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Canadian Railroad Trilogy: piano accompaniment sheet music

By Gordon Lightfoot

Tuning the piano…
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Left hand Waltz rippleRight hand Swaying waltz chordsChords the loop the song repeats most

Play the full song with sheet music

Canadian Railroad Trilogy written out as piano music: the I – v – I – v loop in F major for both hands, with chord names and finger numbers. Press play and follow the cursor. The left hand plays waltz ripple (broken chord 1-5-8 (3/4)) and the right hand swaying waltz chords.

Canadian Railroad Trilogy chord chart

The loop once round, bar by bar, in F major. The roman numeral says the chord's place in the key, so the same chart works in any key.

BarChordNumeralNotes
1FIF A C
2CmvC Eb G
3FIF A C
4CmvC Eb G

What the sheet music shows

The grand staff: the right hand on the treble staff, the left hand on the bass staff, with the chord names above and a finger number on each note (1 is the thumb). It is the accompaniment: waltz ripple (broken chord 1-5-8 (3/4)) in the left hand and swaying waltz chords in the right, over the F – Cm – F – Cm chords.

Press play and a cursor follows the music. Above it, Colours paints each note in its key’s colour and Note names writes its letter on its head.

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Questions about Canadian Railroad Trilogy

Does the sheet music for Canadian Railroad Trilogy have finger numbers?

Yes: every note of both hands has its finger number, 1 being the thumb. To read the notes alone, turn Fingers off above the music.

What chords are in Canadian Railroad Trilogy?

The loop is F – Cm – F – Cm (I – v – I – v) in F major, and the song ends on Bb – C – F.

What key is Canadian Railroad Trilogy in?

F major, at about 160 beats a minute in 2/2.

What does the left hand play in Canadian Railroad Trilogy?

Waltz ripple: broken chord 1-5-8 (3/4), an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Canadian Railroad Trilogy 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.