Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
Vienna: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes
Written by Billy Joel
- Bb major
- 2/2
- 85 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 Vienna without reading music. The left hand plays pop heartbeat (root bass · charleston push (1 · 2& · 3)) and the right hand hopscotch bells.
The intro of Vienna 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.
Vienna accompaniment in letter notes
The Ab – Bb7 – Am – F7 – Cm7 – Gb – Ab7 loop with pop heartbeat in the left hand and hopscotch bells 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 Vienna
What are the letter notes for the Vienna 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 Ab – Bb7 – Am – F7 – Cm7 – Gb – Ab7, so the letters repeat with the chords.
What chords are in Vienna?
The loop is Ab – Bb7 – Am – F7 – Cm7 – Gb – Ab7 (bVII – I7 – vii – V7 – ii7 – bVI – bVII7) in Bb major, and the song ends on Eb – F – Bb.
What key is Vienna in?
Bb major, at about 85 beats a minute in 2/2.
What does the left hand play in Vienna?
Pop heartbeat: root bass · charleston push (1 · 2& · 3), an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Vienna easy to play on piano?
Yes. Both hands play easy patterns over 7 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.
Can I hear the real melody of Vienna?
Yes: "The part you know" plays the intro of the song from a score, with both hands.
Made from one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.