Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Pop heartbeat

Calgary: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

Written by Justin Vernon & Matt McCaughan

Tuning the piano…
Learn it
Learn it
Style

Left hand Walking rootsRight hand Steady chordsChords the loop the song repeats most

Play the full song with sheet music

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 Calgary without reading music. The left hand plays walking roots (root bass · quarters) and the right hand steady chords.

Calgary accompaniment in letter notes

The Gm – F – Bb – Eb loop with walking roots in the left hand and steady chords in the right. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
Gm
RBb4+D5+G5 Bb4+D5+G5 Bb4+D5+G5 Bb4+D5+G5
LG2 G2 G3 G3
Bar 2
F
RA4+C5+F5 A4+C5+F5 A4+C5+F5 A4+C5+F5
LF2 F2 F3 F3
Bar 3
Bb
RD4+F4+Bb4 D4+F4+Bb4 D4+F4+Bb4 D4+F4+Bb4
LBb2 Bb2 Bb3 Bb3
Bar 4
Eb
RG4+Bb4+Eb5 G4+Bb4+Eb5 C4 D4 Eb4 F4 G4 A4 Bb4 C5
LEb2 Eb2 Eb3 Eb3
Bar 5
Gm
RBb4+D5+G5 Bb4+D5+G5 Bb4+D5+G5 Bb4+D5+G5
LG2 G2 G3 G3
Bar 6
F
RA4+C5+F5 A4+C5+F5 A4+C5+F5 A4+C5+F5
LF2 F2 F3 F3
Bar 7
Bb
RD4+F4+Bb4 D4+F4+Bb4 D4+F4+Bb4 D4+F4+Bb4
LBb2 Bb2 Bb3 Bb3
Bar 8
Eb
RG4+Bb4+Eb5 G4+Bb4+Eb5 G4+Bb4+Eb5 G4+Bb4+Eb5
LEb2 Eb2 Eb3 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 Calgary

What are the letter notes for the Calgary 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 Gm – F – Bb – Eb, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Calgary?

The loop is Gm – F – Bb – Eb (vi – V – I – IV) in Bb major, and the song ends on Eb – F – Bb.

What key is Calgary in?

Bb major, at about 120 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Calgary?

Walking roots: root bass · quarters, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Calgary 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.