"Piano Man" by Billy Joel

Difficulty: Intermediate - Advanced

We have literally had HUNDREDS of requests for this song, so here is the only logical version that is transcribed from piano to guitar. There are four parts that we will be playing here: 3 guitars and a bass.

One important note is that the entire song is played in triplets. If you are unfamiliar with triplets or need additional assistance, just let me know and I will be glad to expand on this lesson. Also in this song you will find almost all arpeggios with the same pattern.

Once you get the intro piano part figured out, you've got the rest of the song. Don't let some of the parts get to you. Each and every part below IS playable, but it's very tricky and hard to keep up with. Try it at your own speed and practice practice practice!

Intro

Here is the full intro:

The intro covers three guitar parts covering lines 1 - 8 on the Guitar Pro/PDF file enclosed in this lesson.

Guitar 1 below is the harmonica that gives the song it's signature intro:

Guitar 2 below is the acoustic piano transcribed to guitar. After the eighth line, it begins repeating:

Since there is no acoustic rhythm played yet, here is the bass for this part:

Full Theme

Here are BOTH Themes 1 and 2 together.

Guitar 1 (piano):

Here we pick back up with what you learned in the intro:

Note - Here we change chords up a little!

Rhythm Guitar:

Note - Here we change chords!

Bass:

Note - Here we change chords!

Tab

Complete Transcription To "Piano Man BASS PART" (PDF)

Complete Transcription To "Piano Man PIANO/LEAD PART" (PDF)

Complete Transcription To "Piano Man ACOUSTIC PART" (PDF)

Complete Transcription To "Piano Man" (Guitar Pro)

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