Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Old-time stride

The Underdog: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

By Dave Frishberg

  • Bb major
  • 4/4
  • 115 BPM
  • Easy
Tuning the piano…
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Style

Left hand Oom-pahThe right hand sings the tuneChords the loop the song repeats most

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 Underdog without reading music. The left hand plays oom-pah (bass + chords), and the right hand sings the tune.

The Underdog accompaniment in letter notes

The Bb7 – Eb7 – D7 – Gm loop with oom-pah in the left hand. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
Bb7
RBb3+D4+F4
LBb2 D3+F3 D3+F3 D3+F3
Bar 2
Eb7
REb4+G4+Bb4
LEb2 G2+Bb2 G2+Bb2 G2+Bb2
Bar 3
D7
RD4+F#4+A4
LD2 F#2+A2 F#2+A2 F#2+A2
Bar 4
Gm
RG4+Bb4+D5 Bb6 G6 D6 Bb5 A5 Ab5 G5 F#5
LG2 Bb2+D3 Bb2+D3 Bb2+D3
Bar 5
Bb7
RBb3+D4+F4
LBb2 D3+F3 D3+F3 D3+F3
Bar 6
Eb7
REb4+G4+Bb4
LEb2 G2+Bb2 G2+Bb2 G2+Bb2
Bar 7
D7
RD4+F#4+A4
LD2 F#2+A2 F#2+A2 F#2+A2
Bar 8
Gm
RG4+Bb4+D5
LG2 Bb2+D3 Bb2+D3 Bb2+D3

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 Underdog

What are the letter notes for the The Underdog 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 Bb7 – Eb7 – D7 – Gm, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in The Underdog?

The loop is Bb7 – Eb7 – D7 – Gm (I7 – IV7 – III7 – vi) in Bb major, and the song ends on Eb – F – Bb.

What key is The Underdog in?

Bb major, at about 115 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in The Underdog?

Oom-pah: bass + chords, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is The Underdog 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.