Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Rock drive

China Grove: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

Written by Tom Johnston

Tuning the piano…
Learn it
Learn it
Style

Left hand Giant stepsRight hand Ticking clockChords the loop the song repeats most

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 China Grove without reading music. The left hand plays giant steps (lh chords) and the right hand ticking clock.

China Grove accompaniment in letter notes

The E – D – A – E loop with giant steps in the left hand and ticking clock in the right. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
E
RE4 E4 E4 E4 E4 E4 E4 E4
LE2+B2 B2+E3 B2+E3
Bar 2
D
RD4 D4 D4 D4 D4 D4 D4 D4
LD2+A2 A2+D3 A2+D3
Bar 3
A
RA3 A3 A3 A3 A3 A3 A3 A3
LA2+E3 E3+A3 E3+A3
Bar 4
E
RE4 E4 E4 E4 B6 G#6 E6 B5 G#5 G5 F#5 F5
LE2+B2 B2+E3 B2+E3
Bar 5
E
RE4 E4 E4 E4 E4 E4 E4 E4
LE2+B2 B2+E3 B2+E3
Bar 6
D
RD4 D4 D4 D4 D4 D4 D4 D4
LD2+A2 A2+D3 A2+D3
Bar 7
A
RA3 A3 A3 A3 A3 A3 A3 A3
LA2+E3 E3+A3 E3+A3
Bar 8
E
RE4 E4 E4 E4 E4 E4 E4 E4
LE2+B2 B2+E3 B2+E3

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.

Play next

Questions about China Grove

What are the letter notes for the China Grove 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 E – D – A – E, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in China Grove?

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

What key is China Grove in?

E major, at about 120 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in China Grove?

Giant steps: lh chords, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is China Grove 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.