Piano chords · Slow dance ’50s
How to play Turtle Blues on piano
By Janis Joplin
- D major
- 12/8
- 135 BPM
- 1968
- Medium
Learn Turtle Blues in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: D – D7 – G – Bb7
Turtle Blues sits in D major: D is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: D is D, F# and A; D7 is D, F#, A and C; G is G, B and D; Bb7 is Bb, D, F and Ab. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
DID7I7GIVBb7bVI7- DD · F# · A
- D7D · F# · A · C
- GG · B · D
- Bb7Bb · D · F · Ab
- 2
Left hand: Jukebox leaps
Bass, chord, bass, chord in a slow, swaying 1950s groove. Musicians call it stride (12/8) (stride & boom-chick), a medium pattern heard in 22 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: the chords, held
In this song the right hand mostly plays the tune itself. Hold the chords lightly, or play the melody over the left hand.
- 4
Both hands at 135 BPM
Put the two hands together over the loop. Start at half speed with the player's speed control, and bring it up once every change is easy.
- 5
Ending: G – A – D
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
GAD- AA · C# · E
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Questions about Turtle Blues
What chords are in Turtle Blues?
The loop is D – D7 – G – Bb7 (I – I7 – IV – bVI7) in D major, and the song ends on G – A – D.
What key is Turtle Blues in?
D major, at about 135 beats a minute in 12/8.
What does the left hand play in Turtle Blues?
Jukebox leaps: stride (12/8), a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Turtle Blues easy to play on piano?
It is a medium one: learn the 4 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.
Made from one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.