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.