutters’ Ball 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.