Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
California Dreamin’: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes
Written by John Phillips & Michelle Phillps
- A minor
- 4/4
- 120 BPM
- i–bVII–bVI–bVII loop
- 1965
- Medium
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 California Dreamin’ without reading music. The left hand plays pop heartbeat (root bass · charleston push (1 · 2& · 3)) and the right hand telegraph taps.
California Dreamin’ accompaniment in letter notes
The Am – G – F – G loop with pop heartbeat in the left hand and telegraph taps in the right. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.
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 California Dreamin’
What are the letter notes for the California Dreamin’ 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 – G – F – G, so the letters repeat with the chords.
What chords are in California Dreamin’?
The loop is Am – G – F – G (i – bVII – bVI – bVII) in A minor, and the song ends on F – G – Am.
What key is California Dreamin’ in?
A minor, at about 120 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in California Dreamin’?
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 California Dreamin’ 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.
Made from one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.