Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Pop heartbeat

Build A Levee: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

By Natalie Merchant

  • A minor
  • 4/4
  • 120 BPM
  • 2001
  • Easy
Tuning the piano…
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Style

Left hand Pop heartbeatRight hand Offbeat skankChords 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 Build A Levee without reading music. The left hand plays pop heartbeat (root bass · charleston push (1 · 2& · 3)) and the right hand offbeat skank.

Build A Levee accompaniment in letter notes

The Am – C – G – Am loop with pop heartbeat in the left hand and offbeat skank in the right. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
Am
RC4+E4+A4 C4+E4+A4 C4+E4+A4 C4+E4+A4
LA2 A2 A2
Bar 2
C
RE4+G4+C5 E4+G4+C5 E4+G4+C5 E4+G4+C5
LC3 C3 C3
Bar 3
G
RB4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5
LG2 G2 G2
Bar 4
Am
RC4+E4+A4 C4+E4+A4 D4 E4 F4 G4 A4 B4 C5 D5
LA2 A2 A2
Bar 5
Am
RC4+E4+A4 C4+E4+A4 C4+E4+A4 C4+E4+A4
LA2 A2 A2
Bar 6
C
RE4+G4+C5 E4+G4+C5 E4+G4+C5 E4+G4+C5
LC3 C3 C3
Bar 7
G
RB4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5 B4+D5+G5
LG2 G2 G2
Bar 8
Am
RC4+E4+A4 C4+E4+A4 C4+E4+A4 C4+E4+A4
LA2 A2 A2

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 Build A Levee

What are the letter notes for the Build A Levee 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 Am – C – G – Am, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Build A Levee?

The loop is Am – C – G – Am (i – bIII – bVII – i) in A minor, and the song ends on F – G – Am.

What key is Build A Levee in?

A minor, at about 120 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Build A Levee?

Pop heartbeat: root bass · charleston push (1 · 2& · 3), an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Build A Levee 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.