Piano chords · Old-time stride
Toledo Surprise: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes
By Lisa Lambert
- Eb major
- 2/2
- 160 BPM
- V7–I–V7–I loop
- 1999
- 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 Toledo Surprise without reading music. The left hand plays boom-chick (boom-chick) and the right hand push chords.
Toledo Surprise accompaniment in letter notes
The Bb7 – Eb – Bb7 – Eb loop with boom-chick in the left hand and push 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 Toledo Surprise
What are the letter notes for the Toledo Surprise 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 – Eb – Bb7 – Eb, so the letters repeat with the chords.
What chords are in Toledo Surprise?
The loop is Bb7 – Eb – Bb7 – Eb (V7 – I – V7 – I) in Eb major, and the song ends on Ab – Bb – Eb.
What key is Toledo Surprise in?
Eb major, at about 160 beats a minute in 2/2.
What does the left hand play in Toledo Surprise?
Boom-chick: boom-chick, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Toledo Surprise 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.