Notalo › Piano songs with letters › Chopsticks
Chopsticks — piano notes with letters
The two-finger novelty piece everyone plays first, written out as three letters (F E D) sliding down to C, four times. No sharps, no flats, no left-hand melody to learn.
Euphemia Allen (published as “The Celebrated Chop Waltz”), 1877 · C major · 4/4 · public domain · arranged and labeled by Notalo
Hear it. A MIDI file of exactly these notes at 132 BPM — open it in any music app, or slow it down to practice.
Download MIDIAbout the song
Published in 1877 as 'The Celebrated Chop Waltz' by 'Arthur de Lulli' — actually the sixteen-year-old British girl Euphemia Allen. The name comes from her instruction to play it with the hands held sideways, chopping at the keys. Almost everyone learns it by ear from another child; this is the tune written down so you can see what your fingers were doing.
How to play it, phrase by phrase
Only four notes: F F E E, D D C, over and over. Each two-bar unit is the same, so learn bars 1–2 and you have the piece. Bar 6 has an extra C (D D C C) and the last bar ends on a held C. The left hand alternates a C chord and a G chord — if you have a friend, let them play those while you play the tune, which is how the piece was meant to go. Speed is the only challenge; start slowly and add tempo once the rhythm never wobbles.
Letter notes, bar by bar (right hand)
Read left to right; a | is a bar line. Chord symbols are for the left hand or a guitar.
| Bar | Chord | Right-hand letters |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | C | F F E E |
| 2 | G | D D C |
| 3 | C | F F E E |
| 4 | G | D D C |
| 5 | C | F F E E |
| 6 | G | D D C C |
| 7 | C | F F E E |
| 8 | C | D D C |
Three things to watch
- Only four different notes in the whole piece: F, E, D and C.
- Every bar has the exact same shape — once it's memorized, speed is the only challenge.
- The left hand just holds a C chord throughout — focus all your attention on the right hand.
Have a different version, or a different song? Upload your own sheet music — a photo or PDF — and Notalo writes the letters under every note the same way, plus chords and a MIDI file.
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Frequently asked questions
Is this sheet music free to print and use?
Yes. Chopsticks is in the public domain and this arrangement was written and rendered by Notalo. Print it, share it, use it in lessons.
What do the colors mean?
Red letters are the right hand (treble clef), blue letters are the left hand (bass clef), green is the chord for the bar. This is the same output Notalo gives for any sheet music you upload.
Can I get it with Do Re Mi or numbers instead of letters?
Yes — download the image above, upload it to Notalo, and pick solfège (Do Re Mi), German letters, or numbers (1 2 3) as the label style.