Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Dreamy ballad

Chains: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

Written by Bud Reneau & Hal Bynum

  • D major
  • 4/4
  • 100 BPM
  • 1986
  • Easy
Tuning the piano…
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Left hand Dip-and-back bounceRight hand Hopscotch bellsChords 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 Chains without reading music. The left hand plays dip-and-back bounce (broken chord 8-8-5-8) and the right hand hopscotch bells.

Chains accompaniment in letter notes

The C – G – D – G loop with dip-and-back bounce in the left hand and hopscotch bells in the right. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
C
RC5 E4+G4 E4+G4
LC4 C4 G3 C4
Bar 2
G
RG5 B4+D5 B4+D5
LG3 G3 D3 G3
Bar 3
D
RD5 F#4+A4 F#4+A4
LD3 D3 A2 D3
Bar 4
G
RG5 B4+D5 G4 B4 D5 G5 B5 D6 G6 B6
LG3 G3 D3 G3
Bar 5
C
RC5 E4+G4 E4+G4
LC4 C4 G3 C4
Bar 6
G
RG5 B4+D5 B4+D5
LG3 G3 D3 G3
Bar 7
D
RD5 F#4+A4 F#4+A4
LD3 D3 A2 D3
Bar 8
G
RG5 B4+D5 B4+D5
LG3 G3 D3 G3

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 Chains

What are the letter notes for the Chains 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 – G – D – G, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Chains?

The loop is C – G – D – G (bVII – IV – I – IV) in D major, and the song ends on C – G – D.

What key is Chains in?

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

What does the left hand play in Chains?

Dip-and-back bounce: broken chord 8-8-5-8, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Chains 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.