American Child: piano accompaniment sheet music

Artist unknown

D major
6/8
99 BPM
Medium

Tuning the piano…

Learn it

American Child written out as piano music: the V – I – ii – IV loop in D major for both hands, with chord names and finger numbers. Press play and follow the cursor. The left hand plays rowing-boat pulse (root bass · 6/8 8ths) and the right hand cradle chords.

American Child chord chart

The loop once round, bar by bar, in D major. The roman numeral says the chord's place in the key, so the same chart works in any key.

Bar	Chord	Numeral	Notes
1	A	V	A C# E
2	D	I	D F# A
3	Em	ii	E G B
4	G	IV	G B D

What the sheet music shows

The grand staff: the right hand on the treble staff, the left hand on the bass staff, with the chord names above and a finger number on each note (1 is the thumb). It is the accompaniment: rowing-boat pulse (root bass · 6/8 8ths) in the left hand and cradle chords in the right, over the A – D – Em – G chords.

Press play and a cursor follows the music. Above it, Colours paints each note in its key’s colour and Note names writes its letter on its head.

Play next

The same left hand: Rowing-boat pulse

About this pattern

Questions about American Child

Does the sheet music for American Child have finger numbers?

Yes: every note of both hands has its finger number, 1 being the thumb. To read the notes alone, turn Fingers off above the music.

What chords are in American Child?

The loop is A – D – Em – G (V – I – ii – IV) in D major, and the song ends on G – A – D.

What key is American Child in?

D major, at about 99 beats a minute in 6/8.

What does the left hand play in American Child?

Rowing-boat pulse: root bass · 6/8 8ths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is American Child easy to play on piano?

It is a medium one: learn the 4 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.

Made from one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.