Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Blues & boogie

Tune Up: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

By Miles Davis

  • C major
  • 4/4
  • 100 BPM
  • 1963
  • Easy
Tuning the piano…
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Left hand Jazz walkThe 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 Tune Up without reading music. The left hand plays jazz walk (walking bass), and the right hand sings the tune.

Tune Up accompaniment in letter notes

The Em – Bb7 – A7 – D loop with jazz walk in the left hand. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
Em
RE4+G4+B4
LE2 F#2 G2 G2
Bar 2
Bb7
RBb3+D4+F4
LBb2 C3 Db3 D3
Bar 3
A7
RA3+C#4+E4
LA2 B2 C3 C#3
Bar 4
D
RD4+F#4+A4 F5 F#5 A5 B5 A5 F#5 F5 D5
LD2 E2 F2 F#2
Bar 5
Em
RE4+G4+B4
LE2 F#2 G2 G2
Bar 6
Bb7
RBb3+D4+F4
LBb2 C3 Db3 D3
Bar 7
A7
RA3+C#4+E4
LA2 B2 C3 C#3
Bar 8
D
RD4+F#4+A4
LD2 E2 F2 F#2

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 Tune Up

What are the letter notes for the Tune Up 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 – Bb7 – A7 – D, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Tune Up?

The loop is Em – Bb7 – A7 – D (iii – bVII7 – VI7 – II) in C major, and the song ends on F – G – C.

What key is Tune Up in?

C major, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Tune Up?

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

Is Tune Up 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.