How to Play Chopsticks on the Piano | The Celebrated Chop Waltz

Okay... this really has nothing to do with chopsticks of the kind we ship (and eat with) every day, but almost everyone has learned part of "Chopsticks", originally named The Celebrated Chop Waltz for piano as a kid, even if you've never had a piano lesson in your whole life. This is the piano piece where you use your index fingers to hit the keys with a chopping motion, hence the name.

How to Play Chopsticks on the Piano

Unless you studied piano, most people only learn to play a portion of the first 16 measures of the actual piece, with kids repeating it many times as parents can stand. Those measures go like this:

  • Play G and F together 6 times
  • Play G and E together 6 times
  • Play B and D together 4 times
  • Play A and E together 1 time
  • Play B and D together 1 time
  • Play c and C (perfect octave) together 4 times
  • B/D 1x
  • A/E 1x

Where to Get the Sheet Music of the Song

If you would like to play the entire song, you can find the complete sheet music of the notes on Musescore.com.

History of Who Wrote Chopsticks

Female British composer Euphemia Allen wrote The Celebrated Chop Waltz for piano in 1877. She published Chopsticks under the male pen name Arthur de Lulli when she was sixteen years old. The name comes from the instruction that the music be played in the staccato chopping motion, akin to the phrase 'chop-chop'.

Please see our selections of wonderful and beautiful chopsticks of the non-musical kind on our store

EverythingChopsticks.com.

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