Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Blues & boogie

The Pink Panther: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

By Henry Mancini

  • E minor
  • 4/4
  • 116 BPM
  • 1963
  • Easy
Tuning the piano…
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Left hand Jazz walkRight hand Late-knock chordsChords worked out from the notes of the famous part

Play the full song with sheet music

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 Pink Panther without reading music. The left hand plays jazz walk (walking bass) and the right hand late-knock chords.

The main tune of The Pink Panther in letter notes

The real notes from a score, both hands, bar by bar. R is the right hand, L the left; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
Em → D
REb3
LE2 C#2+G#2 D2+A2 Eb2+Bb2
Bar 2
Em
RE3 F#3 G3 D#3
LE2+B2 B1
Bar 3
Em → Bm7
RE3 F#3 G3 C4 B3 E3 G3 B3
LE2 D#2+A#2 D2+A2 C#2+G#2
Bar 4
C7 → Am7
RBb3 A3 G3 E3 D3 E3
LC2+G2 G1

The Pink Panther accompaniment in letter notes

The Em – D – Em – Em – Bm7 – C7 – Am7 loop with jazz walk in the left hand and late-knock chords in the right. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
Em → D
RG4+B4+D5+E5 F#4+A4+C5+D5 F#4+A4+C5+D5
LE2 F#2 F2 F#2
Bar 2
Em
RG4+B4+D5+E5 G4+B4+D5+E5 G4+B4+D5+E5
LE2 F#2 G2 G2
Bar 3
Em → Bm7
RG4+B4+D5+E5 D4+F#4+A4+B4 D4+F#4+A4+B4
LE2 F#2 D3 D3
Bar 4
C7 → Am7
RE4+G4+Bb4+C5 B4 C5 E5 F#5 E5 C5 C5 A4
LC3 D3 C3 C3
Bar 5
Em → D
RG4+B4+D5+E5 F#4+A4+C5+D5 F#4+A4+C5+D5
LE2 F#2 F2 F#2
Bar 6
Em
RG4+B4+D5+E5 G4+B4+D5+E5 G4+B4+D5+E5
LE2 F#2 G2 G2
Bar 7
Em → Bm7
RG4+B4+D5+E5 D4+F#4+A4+B4 D4+F#4+A4+B4
LE2 F#2 D3 D3
Bar 8
C7 → Am7
RE4+G4+Bb4+C5 C4+E4+G4+A4 C4+E4+G4+A4
LC3 D3 C3 C3

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 Pink Panther

What are the letter notes for the The Pink Panther 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 Em – D – Em – Em – Bm7 – C7 – Am7, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in The Pink Panther?

The loop is Em – D – Em – Em – Bm7 – C7 – Am7 (i – VII – i – v7 – VI7 – iv7 – i) in E minor, and the song ends on C – D – Em.

What key is The Pink Panther in?

E minor, at about 116 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in The Pink Panther?

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

Is The Pink Panther easy to play on piano?

Yes. Both hands play easy patterns over 7 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.

Can I hear the real melody of The Pink Panther?

Yes: "The part you know" plays the main tune of the song from a score, with both hands.

Made from 5 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.