Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
The Stranger: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes
By Billy Joel
- E minor
- 4/4
- 76 BPM
- 1977
- 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 Stranger without reading music. The left hand plays stumbling footsteps (root bass · 1 · 2 · 2a · 3 · 4) and the right hand shy chords.
The intro of The Stranger 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.
The Stranger accompaniment in letter notes
The Cmaj7 – B – Cmaj7 – E – D – G#dim loop with stumbling footsteps in the left hand and shy chords 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 The Stranger
What are the letter notes for the The Stranger 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 Cmaj7 – B – Cmaj7 – E – D – G#dim, so the letters repeat with the chords.
What chords are in The Stranger?
The loop is Cmaj7 – B – Cmaj7 – E – D – G#dim (VImaj7 – V – VImaj7 – I – VII – iii°) in E minor, and the song ends on C – D – Em.
What key is The Stranger in?
E minor, at about 76 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in The Stranger?
Stumbling footsteps: root bass · 1 · 2 · 2a · 3 · 4, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is The Stranger easy to play on piano?
Yes. Both hands play easy patterns over 6 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.
Can I hear the real melody of The Stranger?
Yes: "The part you know" plays the intro of the song from a score, with both hands.
Made from 3 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.