Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
Carry On Wayward Son: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes
By Kansas
- C major
- 4/4
- 124 BPM
- 1976
- Easy
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 Carry On Wayward Son without reading music. The left hand plays drowsy heartbeat (root bass · 1 · 3 · 4&) and the right hand soft chords.
The main tune of Carry On Wayward Son in letter notes
The real notes from a score, both hands, bar by bar. R is the right hand, L the left; C4 is middle C.
Carry On Wayward Son accompaniment in letter notes
The Dm – Em7 – Em7 – D – Em – Am – G loop with drowsy heartbeat in the left hand and soft chords 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 Carry On Wayward Son
What are the letter notes for the Carry On Wayward Son 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 Dm – Em7 – Em7 – D – Em – Am – G, so the letters repeat with the chords.
What chords are in Carry On Wayward Son?
The loop is Dm – Em7 – Em7 – D – Em – Am – G (ii – iii7 – II – iii – vi – V – ii) in C major, and the song ends on G – F – C.
What key is Carry On Wayward Son in?
C major, at about 124 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Carry On Wayward Son?
Drowsy heartbeat: root bass · 1 · 3 · 4&, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Carry On Wayward Son easy to play on piano?
Yes. Both hands play easy patterns over 7 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.
Can I hear the real melody of Carry On Wayward Son?
Yes: "The part you know" plays the main tune of the song from a score, with both hands.
Made from 3 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.