Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Old-time stride

Yankee Doodle: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

By Traditional

  • A major
  • 2/4
  • 120 BPM
  • Easy
Tuning the piano…
Learn it
Learn it
Style

Left hand Little marchRight hand Marching chordsChords the loop the song repeats most

Play the full song with sheet music

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 Yankee Doodle without reading music. The left hand plays little march (lh chords (2/4)) and the right hand marching chords.

Yankee Doodle accompaniment in letter notes

The D – D#dim – A – E7 loop with little march in the left hand and marching chords in the right. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
D
RF#4+A4+D5 F#4+A4+D5 F#4+A4+D5 F#4+A4+D5
LG2+D3 D2 G2+D3 D2
Bar 2
D#dim
RF#4+A4+D#5 F#4+A4+D#5 F#4+A4+D#5 F#4+A4+D#5
LG#2+D#3 D#2 G#2+D#3 D#2
Bar 3
A
RC#4+E4+A4 C#4+E4+A4 C#4+E4+A4 C#4+E4+A4
LD3+A3 A2 D3+A3 A2
Bar 4
E7
RG#4+B4+E5 G#4+B4+E5 E6 D6 B5 G#5 F#5 F5 E5 D#5
LA2+E3 E2 A2+E3 E2
Bar 5
D
RF#4+A4+D5 F#4+A4+D5 F#4+A4+D5 F#4+A4+D5
LG2+D3 D2 G2+D3 D2
Bar 6
D#dim
RF#4+A4+D#5 F#4+A4+D#5 F#4+A4+D#5 F#4+A4+D#5
LG#2+D#3 D#2 G#2+D#3 D#2
Bar 7
A
RC#4+E4+A4 C#4+E4+A4 C#4+E4+A4 C#4+E4+A4
LD3+A3 A2 D3+A3 A2
Bar 8
E7
RG#4+B4+E5 G#4+B4+E5 G#4+B4+E5 G#4+B4+E5
LA2+E3 E2 A2+E3 E2

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.

Play next

Questions about Yankee Doodle

What are the letter notes for the Yankee Doodle 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 D – D#dim – A – E7, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Yankee Doodle?

The loop is D – D#dim – A – E7 (IV – #ivo – I – V7) in A major, and the song ends on A – E7 – A.

What key is Yankee Doodle in?

A major, at about 120 beats a minute in 2/4.

What does the left hand play in Yankee Doodle?

Little march: lh chords (2/4), an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Yankee Doodle 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 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.