Aretha Franklin Piano Transcriptions

In early 2019, as I began working with Jennifer Hudson for her role as Aretha Franklin in the biopic Respect (2021), I started transcribing a number of Aretha's recordings. The piano was an integral part of Aretha's musical life, and an aspect of her musicianship that has often been overlooked. The iconic piano introductions to many of her hit songs — “Think,” “You Send Me,” “Don't Play that Song” — demonstrate her ability, versatility, and endless imagination as a piano player.

Her deep understanding, and often mixing, of such diverse styles as boogie-woogie, blues, R & B, gospel and jazz granted Aretha the wide-ranging musical palette from which she would accompany herself. And even more remarkably, she gave the piano its own voice;  a musical rhetoric as elevated and affective as her singing. To the Queen of Soul, the piano was her throne.

I have accurate transcriptions of many of Aretha’s intros, solos, and other notable aspects of her playing, drawn from studio albums, live performances, and demos. This is solely a labor of love, not profit. These transcriptions are meant for performers, fans, and musicologists seeking to further their knowledge of Aretha's piano playing. Below is a small collection of these transcriptions with audio of me playing them.