Bach Up To Me

Fats Waller

ModernSpecialistwaltzC majorAllegro4/4~3 min
H4
Henle (estimated)
RCM 5ABRSM 5

About this piece

A stride-influenced piano piece that blends jazz idioms with classical structural sensibilities. It stands out for its rhythmic buoyancy and the characteristic interplay between the left-hand stride pattern and syncopated melody.

Teacher notes

Focus on the precision and consistency of the left-hand stride jumps.

Technical focus

left-hand-independencerubatospeed-agilityvoicing

Mood

energeticelegant

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Your status

Not in your repertoire

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Free sheet music on IMSLP

Pieces similar to Bach Up To Me

Comparable difficulty and character — good candidates for what to learn next.

Browse all Henle level 4 pieces (Intermediate) →

Frequently asked questions

How hard is Bach Up To Me by Fats Waller?

Bach Up To Me is rated Henle level 4 of 9 — intermediate repertoire, roughly ABRSM grades 5–6. In the RCM system it corresponds to about level 5.

What level do I need to play Bach Up To Me?

You should be comfortable at Henle level 4 — meaning you can already play level 3–4 pieces cleanly. Learning it one level early is possible as a stretch piece, but more than that usually leads to months of frustration.

How long is Bach Up To Me?

A typical performance of Bach Up To Me lasts about 3 minutes.

Where can I get free sheet music for Bach Up To Me?

Bach Up To Me is available as free public-domain sheet music on IMSLP — the score is linked directly from this page.

What pieces are similar to Bach Up To Me?

Pieces at a comparable difficulty and character include Aligator Crawl by Fats Waller, Black and Blue by Fats Waller, Piano Sonata No. 16 in C major by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart — see the full similar-pieces list on this page.