Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Dreamy ballad

Ben: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

By Michael Jackson

  • F major
  • 4/4
  • 88 BPM
  • Medium
Tuning the piano…
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Left hand Rolling wavesThe right hand sings the tuneChords 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 Ben without reading music. The left hand plays rolling waves (open arpeggio 1-5-10-5), and the right hand sings the tune.

The main tune of Ben 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
Dm7
RC5 D5 C5 B4 C5 D5
LA3 C4 F4 C4 A3 C4 F4 C4
Bar 2
C7
RC5 G5 G5
LBb3 C4 E4 C4 Bb3 C4 G4 C4
Bar 3
Dm7
RC5 D5 C5 B4 C5 D5
LA3 C4 F4 C4 A3 C4 F4 C4
Bar 4
C7
RC5 Bb5 Bb5
LBb3 C4 E4 C4 Bb3 C4 G4 C4

Ben accompaniment in letter notes

The Dm7 – C7 – Dm7 – C7 loop with rolling waves in the left hand. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
Dm7
RD4+F4+A4
LD2 A2 F3 A2 D2 A2 F3 A2
Bar 2
C7
RC4+E4+G4
LC3 G3 E4 G3 C3 G3 E4 G3
Bar 3
Dm7
RD4+F4+A4
LD2 A2 F3 A2 D2 A2 F3 A2
Bar 4
C7
RC4+E4+G4 E4 G4 Bb4 C5 E5 G5 Bb5 C6
LC3 G3 E4 G3 C3 G3 E4 G3
Bar 5
Dm7
RD4+F4+A4
LD2 A2 F3 A2 D2 A2 F3 A2
Bar 6
C7
RC4+E4+G4
LC3 G3 E4 G3 C3 G3 E4 G3
Bar 7
Dm7
RD4+F4+A4
LD2 A2 F3 A2 D2 A2 F3 A2
Bar 8
C7
RC4+E4+G4
LC3 G3 E4 G3 C3 G3 E4 G3

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 Ben

What are the letter notes for the Ben 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 Dm7 – C7 – Dm7 – C7, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Ben?

The loop is Dm7 – C7 – Dm7 – C7 (vi7 – V7 – vi7 – V7) in F major, and the song ends on F – Gm – F.

What key is Ben in?

F major, at about 88 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Ben?

Rolling waves: open arpeggio 1-5-10-5, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Ben 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.

Can I hear the real melody of Ben?

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

Made from 3 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.