Frankie and Johnny
Traditional (Hughie Cannon, 1904)
The great American blues ballad, over two twelve-bar choruses: a very simple melody over a left hand that marks every beat.
C major · 4/4 · 120 beats per minute · 24 bars · 48 s · intermediate level
The form
The sections of the piece and their chords: the map you learn before playing a single note.
A B C A' D C'
| Section | Bars | Chords | Phrase ending |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 1–4 | C6 · C I6 · I |
— |
| B | 5–8 | F/C · C7 · Am7 · F♯dim7 · G7/F · Em7 · Cdim7 IV · V7/IV · vi7 · ♯iv°7 · V7 · iii7 · i°7 |
— |
| C | 9–12 | Dsus4/G · Bm · F6 · G · C7sus4 · Fm · C IIsus4 · vii · IV6 · V · I7sus4 · iv · I |
Plagal cadence |
| A' | 13–16 | C I |
— |
| D | 17–20 | F/C · C7sus4/F · Am7 · E♭dim/G♭ · G7/F · Em7 · F♯dim/C IV · I7sus4 · vi7 · ♭iii° · V7 · iii7 · ♯iv° |
— |
| C' | 21–24 | Dsus4/G · Bm · F · G · C7sus4 · Fm · C IIsus4 · vii · IV · V · I7sus4 · iv · I |
Plagal cadence |
The key
- C major
- No sharps or flats
- Scale
- C · D · E · F · G · A · B
- Pillar chords
- I = C · IV = F · V7 = G7
The tricky passages
- Bars 1–2: fast runs (4.0 notes per second), a melodic leap (major sixth), notes outside the key
- Bar 3: fast runs (4.0 notes per second), notes outside the key
- Bar 5: fast runs (4.0 notes per second), notes outside the key
The plan: 15 days
Half an hour a day. First I help you understand the map of the piece, then we lay down the chord framework, learn each section phrase by phrase, work on the tricky passages, put it together and bring it up to tempo, until you can play it from memory.
More pieces from the library
- The Entertainer · Scott Joplin
- Maple Leaf Rag · Scott Joplin
- The Easy Winners · Scott Joplin
- Elite Syncopations · Scott Joplin
- Pine Apple Rag · Scott Joplin
- Harlem Rag · Tom Turpin