Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Slow dance ’50s

Anthem: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

By Leonard Cohen

  • Db major
  • 12/8
  • 64 BPM
  • Easy
Tuning the piano…
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Style

Left hand Slow-dance heartbeatRight hand Slow-dance 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 Anthem without reading music. The left hand plays slow-dance heartbeat (root bass · 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 (12/8)) and the right hand slow-dance chords.

Anthem accompaniment in letter notes

The G7 – Ab7 – C – Db loop with slow-dance heartbeat in the left hand and slow-dance chords in the right. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
G7
RG4+B4+D5 G4+B4+D5 G4+B4+D5 G4+B4+D5
LG2 G2 G2 G2
Bar 2
Ab7
RAb4+C5+Eb5 Ab4+C5+Eb5 Ab4+C5+Eb5 Ab4+C5+Eb5
LAb2 Ab2 Ab2 Ab2
Bar 3
C
RC4+E4+G4 C4+E4+G4 C4+E4+G4 C4+E4+G4
LC3 C3 C3 C3
Bar 4
Db
RDb4+F4+Ab4 Db4+F4+Ab4 F4 Ab4 Db5 F5 Ab5 Db6 F6 Ab6 Db7
LDb3 Db3 Db3 Db3
Bar 5
G7
RG4+B4+D5 G4+B4+D5 G4+B4+D5 G4+B4+D5
LG2 G2 G2 G2
Bar 6
Ab7
RAb4+C5+Eb5 Ab4+C5+Eb5 Ab4+C5+Eb5 Ab4+C5+Eb5
LAb2 Ab2 Ab2 Ab2
Bar 7
C
RC4+E4+G4 C4+E4+G4 C4+E4+G4 C4+E4+G4
LC3 C3 C3 C3
Bar 8
Db
RDb4+F4+Ab4 Db4+F4+Ab4 Db4+F4+Ab4 Db4+F4+Ab4
LDb3 Db3 Db3 Db3

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 Anthem

What are the letter notes for the Anthem 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 G7 – Ab7 – C – Db, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Anthem?

The loop is G7 – Ab7 – C – Db (#IV7 – V7 – VII – I) in Db major, and the song ends on Gb – Ab – Db.

What key is Anthem in?

Db major, at about 64 beats a minute in 12/8.

What does the left hand play in Anthem?

Slow-dance heartbeat: root bass · 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 (12/8), an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Anthem easy to play on piano?

Yes. Both hands play easy patterns over 4 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.

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