Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Pop heartbeat

Captain: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

Written by Dave Matthews Band

  • E major
  • 4/4
  • 100 BPM
  • 2000
  • Easy
Tuning the piano…
Learn it
Style

Left hand Hiccup heartbeatRight hand Late-knock chordsChords 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 Captain without reading music. The left hand plays hiccup heartbeat (root bass · 1 · 2 · 2a · 3& · 4) and the right hand late-knock chords.

Captain accompaniment in letter notes

The C#m – G#m – Bm – A loop with hiccup heartbeat in the left hand and late-knock chords in the right. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
C#m
RE4+G#4+C#5 E4+G#4+C#5 E4+G#4+C#5
LC#3 C#4 C#3 C#3 C#4
Bar 2
G#m
RB4+D#5+G#5 B4+D#5+G#5 B4+D#5+G#5
LG#2 G#3 G#2 G#2 G#3
Bar 3
Bm
RD4+F#4+B4 D4+F#4+B4 D4+F#4+B4
LB2 B3 B2 B2 B3
Bar 4
A
RC#4+E4+A4 D#4 E4 F#4 G#4 A4 B4 C#5 D#5
LA2 A3 A2 A2 A3
Bar 5
C#m
RE4+G#4+C#5 E4+G#4+C#5 E4+G#4+C#5
LC#3 C#4 C#3 C#3 C#4
Bar 6
G#m
RB4+D#5+G#5 B4+D#5+G#5 B4+D#5+G#5
LG#2 G#3 G#2 G#2 G#3
Bar 7
Bm
RD4+F#4+B4 D4+F#4+B4 D4+F#4+B4
LB2 B3 B2 B2 B3
Bar 8
A
RC#4+E4+A4 C#4+E4+A4 C#4+E4+A4
LA2 A3 A2 A2 A3

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 Captain

What are the letter notes for the Captain 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 C#m – G#m – Bm – A, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Captain?

The loop is C#m – G#m – Bm – A (vi – iii – v – IV) in E major, and the song ends on A – B – E.

What key is Captain in?

E major, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Captain?

Hiccup heartbeat: root bass · 1 · 2 · 2a · 3& · 4, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Captain 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.