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Piano chords · Pop heartbeat

Auld Lang Syne: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

By Robert Burns

  • D major
  • 4/4
  • 146 BPM
  • 2016
  • Medium
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Left hand Pony-trot pulseRight hand Pop stabsChords worked out from the notes of the famous part

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 Auld Lang Syne without reading music. The left hand plays pony-trot pulse (root bass · 1 · 1& · 2 · 2& · 3& · 4) and the right hand pop stabs.

The bass riff of Auld Lang Syne in letter notes

The real notes from a score, both hands, bar by bar. R is the right hand, L the left; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
D → Dm
RF#4+D5 F4+C#5
LD2 G#2 A2 D3
Bar 2
D
RF#4+D5 F#4+C5+F5
LD2 G#2 A2 D3
Bar 3
Eb7
RDb4+G4+C5 Db4+G4+Bb4
LEb2 A2 Bb2 Eb3
Bar 4
Eb7 → Eb
RDb4+G4+C5 Db4+G4+Bb4
LEb2 A2 Bb2 Eb3

Auld Lang Syne accompaniment in letter notes

The D – Dm – D – Eb7 – Eb7 – Eb loop with pony-trot pulse in the left hand and pop stabs in the right. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
D → Dm
RF#4+A4+D5 F#4+A4+D5 F4+A4+D5
LD2 D2 D3 D2 D2 D3
Bar 2
D
RF#4+A4+D5 F#4+A4+D5 F#4+A4+D5
LD2 D2 D3 D2 D2 D3
Bar 3
Eb7
RG4+Bb4+Eb5 G4+Bb4+Eb5 G4+Bb4+Eb5
LEb2 Eb2 Eb3 Eb2 Eb2 Eb3
Bar 4
Eb7 → Eb
RG4+Bb4+Eb5 G4+Bb4+Eb5 Db4 D4 Fb4 Gb4 G4 A4 Cb4 Db5
LEb2 Eb2 Eb3 Eb2 Eb2 Eb3
Bar 5
D → Dm
RF#4+A4+D5 F#4+A4+D5 F4+A4+D5
LD2 D2 D3 D2 D2 D3
Bar 6
D
RF#4+A4+D5 F#4+A4+D5 F#4+A4+D5
LD2 D2 D3 D2 D2 D3
Bar 7
Eb7
RG4+Bb4+Eb5 G4+Bb4+Eb5 G4+Bb4+Eb5
LEb2 Eb2 Eb3 Eb2 Eb2 Eb3
Bar 8
Eb7 → Eb
RG4+Bb4+Eb5 G4+Bb4+Eb5 G4+Bb4+Eb5
LEb2 Eb2 Eb3 Eb2 Eb2 Eb3

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 Auld Lang Syne

What are the letter notes for the Auld Lang Syne 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 D – Dm – D – Eb7 – Eb7 – Eb, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Auld Lang Syne?

The loop is D – Dm – D – Eb7 – Eb7 – Eb (I – i – I – bII7 – bII – I) in D major, and the song ends on D – Gm – D.

What key is Auld Lang Syne in?

D major, at about 146 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Auld Lang Syne?

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

Is Auld Lang Syne easy to play on piano?

It is a medium one: learn the 6 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.

Can I hear the real melody of Auld Lang Syne?

Yes: "The part you know" plays the bass riff of the song from a score, with both hands.

Made from 5 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.