Scott Joplin (1868–1917)

The Entertainer: piano notes with letters

The sheet music as written, with each note's letter under it

Every note below has its letter under it, sharps and flats as the score spells them, so you can find each key. Use the letters to get started, then leave them behind: a letter names the key, but the note on the staff also tells you how long to hold it, which hand plays it and where the tune goes next, at a glance. Play it with the letters once or twice, then drill its 19 notes on the staff and print the page without them.

Level: 3 of 7
Key: C major
Time: 4/4
Length: 37 bars
Notes to know: 19

Drill its 19 notes Practise it

Needs a MIDI keyboard and Chrome, Edge or Firefox on a computer, or Chrome on an Android phone or tablet.

Right hand plays: C D D♯ E F F♯ G A♭ A A♯ B
Left hand plays: C D D♯ E F F♯ G G♯ A♭ A B

The first 16 bars of The Entertainer on the grand staff, with each note's letter name under it — The first 16 bars as written, each note's letter under it. The whole piece prints below.

Print the whole piece

With the letters37 bars
Without the letters37 bars

When you can name its notes without looking down, read it from The Entertainer's page: the same music with no letters, its easier versions, and what stands between you and it. How letter names work, and the other ways of naming notes: piano note names.

Score from PDMX (CC0 1.0); the composition is public domain: Scott Joplin died in 1917. This version is shortened from the original, and the source doesn’t name who shortened it. Credits