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American Idiot: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

Artist unknown

  • Ab major
  • 4/4
  • 160 BPM
  • Medium
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Left hand Gear-shift pulseRight hand Gear-shift chordsChords the loop the song repeats most

The accompaniment with every note named, bar by bar: the bar sheet shows each note as a bar on the staff with its letter inside, so you can accompany American Idiot without reading music. The left hand plays gear-shift pulse (root bass · 1 · 1& · 2 · 2& · 3& · 4 · 4&) and the right hand gear-shift chords.

American Idiot accompaniment in letter notes

The Db – Gb – Db – Ab loop with gear-shift pulse in the left hand and gear-shift chords in the right. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
Db
RAb4+Db5+F5 Ab4+Db5+F5 Ab4+Db5+F5 Ab4+Db5+F5 Ab4+Db5+F5 Ab4+Db5+F5 Ab4+Db5+F5
LDb3 Db3 Db4 Db3 Db3 Db4 Db3
Bar 2
Gb
RDb5+Gb5+Bb5 Db5+Gb5+Bb5 Db5+Gb5+Bb5 Db5+Gb5+Bb5 Db5+Gb5+Bb5 Db5+Gb5+Bb5 Db5+Gb5+Bb5
LGb2 Gb2 Gb3 Gb2 Gb2 Gb3 Gb2
Bar 3
Db
RAb4+Db5+F5 Ab4+Db5+F5 Ab4+Db5+F5 Ab4+Db5+F5 Ab4+Db5+F5 Ab4+Db5+F5 Ab4+Db5+F5
LDb3 Db3 Db4 Db3 Db3 Db4 Db3
Bar 4
Ab
REb5+Ab5+C6 Eb5+Ab5+C6 Eb5+Ab5+C6 Eb5+Ab5+C6 Eb4 F4 G4 Ab4 Bb4 C5 Db5 Eb5
LAb2 Ab2 Ab3 Ab2 Ab2 Ab3 Ab2
Bar 5
Db
RAb4+Db5+F5 Ab4+Db5+F5 Ab4+Db5+F5 Ab4+Db5+F5 Ab4+Db5+F5 Ab4+Db5+F5 Ab4+Db5+F5
LDb3 Db3 Db4 Db3 Db3 Db4 Db3
Bar 6
Gb
RDb5+Gb5+Bb5 Db5+Gb5+Bb5 Db5+Gb5+Bb5 Db5+Gb5+Bb5 Db5+Gb5+Bb5 Db5+Gb5+Bb5 Db5+Gb5+Bb5
LGb2 Gb2 Gb3 Gb2 Gb2 Gb3 Gb2
Bar 7
Db
RAb4+Db5+F5 Ab4+Db5+F5 Ab4+Db5+F5 Ab4+Db5+F5 Ab4+Db5+F5 Ab4+Db5+F5 Ab4+Db5+F5
LDb3 Db3 Db4 Db3 Db3 Db4 Db3
Bar 8
Ab
REb5+Ab5+C6 Eb5+Ab5+C6 Eb5+Ab5+C6 Eb5+Ab5+C6 Eb5+Ab5+C6 Eb5+Ab5+C6 Eb5+Ab5+C6
LAb2 Ab2 Ab3 Ab2 Ab2 Ab3 Ab2

How to read the bar sheet

The player above shows the treble staff (right hand) over the bass staff (left hand). Every note is a bar as long as it sounds, at its place on the staff, with its name inside, and the music scrolls past a line that marks now. The chord names run along the top.

Start with the left hand alone at a slow speed, then the right, then both. When the letters feel easy, try the sheet music.

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Questions about American Idiot

What are the letter notes for the American Idiot piano accompaniment?

Bar by bar, both hands: the bar sheet on this page names every note of the accompaniment (C4 is middle C) and plays along. The loop is Db – Gb – Db – Ab, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in American Idiot?

The loop is Db – Gb – Db – Ab (IV5 – bVII5 – IV5 – I5) in Ab major, and the song ends on Gb – Db – Ab.

What key is American Idiot in?

Ab major, at about 160 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in American Idiot?

Gear-shift pulse: root bass · 1 · 1& · 2 · 2& · 3& · 4 · 4&, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is American Idiot 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.